My globalization class today

[mustang84]

Today, we had to hand in current events for my globalization class, and I turned in the one about the Republicans growing weary of free trade. In my analysis of it, I talked about how free trade was beneficial to keeping a society from becoming stagnant, but how countries that place protectionist policies on their own markets should be countered with protectionist policies here that would promote fairer trade. I also mentioned GM in it and the large effect it had on the economy.

So as my professor starting discussing my article with the rest of the class, he misspoke a few things that I said that made it sound like I was for imposing protectionism on everything which is not where I stand. The vocal free trade advocates in the class just ate this up. Then somehow it moved over to GM, and of course the professor and the vocal advocates talked about how American automakers just don't get it and the typical stereotypes how Americans are willing to pay more for a Japanese car that will last a long time than a domestic car that will break down often. Every stereotype in the book.

I decided to try to defend, but I'm a better debater in writing than in speaking, so my arguments fell on deaf ears. My professor started comparing the auto market of 1960 to today and how the US was the dominant auto manufacturer in the world, giving it competitive advantage over other countries. Then he went on to talk about how that competitive advantage has now shifted to Japan, so essentially we should stop hanging on to the past and invest our effort into new areas we can lead. I agree with the second part of that, but I don't see why we should just abandon the American auto industry, especially now that it is starting to come around.

He was talking about how Japan's competitive advantage was its focus on quality and Just-in-time production. That got me thinking; GM absolutely needs to get the Volt out. The Volt will be the new competitive advantage for the American auto industry. The only way GM is going to win back hordes of people, especially like the ones in my class today, is by leading in fuel economy. It's so hard to convince people that quality is truly catching up, but if you have something to sell them that will save them thousands in fuel costs, they will bite and then discover the closing quality gap for themselves.

[CaddyXLR-V]

I agree with focusing on areas we can lead. But, I don't see the Japanese as the clear leader in autos, and autos being such emotional objects, unlike tvs for example, it is a market we should not give up. The Japanese offer very little I could see myself owning.

[Camino LS6]

You should write a follow-up rebutting the Prof and pointing out his mis -interpretations of your original article.

[regfootball]

you got his email?

I'll rip his head off and crap down his neck.

American automakers just don't get it and the typical stereotypes how Americans are willing to pay more for a Japanese car that will last a long time than a domestic car that will break down often. Every stereotype in the book.

is this ALL Americans? is it only domestic cars that break down?

Get me his email.

So, in his mind, you simply abandon an industry you are still pulling about 50% share in? One of the largest industries in the US?

An industry that 1 in 12 people in this country are supported by?

WHAT A DUMBASS>

never accuse a professor of being smart. there's a reason why people teach, instead of doing.

Pompous ass forgot to mention, in his eyes, only PEOPLE THAT MATTER are willing to pay for their ricer rides. My dad still drives his 92 caddy. is THAT breaking down?

I have never had to fix an engine or transmission or suspension on the domestic cars I have bought. Is THAT breaking down?

He must only read Consumer Reports. Does he see JD Power?

Sounds like a jerk.

Part of the reason people buy imports is to visibly demonstrate to everyone else that they are superior in some way. They merely want to differentiate themselves from the other proletariat.

I tend to think its a way to show they spend excess money foolishly.

Edited October 5, 2007 by regfootball

[Oracle of Delphi]

Once upon a time, a young man went to the circus. He was very excited, as he lived in western Manitoba and had never seen a circus before; the kind of town where you shave and the trolly stops. Anyway, as circus days drew nigh, the young man grew ever more excited. He arrived before dawn to get the best seat in the house, and was seated hours before the first trapeze act.

Finally, the trapeze artists gave an awe-inspiring performance, the elephants danced, and the lion tamer tamed. At last, the clowns came out in full regalia and green hair. They rode around by the gross in a purple volkswagon. The volksie pulled up to center of the ring, and an overweight clown with orange hair, acne, and a purple nose advanced to the podium:

"Will the person in section A, row Y, seat 42 please stand up?"

The young man looked at his ticket, and to his surprise, he was sitting in that very seat. The young man stood up.

Clown sez, "Wellllll, there's the horse's ass, now where's the rest of the horse?"

The man, dumbfounded, stood for a moment, then made his way quickly through crowd and out of the tent. Returning home, the man wept for days, and mourned the loss of dignity and honor. Eventually reason overcame his grief and the man grew determined. "I'm not going to get mad, I'm going to get even, and avenge the honor of myself, my family, and this town," exclaimed the man. He picked up the curriculum guide for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) correspondence courses and started to read.

Eventually his eyes came to rest on an advert for a class in "Quick Wit Retort." "Learn how to use those snappy comebacks to your advantage, now!" So the man sent in his $19.95 and soon received the course materials. In a few weeks, the man mastered the materials, and sent the final back to UNLV.

Much to his surprise, a registered letter arrived from the president of UNLV. It read:

Dear Sir: We are utterly flabbergasted at your performance in Quick Wit Retort 101. We would be most gratified if you could come to UNLV to complete your degree with our fine academic institution. Here's a check to cover your expenses.

To make a long story short :-), the man made straight A's in the QWR program. He was awarded numerous distinctions, and when he graduated, the graduation speaker Ed Meese awarded the man the Presidential Medal of Outstanding Quick Wit Retort, signed by Ronnie himself!

Some days afterward, Harvard University sent a lear-jet to pick the man up for an interview. The graduate admissions officer didn't mince words. "If you complete our masters/doctoral tenured track program in QWR, you will never have to worry about money again," said he. Needless to say, the man promptly moved to Cambridge.

In 5 years, the man had finished his doctorate. By this time, the man was known throughout the world as the leading expert in Quick Wit Retort. Word had even reached western Manitoba, which made his mother very proud. Everyone from Pentagon pundits to Beltway bandits consulted the man on technical questions of QWR.

One day, while sitting at his desk reading his hometown newspaper, the man noticed that the circus was coming to his hometown again. An evil smile crossed the man's face. "Siegfried," cried the man to his assistant, "We must be away to Manitoba. Ready the jet!" As the plane crossed the downlands of Michigan, the man savored the moment of victory that was to be his.

The man arrived at the circus tent very early, making sure to get the seat in section A, row Y, seat 42.

Finally, the trapeze artists gave an awe-inspiring performance, the elephants danced, and the lion tamer tamed. At last, the clowns came out in full regalia and green hair. They rode around by the gross in a purple volkswagon. The volksie pulled up to center of the ring, and an overweight clown with orange hair, acne, and a purple nose advanced to the podium:

"Will the person in section A, row Y, seat 42 please stand up?"

The man glanced at his ticket. This time he was ready.

Clown sez, "Wellllll, there's the horse's ass, now where's the rest of the horse?"

The man rose to his feet, full of confidence. He thrust out his chest and said in the loudest voice you can imagine:

f@#k YOU, CLOWN!!!!

Hope this inspires you!

Edited October 5, 2007 by Pontiac Custom-S

[Camino LS6]

I love that story *sniff* so beautiful.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

This is typical academia bull$h!...

Most colleges consist of either flaming liberals or staunch conservatives (Depending on the curriculum)

The liberals hate GM for what they are in terms of 1) American 2) Popular and 3) Proud

The conservatives hate GM for what they have become 1) Inefficient & 2) Unprofittable.

I've had quite a few professors pick fights with me about the industry and it is then that you realize how ignorant, yet well rehearsed these jack offs (REMEMBER: Those who can't do, TEACH) are.

One of my majors is Psychology... Had this obviously liberal professor touting (In Social Psychology) how we should trust well established, unbiased sources such as ConsuCKer Reports. Then a few classes later he explained how we should NEVER trust a "survey" of a product because of reciprocation. (The consumer feels indebted to the manufacturer because they got what they wanted--- a new car, and thus will give the manufacturer a glowing review. Also; confirmation bias, where the buyer views the world a certain way and then selectively chooses information to confirm that view (THINK: Jap cars are better)

So I stopped him dead in his tracks and explained to the class how he just contradicted himself... You should've heard the bumbling response I got in which he tried to 'ride the fence' I spent the rest of the semester writing all of my papers on Toyota in a negative light. I did this because I knew that he drove a Toyota Camry (Don't ask me how, I had some spare time ) I did get an A in the class tho...

Putz #2

My I/O Psych teacher... An Acura driving conservative. I/O stands for Industrial/Organizational Psychology (What I might ultimately do) and deals exclusively with the business world. So while being typical, lefty psychologist one must also be conservative to deal with the clientele: typical business men.

He goes into this rant about how Mercedes quality went down when CHRYSLER bought Mercedes... He was a nice guy and I hated to bust his balls, but I just *couldn't" resist (After all I am FOG, LOL) Once corrected about both the purchase and the fact that MB quality has been in decline for MUCH longer than 1998 to present, he didn't offer much of a fight.

Then there are the cool guys too I guess... Had one professor who was a little odd and drove a huge old Buick LeSabre. He openly admitted that he still had GM stock, yet he did think they were fresh out of ideas. (This was during the bankruptcy time)

Had an accounting teacher, foreign but conservative... Drove a Chevy Blazer, son drove a Lexus (Again, don't ask me how I know all of this... ) He often used GM and Ford in examples, seemed pretty indifferent but alsio STRESSED that business is cyclical and that he had no doubts that Detroit would be back in profits within 2-3 years simply because of the cycle and them readjusting their product mix.

[FAPTurbo]

My business class Professor heavily uses Ford and the first generation Taurus as an example of excellent management, employee teamwork, and 'thinking outside the box' .

He also mentioned that the Domestic's don't get the credit they deserve.

[pow]

I love how this shared experience degraded from a perfectly reasonable thread into endless, mindless, regurgitated rants about people you dislike...

[Sixty8panther]

MOst college proffessors that I know who remind me of what you're describing

spent more time trying to f**k my female (or male) classmates than they

ever did researching or backing up thier outrageous "facts".

This guy sounds like the typical retard that gets to "mold" future Americans.

[mustang84]

you got his email?

I'll rip his head off and crap down his neck.

is this ALL Americans? is it only domestic cars that break down?

Get me his email.

So, in his mind, you simply abandon an industry you are still pulling about 50% share in? One of the largest industries in the US?

An industry that 1 in 12 people in this country are supported by?

WHAT A DUMBASS>

never accuse a professor of being smart. there's a reason why people teach, instead of doing.

Pompous ass forgot to mention, in his eyes, only PEOPLE THAT MATTER are willing to pay for their ricer rides. My dad still drives his 92 caddy. is THAT breaking down?

I have never had to fix an engine or transmission or suspension on the domestic cars I have bought. Is THAT breaking down?

He must only read Consumer Reports. Does he see JD Power?

Sounds like a jerk.

Part of the reason people buy imports is to visibly demonstrate to everyone else that they are superior in some way. They merely want to differentiate themselves from the other proletariat.

I tend to think its a way to show they spend excess money foolishly.

He's a nice guy, but he has a completely skewed view of domestic cars. One of the things he said was how most college students would rather buy a Japanese car that will last 160,000 miles than a domestic that is going to give them a lot of problems...I wanted to blurt out that my last car had 220,000 miles and it was a Chevy. All it had replaced were fairly minor things like a water pump. Was the build quality the greatest? No, but it never left me stranded anywhere. Pretty much all cars today can get 160,000 miles, even 200,000.

Most of that people in the class were probably not car enthusiasts, so I'm sure they believed most of what he said.

[regfootball]

my inlaws are driving up today in their olds 88. the thing has almost 200k on it now I think. yet, how many would feel safe having 70+/80+ year old couple travelling in an old domestic car?

well, i trust it. you need to find some way to give this teacher an alternate viewpoint. i would challenge him to provide specific personal evidence that domestics are the garbage he professes.

[ZL-1]

f@#k YOU, CLOWN!!!!

I love it when stories develop into an f-bomb climax *takes notes to apply in other contexts* Edited October 6, 2007 by ZL-1

[Dsuupr]

I always counter back the story of Roach I and II.

How many "foreign" cars do our police & taxi cab companies buy? Try taking a toyota, honda or nissan 100k as a Police car, then 270k as a taxi, then 20k of me doing anything I can to get the car to die. Original engine, transmission, seats, etc. I can guarantee you that NO new toyota, honda or nissan could even take 20k with the abuse I gave both Roachs.

For those that don't know, I;

1. Used 1 gallon of water for every 10 gallons of gas

2. Drove up curbs at over 35 mph (almost every time I drove it)

3. Took down rock heaps by running into them

4. Threw the car in reverse at high way speeds

5. Rallied the car on back dirt roads, jumping it more than once

6. Hit poles and other obstacles on purpose

7. Would not change the oil until it was dark black

8. Walked on it, jumped on it (often jumped on the trunk to show the strength of the car)

9. Disconnected the spark plug wires to see what it would drive like with a few cylinders down for a week

10. Took it off roading to the point that the frame was hitting ground (very hard I might add)

11. Couldn't drive it without flooring it

All this on a weekly / monthly basis. The car never got a break, yet it NEVER broke down.

[trinacriabob]

This is typical academia bull$h!...

Most colleges consist of either flaming liberals or staunch conservatives (Depending on the curriculum)

Had an accounting teacher, foreign but conservative... Drove a Chevy Blazer, son drove a Lexus (Again, don't ask me how I know all of this... ) He often used GM and Ford in examples, seemed pretty indifferent but alsio STRESSED that business is cyclical and that he had no doubts that Detroit would be back in profits within 2-3 years simply because of the cycle and them readjusting their product mix.

True...it's a place where profs can vaunt their points of view safely.

FOG, I like the way your accounting teacher thinks...the most realistic of the bunch.

Mustang, I'm glad your getting these perspectives and getting into debates, even though it's frustating. Too many architecture students seem to sleep in their other classes, partly because they're tired and partly because they're tunnel-visioned.

[regfootball]

too many architects are about idol worship and ideology. Hardly ever about making an informed decision. Prof's are in that way real similar.

[mustang84]

Yeah, "aloof" can describe many profs in arch school. It's always a treat when you get a reviewer that rambles on for five minutes about abstract architectural ideology, and when it's over you're left wondering if anything was actually said about your project.

[trinacriabob]

too many architects are about idol worship and ideology. Hardly ever about making an informed decision. Prof's are in that way real similar.

I couldn't stand most of them, but never let on...you know, preservation of the GPA.

The other thing that always went through my head is what my friends in other departments would think if they sat in on one of our reviews/crits. So, my thinking went like this: black clothes, mock turtle necks, little round glasses, "gracefully" crossed legs and pissy highbrow language. Nah, won't be bringing my friends from other departments.

[regfootball]

yeah, but it killed studio time for them, they felt like they gave you your money's worth with a professional opinion.

they may have avoided saying anything about your project because they probably didn't have the ability to quantify anything of benefit for you. It's easy for them sometimes to repeat things and idoelogies they read or had said to them about other's works, but they can't react to your unique abilities all the time. those are not the best teachers.

At least not on the spot like that.

I had some studio profs I found essentially of no value. Either because they did not like or take interest in me or my work, or, they just simply could not cultivate and judge talent. And a few are simply not communicators. A handful of them, I found to be useful. They were generally the older ones, and those who had had practices at one time or another.

I cannot recall any memorable interactions with any staff where i went to school, except for one. We had a prof they brought in from Poland, and it was her first year and she was one of my 5th year crits. She was tough as nails and had communication issues with nearly everyone, except she was sort of cordial to me because of my Polish last name (even though I am mostly German). I could tell often she was visibly frustrated with many other students (the prima donnas especially) because since she was not part of the professors elite, some of them hated her and shunned her. She was able to see through many of their BS, but she wasn't stroking them and it made a few of them turn on her, in addition to the language issues. i was lukewarm on her teaching style, since she was inexperienced and such, but since she was personally recruited from europe by the new dept chair, I felt it was worth it to be sympathetic to her situation. So I treated her with respect and attention unlike many of the others. She also took more of an interest in my attention to the practical issues and such that the chattering other faculty would not.

Anyways, one day, she told me that someday 'you will be very good architect'. And she kind of told me some of the ways she I thought I would be successful in ways many of the others would not be.

I swear, what she told me that day is basically about all that keeps me going some days. And I don't think I'll ever get to that point, but it was nice to hear it once in a lifetime.

I never felt too many of the profs related to me, because I was more functional rather than seeking the artistic bent continuously and I think some of them questioned my commitment. Hard to spend 12 hours a day in a metal shed when I was working full time at the same time.

I thing I never did was challenge their opinions enough. To allow them to say their piece, and then throw it right back at them. I respected what they had to say, but I was never able to turn it around on them to argue anything I disagreed with.

Edited October 9, 2007 by regfootball

[regfootball]

I couldn't stand most of them, but never let on...you know, preservation of the GPA.

The other thing that always went through my head is what my friends in other departments would think if they sat in on one of our reviews/crits. So, my thinking went like this: black clothes, mock turtle necks, little round glasses, "gracefully" crossed legs and pissy highbrow language. Nah, won't be bringing my friends from other departments.

yeah, and its rude to ask friends to sit in old metal unheated and fire dept condemned ag quonsets, on chairs made of pvc pipe and plywood and carpet, too. LOL

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

LOL

I can't believe I'm reading all of this!

I thought my GFs school of architecture was the only one that is "full of $h!." (By that I don't mean the actual design of buildings, rather the 'architecture professor lifestyle')

I could never put up with the she has. I would've told people where to go and what to do during the first year.

sorry

[regfootball]

now you know why bob and i are so cynical and critical. it's from being exposed to that whole crock osht.

[trinacriabob]

now you know why bob and i are so cynical and critical. it's from being exposed to that whole crock osht.

Yep, I thought it was kind of a freak show. Though a good student, I was so irreverent about the whole thing and I'm quite sure that irritated some of the tightly wound ones.