For as long as the automotive industry installed pre-fabricated boxes to be placed behind a chassis-cab truck, Americans used the good ol’ pickup primarily as a work vehicle. If you built something, you used your truck to haul your tools and materials to your job site. If you’re a farmer, you used your truck to distribute hay bails or send needed items out to the far reaches of your property.
Let me get personal for a moment: I miss Pontiac.
General Motors’ bankruptcy forced the largest automotive concern in the world to make some sacrifices. Since one of the complaints by analysts and pundits had been the large number of brands on sale by the company, GM was forced to make some sacrifices. It had to cut brands and the number of dealerships selling them. When it came to closing down the Pontiac brand, a number of loyal enthusiasts were not happy about that decision.
I can cite the many reasons for the closure of Pontiac. I can also cite the frustrations and laments of those who were loyal to the arrowhead.
Truthfully, I was actually a fan of Pontiac – coming from an Oldsmobile heritage, that is. Once Oldsmobile went away, I looked to Pontiac for hope to keep me engaged with GM products. Though my family never owned a Pontiac, I always considered them when I shopped for an automobile, or was asked for advice on shopping.
Last September, I found myself in the whirlwind of the local reaction to the suicide of Justin Aaberg. In talking with his mother, Tammy, I knew that something will come from this to help galvanize the LGBT community and the world.
Advice columnist Dan Savage took the lead in this reaction to the Aaberg's and other related suicides of young gay teens. The spark that began by recording a viral video with his partner as a way to reach out to other gay teens turned into the cause celebre of these times. From President Barack Obama to the San Francisco Giants, from Lady Gaga to another young gay person a continent away – the mantra of "It Gets Better" resonated through YouTube and other social media outlets with a resounding call.
Benefitting from the impact of these videos was the many resources geared towards assisting LGBT youth. The Trevor Project was the key benefactor of this effort as identified by Savage and all of the video participants as the primary national outlet to help those in need. Regional and local organizations and centers also welcomed the efforts of thousands of videos posted to provide positive messages to youth to simply "hang in there" through the bullying and negativity as they strive towards a space to be free and honest in their lives.
The automotive industry has not been visibly present in these efforts – until now. While Toyota Motor Sales USA's Spectrum assisted The Trevor Project at Christopher Street West/L.A. Pride this past weekend, General Motors released the video above through their YouTube page. The video features GM employees who are members of GM PLUS – the employee resource group for the company – and corporate allies in an emotional and honest effort towards bridging the great people of GM with youth in need of these positive images.
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Tweet Monday wrapped up the third straight review of a General Motors vehicle. As much as I try to keep a balance in my vehicle selection for this blog, you sometimes have to take what you can get. Believe me, I had no qualms with the selection of the Buick Regal CXL Turbo, Chevrolet Silverado …
You’d think that after a couple of postings that there may have not been any conclusions made regarding the relationship between the automotive industry and the LGBT community. The questions asked over the past couple of weeks simply remain unanswered. Yet, for every unanswered question, there are a few more to ponder about.
I love social media.
No, seriously, I do. It's a great way to connect with people and entities following a common interest and cause. It has played a significant role in the development and rebranding of this blog. How? The connections one makes with key people: Fans, contacts in the industry.
This has been a mutual win for all parties concerned. Not only did I see some growth in terms of these connections and what we can do for each other. Rather, we are able to get to know each other to facilitate these further connections.
Social media also provides opportunities to provoke thought. How many political messages do you get from your Facebook friends or the people you follow on Twitter? In my case, my Facebook had been blowing up with calls to remove Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin from office. Then, there’s the push to shame the Minnesota legislature for sending a proposed Constitutional amendment to the voters in 18 months time instead of dealing with the state’s economy and budget. Perhaps more ironic were the folks making fun of the so-called "rapture" that was supposed to put this planet into oblivion with some sort of a zombie invasion.
There are some pertinent and serious stuff that are also posted on social media as well. On Facebook last week, Chrysler Communications, the PR/media arm of the company, posed a question. They asked: "Given the announcement about refinancing the [government] loans through the private sector, the Chrysler-Fiat relationship, 2011 models, etc. — what do you say is the perception of Chrysler Group?"
Obviously, this provoked even more thought in framing a response. I needed to do some research to answer this question. I also needed to time to swallow this whole. I did – and here's my response…
If marketing drives a consumer decision, can there be anything else to convince a cultural group to be loyal to a particular brand?
If money talks, then why are some people refuse to allow around nine percent of the American population to say anything? Or, simply, be themselves?
I found that by making a comparison would put me in a precarious situation. This always results in leaving something significant out of the mix. It is not certain whether I was able to pull it off in my Capstone back in grad school. Considering the grade I received, I may have done the trick.
Ask yourselves a question: How do you truly live green?
I can into what I do, such as take public transport to work and separate recyclables at home. Some say that’s not enough. Some would rather have you live off the Earth and not use energy-wasting goods and services – such as the automobile.
Still, I have an interest in finding alternatives to the remaining parts of the green universe. My interest takes me to an annual event every May to learn more – especially in the world of transportation.
Almost every year since I moved to the Twin Cities, I attended a free event at the state fairgrounds called the Living Green Expo. The idea behind this event is to bridge sustainable and ecologically friendly ideas to our everyday lives. These ideas range from usage of environmentally friendly materials and goods at home to changing the way you transport yourself daily.
When I first attended the Living Green Expo in 2006, I learned a lot about what was out there in the sustainable world. It was also at a time when the automobile and public transport world were diving into hybrid propulsion systems for their vehicles. I also gained the notion that joining a car share service, such as the Twin City’s own HourCar is a good solution for local transportation when MetroTransit wasn’t going to work.
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