"Americans believe their cars should always work"
 

I paraphrased that from a thirty-page article that I just read for my global health class. I do not have any idea what I was supposed to learn from it or even their point, but they mentioned cars.

I know what cars are.

Does it sound like the author suggested that people in other countries are less worried about whether or not their cars happen to work that day?

No, it sounds like people in other countries understand that their cars won't work if they don't get proper maintenance. We believe they "should always work" even if we don't maintain them.

We seem to believe that in almost all areas despite our massive consumption of Chinese junk.

I sold a $600, 20+ year old car to a lady once. It was a decent beater, I had driven it for a few months with no issues. A couple days later something stupid went, like the contacts in the starter or something. I even fixed it for her, I think it was $12 in parts that I just paid for. She was still mad. "Look lady, it's a $600 car, I fixed it for you, what do you expect for a 20 year old vehicle that cost less than your (in this case fake) designer handbag?"

"Well, I paid $600, it should just work."

That car could have been $600, $6000, or $60000 - she would have had the same attitude. People here think just because they bought something and paid for it that it must be perfect and expect perfection from it, regardless of any effort or sense of reality on their behalf. After all, it couldn't be that they made a poor choice, or that they were expecting entirely too much for the amount they were willing to spend - it has to be the fault of the inanimate object, or the person they got it from, right?

The first trip (town to town) by car by Bertha Benz required her to fix her husbands creation, therfore the first mechanic was a woman.

I like cars that never break, Bertha ain't around to fix it!

regards
Mech

I would definitely believe this story, there are a lot of people that have this mentality and it amazes me that they think a vehicle doesn't need maintenance.

I moved a car for one of my co-workers on my break and she drives a 2008-ish Mercedes c-class. I get in the car and the car has the display on the speedometer that tells the driver pretty much everything you need to know about the car. When I started the car the display starts beeping like crazy! and I start going through the options and come to find out she is 20,000 miles overdue for an oil change!!!!!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

I confronted her about it minutes later and she says "ohh THAT'S what the beeping was??? I never knew..." I feel bad for that car.

Hopefully somebody just forgot to reset the oil change interval in the computer.

Can you say APPLIANCE?

The key point is not about cars, it is about our reliance on technology - the technological trap we are in, as explained by Jams Burke 30 years ago...

From 22:35 - the trap... "whoever looks that close ?" :thumbup: But watch the whole thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN7Z95cqZx0

If a key technology fails then what do you do ?

Not much to go on here... context is everything.

Reminds me, though, waaay back in the day when Judge Wapner ruled People's Court, a ligament (I know, litigant) bought an OLD VW van from a private party and something went wrong on it; the guy sued and via Wapner HE WON! That was how long ago and I'm still furious about that bone-headed decision. :mad: