Sunday, January 11, 2015
Demise and rebirth??? of Everyman
Youtube has been popping me with ads for Elio, a proposed three-wheel microcar. It looks a bit like a Messerschmitt, will supposedly be American made, will supposedly cost around $6800.
Google clearly understands my tastes. This is a purchase I could consider; American-made is the clincher.
Beyond my own tastes, this is interesting as a possible return to the old concept of Everyman's Car. The Model T was, of course, the gold standard. After the T, all major automakers moved upscale and stayed there, leaving Everyman territory to smaller companies.
Crosley was the last halfway successful Everyman's Car, running from 1939 to 1952. Powel Crosley began with an Everyman's Radio in 1920, then grew into a major appliance maker. His fridges were not Everyman material. He continued to dream the Everyman dream and finally got there with his car. The Crosley was super-basic and super-tiny, built with fridge-style metal forming technology, lacking all amenities. Its list price in 1939 was $325.
1930's prices generally multiply by 20 to get modern prices. $325 * 20 = $6500.
Hmm. Does Elio know the resonance of its price? I think so.
= = = = =
Why did the Everyman concept disappear? Because Real Value disappeared. When you are running a real-value economy, with money directly representing labor, you provide simple things for poor people at an affordable price. You pay the poor people to make these things, which means the poor people are now less poor and can afford simple things with real labor-exchanged money.
In Crosley's era, America was a real-value economy. We actually paid people to make things, which meant they could afford to buy simple things with real cash.
In a false-value economy, you fool people into thinking they can buy fancy houses and fancy cars. You counterfeit borrowed "money" to help them "buy" these things, and you hire robots or super-cheap foreigners to make the fake fancy things. Very little real value is created by the hands of poor people, and very little real value ends up in the hands of poor people. Their intrinsic satisfaction is low, their pay is low and their "possessions" get repossessed.
I'm going to watch Elio closely. It may be the first sign of a new dawn, or it may just be vaporware. [[ Later: Vaporware. ]]
= = = = =
Irrelevant sidenote: I'm looking at the Elio website. Their default color is 'Creamsicle', which takes me directly back to my first experience with a Crosley.
1930's prices generally multiply by 20 to get modern prices. $325 * 20 = $6500.
Hmm. Does Elio know the resonance of its price? I think so.
= = = = =
Why did the Everyman concept disappear? Because Real Value disappeared. When you are running a real-value economy, with money directly representing labor, you provide simple things for poor people at an affordable price. You pay the poor people to make these things, which means the poor people are now less poor and can afford simple things with real labor-exchanged money.
In Crosley's era, America was a real-value economy. We actually paid people to make things, which meant they could afford to buy simple things with real cash.
In a false-value economy, you fool people into thinking they can buy fancy houses and fancy cars. You counterfeit borrowed "money" to help them "buy" these things, and you hire robots or super-cheap foreigners to make the fake fancy things. Very little real value is created by the hands of poor people, and very little real value ends up in the hands of poor people. Their intrinsic satisfaction is low, their pay is low and their "possessions" get repossessed.
I'm going to watch Elio closely. It may be the first sign of a new dawn, or it may just be vaporware. [[ Later: Vaporware. ]]
= = = = =
Irrelevant sidenote: I'm looking at the Elio website. Their default color is 'Creamsicle', which takes me directly back to my first experience with a Crosley.Labels: Natural law = Sharia law
¶ 4:33 AM
