Tuesday, June 16, 2015
They coulda hada V8
Neat article in Curbside Classic on the popularity of Ford's flathead in Brazil and many other countries.
US car fans tend to think of the auto world in terms of Euro influence on America. We describe various cars as 'Euro-influenced', but in each case the style actually started here and then spread to Europe. I hadn't thought about hot rods or V8s in terms of cultural influence, but the facts are unquestionable.
More broadly, we pay no attention at all to the Southern Hemisphere. Plenty of good cars have been developed in Brazil, Argentina and Australia, BY DIVISIONS OF US AUTO COMPANIES, but those US auto companies never bothered to bring those good cars northward.
During the flathead years our propagandists (like Willis Conover at VOA) used jazz as the vehicle for spreading US influence to the Soviet Bloc and to dark-skinned southern countries where Russia was gaining traction.
Wrong vehicle!.. but understandable. VOA was founded by NYC types who know nothing about automobiles and hate everything about Ford. Jazz is cool. Ford is maximally uncool. Henry gave good jobs to poor people, which is strictly forbidden by NYC sacramental rules. Poor people must be kept on welfare where NYC types can control them.
During the flathead years our propagandists (like Willis Conover at VOA) used jazz as the vehicle for spreading US influence to the Soviet Bloc and to dark-skinned southern countries where Russia was gaining traction.
Wrong vehicle!.. but understandable. VOA was founded by NYC types who know nothing about automobiles and hate everything about Ford. Jazz is cool. Ford is maximally uncool. Henry gave good jobs to poor people, which is strictly forbidden by NYC sacramental rules. Poor people must be kept on welfare where NYC types can control them.Labels: 20th century Dark Age, Danbo
¶ 4:19 AM
