When I bought my new Honda Goldwing in 2001, I joined an online Goldwing forum. As a new owner I found the forum useful: readers posted maintenance tips and reviewed after-market accessories. After the first couple of years, though, members ran out of new topics and the forum began to drift away from its original purpose. The moderators tried to keep members from commenting on race or politics, but the old white dudes who dominate the membership wouldn’t give up, and today the forum is filled with old jokes, urban legends, bumper sticker patriotism, pro-gun posts, rants against the Muslim Kenyan usurper, and the latest hate radio talking points. Mindful of my blood pressure, I rarely visit.
Against my better instincts, I dropped in this weekend and read a post titled “Consumer Reports Calls Out Five Cars To Avoid”:
Those crusaders of shopping empowerment over at Consumer Reports have put together a list of five cars to avoid, even if their sales numbers suggest otherwise. CR points out that just because a vehicle is making a lot of buzz and ringing cash registers, that doesn’t necessarily make it a wise choice for buyers. According to the report, these are vehicles that either tested poorly or have been experiencing poor reliability in their new car surveys.
The cars in question are the Honda Civic, Jeep Liberty, Toyota Prius C, Dodge Grand Caravan and Ford Edge. You can read about their gripes with these cars at Consumer Reports.
Right below it, this staggeringly ignorant response:
Consumers Report is published by Consumers Union… need I say more?
I remember how shocked I was, several years ago, when I heard Sean Hannity label global warming a hoax because it had snowed in Buffalo the night before. Could Hannity possibly be that stupid, or was he merely trying to manipulate the dummies? Over time, I decided Hannity was both: a deeply stupid man leading an army of stupid followers.
I must be a slow learner, because my first reaction to Consumer Reports/Consumers Union dude’s response was denial: no, he can’t possibly be that stupid. But there it was, right in front of me: old white dude thinks Consumer Reports is union propaganda. A rag put out by the Amalgamated Consumers Union of America, no doubt a direct descendent of the Industrial Workers of the World. The stupid, it burns.
I keep wanting to type “pig ignorant” … but I don’t want to demean pigs.
Oh, Sean, if ignorance is your god, you are clearly doing the lord’s work here on earth.
© 2012, Paul Woodford. All rights reserved.
Pigs are probably the most intelligent of all domestic animals. Certainly well above the talking heads on television news.