Imagine making personal sacrifices to save lives

[ForSweden]

Americans would never stand for such things!

https://www.coffeecrossroads.com/coffee-history/u-s-coffee-rationing-in-world-war-ii

[fintail]

@forsweden I'd love to see the so-called right react to WW2 style gas rationing. Socialism! Or something.

There were large scale carpooling movements at that time, too - also probably wouldn't be embraced. Although a certain segment would be fine with this:

This one is reminiscent of 2020:

[TheBarber]

@fintail said in Imagine making personal sacrifices to save lives:

Damn. This is kinda how I feel riding alone in my Tahoe. That's why the damn thing never gets driven.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@thebarber Plus there’s the fact that GM
collaborated with the Nazis

[DipodomysDeserti]

@fintail They made posters for the racists too! War time propaganda is for everyone!

[fintail]

@dipodomysdeserti It was a wild time:

Today the racism is either on twitter or via poorly (or intentionally) worded speeches.

[fintail]

@dipodomysdeserti I think most companies operating in Germany did, especially before September 1939. Ford apparently did a land office business with official contracts.

And then there's Sweden.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@fintail I'm just trying to imagine what would happen today if we GM and Ford were making technicals for the Taliban and ISIS instead of Toyota.

[Rusty Vandura]

@fintail It wouldn't be a problem if they thought it served them. The next two years are going to be interesting. So will the next couple of weeks in Georgia. It would be nice if the Dems could pick off those two Senate seats, but I am not hopeful.

[Rusty Vandura]

@dipodomysdeserti Yikes.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@fintail It would be interesting to see if FDR could out racism Trump on Twitter. We was pretty blatant with some of his racial criticisms.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@rusty-vandura The cartoons aren't nearly as bad as what we actually did to Japanese Americans. I get really concerned when people start looking to WWII for inspiration on how to tackle a disease.

[Rusty Vandura]

@dipodomysdeserti "The Picture Bride" is a good story about that era. It's written for a slightly younger audience, but in no way is it not grown up.

[fintail]

@dipodomysdeserti FDR had his own faults, but he was much more eloquent and stable than 45. There'd be no wanna-nazi dogwhistles anyway. Kind of opposite side of the spectrum compared to the shitstorm we are saddled with for around another month.

[fintail]

@rusty-vandura The next month will be interesting, I am not 100% convinced there won't be some kind of violence leading up to inauguration. Plenty of deplorables with little to lose seem ready to go, and their seditious puppetmasters are egging them on.

GA might need another generation or so for demographics to force it to evolve into the late 20th century. Like FL, a fun place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. But, credit where credit is due, they might be moving along.

[fintail]

@dipodomysdeserti lol who says they aren't? Corporations who are people too but face none of the accountability or responsibility of people have a history of betting on both sides of a war. Just like how many corporations are in bed with the CCP.

Regarding the trucks in service, I thought they were just exported and sold by "capitalist businessmen" or some such stuff. Just like you can go to Moscow or Tehran and find plenty of American cars.

[ZHP Sparky - the 5th]

@fintail Right - I'm not aware of Toyota signing any build contracts to supply vehicles to the Taliban. I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of Ford F-250s with the names of US construction companies on the side being driven by some such fools too...a lot of used junk ends up in that part of the world.

Also the comparison between rogue terrorist groups and what was in essence the official German government pretty disingenuous. Surprise - American capitalists had business contracts in other countries...including a country whose leader went full nutjob and decided to turn against his own people. If the companies kept working with him through the war after battle lines had been drawn, then yeah plenty of criticism to be had there (would be pretty ironic from the "free enterprise" "it's just business, baby!" GOP) - but otherwise it's like us in 20 years saying "well US defense contractors sold weapons to our mortal enemy Saudi Arabia" after President #48 Javanka (fact - they will be the first pair to share a chair at the resolute desk) breaks up with MBS and they decide to start dropping bombs on them.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@zhp-sparky-the-5th A lot of brand new Toyotas have been showing up in Syria and Iraq over the years.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@fintail He was definitely more eloquent and stable, but he did nominate a former KKK member to the SC, snub Jesse Owens, and put minorities in concentration camps. Trump only accomplished one of those things. He probably would have invited Jesse Owens to the White House, only to serve him McDonalds.

[ZHP Sparky - the 5th]

@dipodomysdeserti Again - which I seriously doubt is the end result of a corporate supply agreement signed with Toyota. Should countries be doing more to require that corporations based in their countries are taking steps to prevent their product from getting sold down the distribution chain to terrorists? Absolutely. Is Toyota knowingly and purposefully selling trucks to ISIS for profit generation? I seriously doubt it.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@zhp-sparky-the-5th Do they care enough to actually do anything to stop it? I don't think so.

[fintail]

@dipodomysdeserti Might go back to the idea that there is no perfect candidate/leader/historical figure. Even someone as generally benevolent as FDR had more than a couple skeletons.

I'd say 45's nazi dogwhistles and outright support and employment of fascists and racists are as bad as the KKK thing (and then there's the supposed story of 45's daddy, and 45's Central Park Five stance). After inviting Owens in for burgers, 45 would tout that he is "good for the blacks" or something similar.

[fintail]

@dipodomysdeserti What can they do?

Just like all of the USDM exotics that end up in the hands of CCP kleptocrats and similar guillotine-worthy garbage.

[fintail]

@zhp-sparky-the-5th I remember that F-series, it was a plumber I think, and the shop ended up getting threats, as deplorables get wound up easily and aren't good at critical thinking.

There's nothing a company can really do about third parties buying vehicles and shipping them out. It happens a lot, as I mentioned, when USDM cars end up in areas not exactly embraced by recent US regimes. Toyota owns no guilt in this, as far as I have know. Cars are exported constantly every day. Unless there's a general law prohibiting non-corporate exports, it won't change.

If one is to get upset about firms who did business in Germany in the 30s, have fun with that - boycotting based on it will greatly trim one's assortment of household goods.

I cringe to think about the tens of millions who would seriously vote for that Javanka horror.

[ZHP Sparky - the 5th]

@fintail @DipodomysDeserti there are certain areas where governments do take action on this type of stuff - but a commodity as basic as a vehicle would get really difficult to enforce.

For example I used to work for a tech company whose data storage products turned out were getting sold way down the chain to the Syrian government. The company got in trouble for that, of course had no visibility to this happening until it all got found out, and then put processes in place to make sure the distributors weren't selling to these entities (or at least promising not to).

That was very specialized equipment that only certain large organizations would ever want to buy, so it's relatively easy to monitor whom your product is being sold to. Flip the script to something as basic as a Toyota, literally that you can find anywhere on earth, I really don't know how you can tell a company to track whom their product is being sold to at that level. At least not in an enforceable way you can actually hold them accountable for. Direct sales, sure - but secondary market, it's next to impossible. And imposing rules strict enough to prevent this from happening would cause a ton of collateral damage and fly right in the face of the "free market capitalism" and "freedom" virtues our country wants to at least superficially be known for.