The latest commercial touting the services of locally based GE Capital to small businesses and consumers shows an all-terrain vehicle racing over a series of pristine desert sand dunes.
I hate it, especially when the GE Cap exec being treated to a thrill ride by the Polaris exec gets off the four-wheeler and whoops it up like he’s just won Powerball.
Some might understandably see this as being about polluting the atmosphere, unnecessarily burning gasoline, making unconscionable noise in the wilderness and scarring a beautiful landscape, all for a few yucks and profit.
Now don’t get me wrong, GE Capital finances a lot of necessary and wonderful things, from refrigerators to keep your food warm to — as it announced this week — musical instrument purchases to add some beauty to our lives.
And all-terrain-vehicles are indispensable tools for such things as wilderness and wildlife management, fighting forest fires, search and rescue and many economically driven activities off the beaten path.
But for the company that has been touting its “ecomagination” to stink up the desert for a joyride commercial is a little unseemly — and irresponsible.
GE, you’re better than this.
I wanna know where that is…I wanna ride there too!
Comment by robert — July 26th, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
absolutely agree. had to post a comment
Comment by jay — July 27th, 2010 @ 11:01 pm
Oh please! “scarring a beautiful landscape”?? Have you ever even _been_ to sand dunes like those? (I won’t ask if you’ve ever ridden them since I know the answer).
20 seconds after the wind kicks up you wouldn’t even see one track that was made.
“unconscionable noise”? Who’s going to hear it? Most of the places I know of here in the west like that – there isn’t any civilization or people for miles and miles. Sheesh .. maybe the snakes or lizards get offended.
“unnecessarily burning gasoline”? Do you drive your kids to soccer practice or to a movie? How “necessary” is that?
I strongly suspect you’ve never been to these places – so please stay where you are, ok?
Comment by Jim — August 5th, 2010 @ 10:47 am
Comical. Oh horrors – someone may be having some fun somewhere.
Point by point –
“scarring a beautiful landscape” – these guys on on SAND DUNES. Have you ever been to sand dunes? 30 seconds after the wind starts blowing all features are gone. Completely.
“unnecessarily burning gasoline” – riding a quad is fun recreation. So is taking your kids to soccer practice or going out to see a movie. How “necessary” are those?
“making unconscionable noise” – now I know you’ve never been to any desert or desolate wilderness. Who’s going to get upset about the noise? The snakes? In 20 some-odd years of OHV recreation, I can’t recall seeing any hikers or mnt bikers on sand dunes. Do you know why?
“polluting the atmosphere” – it looks to me like they’re riding a Polaris RZR 800cc twin. How big is the motor in your vehicle?
You armchair environmentalists need to listen to Scott Wine and “get out of the office more often”. Sheesh ..
Comment by Joe — August 8th, 2010 @ 7:06 pm
Get a life!!
Comment by Rob Brown — August 12th, 2010 @ 10:02 pm