Quote:
Originally Posted by MattyC
I just googled "Ford american icon" and got returns of articles, scholar papers, journals, blogs, etc.... all labeling Ford as an American icon. I googled Honda american icon right after. All I got was the same articles than mention it as a competitor. Ford, the cars, the man, the logo, is American. Its an American company making American cars for American people. Now this was once the actual truth, now with a more globalized society its mmore of a mantra, but it is still culturally American.
People obviously feel differently about this, but I am proud when a Canadian company gets global recognition. Tims is a bit different because they have global recognition BECAUSE they are distinctly Canadian, but even something like RIM at the hieght of its status brought me pride as a Canadian. That something like the Blackberry could be invented in Canada and take on the world market the way it did gave me pride in Canadian innovation. And it saddens me to see them fall. I don't see anything wrong with rooting for Canadian companies.
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Ford is a company that revolutionized industry, and yes at one time they were a symbol of American industry. Now they're no different than any other car company. As I said, people in Michigan, down the street from Ford headquarters, don't even talk of Ford as an American icon. they are simply another global auto maker.
The idea that a corporation represents any culture simply by virtue of where they started out is ridiculous. If a company possess inherit values of a society or if they revolutionize society as Ford did, then sure they can become a cultural touchstone, but marketing campaigns with maple leafs and sponsoring a ton of hockey doesn't make Tim Horton's a Canadian cultural symbol on its own.