Whose Environment BMW?
A recent advert by BMW claims to secure the environment of the driver from the harmful effects of the environment of the polluted city roads. But, asks John Mraz who is creating this environment in the first place?
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Whose Environment BMW? A recent advert by BMW claims to secure the environment of the driver from the harmful effects of the environment of the polluted city roads. But, asks John Mraz who is creating this environment in the first place? |
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"Exhaust emissions. CFCs and air-conditioning. Landfills. Certainly reasons enough to come up with environmentally-friendly cars, so BMW did just that. And then they considered the pollution problem from an unusual angle. The driver's. The solution? The unique air-filtration system. Called AUC, this ingenious device keeps tabs on air coming into the car, and when it detects any noxious substances (anything from carbon monoxide to ethanol and dust) it seals the air vents. Immediately. Automatically. And then circulates the unpolluted air inside the car. Which means that BMW drivers don't even have to drive the same air as everyone else." - The above BMW ad appeared in the in-flight magazine Voyager. "COUNTRY ROADS, take me home, to the place where I belong... "Electric cars. A complete and enforced global ban on the creation or continued use of CFCs. Wholly recyclable vehicles that anachronise the landfill. Solutions that are difficult and expensive to realize, demanding of intense research and development. Solutions that would challenge the executive auto designer to consider something other than stock options, salaries and profit margins. Late solutions to well-documented and predicted problems. I'm sure BMW did consider it all, and then they considered the global pollution problem from a predictable angle. Their drivers'. They considered the demographic standards and values of their clientele - standards and values they had nurtured and sold. An embracement of libertine comfort. An energetic prostitution of the pleasure of driving for driving's sake. A cachet that speaks to post-colonial European refinement, militaristic German engineering and the adrenal speed and excess of the Autobahn. A solemn nod to yuppiefied conspicuous consumption. A fatalistic shrug that accepts opulent decadence amidst and at the expense of the poor huddled masses. At BMW, they needed to address the issues without addressing the problem. Their solution: Create an air filtration system that ensures no noxious odor or tightness in the chest ever reminds a BMW driver of their Sunday tour as they smother the landscape in particulate. Engineer their cars so their clients never feel the singe of global warming in the luxury of their air-conditioned autos. Breathe no evil, feel no evil, see no evil.
Taken from Adbusters at www.adbusters.org
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