The Annoyed Man wrote:The Japanese manufacturers got their foot in the door in the U.S. by offering more economical products with superior quality and reliability at that price point. The Big Three had taken the American consumer for granted for far too long, and it pretty much caught up with them. I remember when it became common knowledge that all three practiced an obsolescence cycle of only 6 years. I remember thinking that was highway robbery. You buy the second most expensive purchase of your life, and the builder PLANNED for it to only last 6 years? That's when I quit giving a rip what happened to the Big Three.
Add in the fact that semi-skilled workers with high school diplomas thought they were entitled to a suburban house plus a vacation house, a boat and/or other toys, just because they had a union card. You can forgive college graduates who couldn't afford a boat or second home for buying higher quality foreign cars at a lower price and not feeling an ounce of guilt. The UAW and Big Three chose to price themselves out of the market, with predictable results.
The realities of the global economy have finally hit America. A semi-literate man with no job skills is competing against third world workers with similar education and skills, so maybe they should expect to have a similar standard of living. College graduates with liberal arts degrees are a dime a dozen, and they should expect to be paid accordingly, unless they have some special skills or talents that set them apart. Same for many online degrees.
The world is flat. So are opportunities for people who think the universe owes them a living maerely for existing.