Is the US about intelligence, ideals, solid products, or slick marketing?

By now it's obviously and only slick marketing but was there EVER a time when the other three values took precedent over shameless greed'n'glitz?

That I can be sure of.

I agree that slick marketing is rampant, not only of products, but also of values and politics. This is not a new development.

But extraordinary intellectual capital remains in this country, too. Most people I know do have ideals - strong ideals - regardless which end of the political spectrum they inhabit. As for products, my Macintosh is pure sensory and intellectual pleasure to use, my 14 year-old Chrysler runs like a top, and my art-deco bed, made in North Carolina, is a testament to craftsmanship.

Whatever you look for, you find. If you want to find reasons to lose faith in the US, you have an embarrassment of riches from which to choose; if you want to find reasons for hope and pride, those are also in abundance.

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but
know what to do with it."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peace.

'precedent'
oe- re-read

I don't believe that marketing hype has superseded our bedrock values and ideals. Tarnished them? Of course. But when I put down the newspaper or shut off the computer, and turn instead to my personal experiences with others, I see good evidence that quality, hard work, and reason still prevail over surface slick. Not always, but often enough.

The O/P has a great point. Some would see it as a rallying call to protect what we most value, others as justification for cynicism. A strong case can be made either way, so in the end, it all comes down to how a person chooses to respond, and how that choice influences her actions.

I stand by my response; we all have our opinions, and it's not often they're identical.

Peace.

which often is not at all slick.