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Chrysler's Pact With the Devil Barrett Kalellis"Barbarism is the absence of standards to which appeal can be made," said 20th century Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gassett. Ortega and other social critics argued that in the politics of capitalist democracies, cultural tastes are controlled in large part by the masses, since businesses – ever seeking profits – will produce and promote goods that cater to their desires. The result is widespread conformity and mediocrity throughout society. Today, this is most apparent in America's youth-oriented pop culture, where new products, trends and fashions are constantly marketed to the large 18- to 25-year-old demographic. Encouraged by newspapers, magazines, movies, TV and popular music, this lowbrow flotsam and jetsam carom endlessly inside the skulls of undiscriminating and ill-informed youth, who mindlessly ape whatever role models appear on the scene to embody them. Story Continues Below Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are only two of the "teen tarts" that surface for thousands of young girls to emulate in dress, attitude and behavior if parents are less than vigilant. Their strumpet personas are of little concern, however, to businesses that stand to make a buck by producing lines of revealing clothing, makeup and other paraphernalia for girls to consume as they try to imitate the pop stars' demeanors. Now comes DaimlerChrysler Corporation, which, in a bid to create buzz in this market segment, is publicly cozying up to current rap music stars who wish to be seen in some of their hot new cars and to feature them in promotional music videos that will air on TV. It makes no difference to the marketing suits at DCX whether rapper 50 Cent, a former drug dealer and street thug, laces his "music" with wall-to-wall profanity and violence. And they certainly have winked at the criminal trials of Snoop Dogg, another Chrysler-loving hip-hopper, who has been in and out of jails throughout his life. A former pimp, Dogg can be seen in various pornographic videos and is currently the target of a lawsuit for the sexual assault and rape of a television makeup artist. Chrysler officials wasted no time in getting their new muscle cars into these rappers' hands, however. At January's International Auto Show in Detroit, DCX CEO Dieter Zetsche even bragged about his association with 50 Cent, about how he bought a 300M last year and now wants to purchase a new Dodge Charger this year. These cultural thugs must hold some fascination for corporate America, though it's hard to believe that Dieter Zetsche – raised in the land of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms – would suggest that his children listen to the unremitting, worthless vulgarity of 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg and Ludacris. In their own display of bad taste, PepsiCo marketers had signed Ludacris as a promotional spokesman for the company's beverages back in 2002, until adverse publicity caused them to cancel the contract. Some typical lyric profundities from Ludacris' art include: "Move bitch, get out the way/Get out the way bitch, get out the way/Move bitch, get out the way/Get out the way bitch, get out the way." Retailer Abercrombie & Fitch sticks its thumb into the public eye every year with sexually and racially provocative catalogs and clothing designs, apparently guided by the philosophy that "any publicity is good publicity." In an earlier era, when even Eleanor Roosevelt was severely criticized for saying that she might have shaken hands with Hitler under certain circumstances, heads of companies were supposed to set the ethical and moral tone for their enterprises. Titans of industry like J.C. Penney, J. Willard Marriott, Conrad Hilton, W.K. Kellogg and Richard Sears had codes of personal behavior that suffused everything they did in their business enterprises. Any action taken by their businesses was a clear reflection of what they would personally approve, an indication of their character. With today's largest companies willing to say or do anything to grab a few more shares of market – making a pact with the devil himself if necessary – we are that much worse off. While Chrysler executives smile approvingly of Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent tooling off in their new cars, the stain from their Faustian bargain with these vile smut peddlers cannot be washed off so easily. One can only conclude that Chrysler is either ignorant of the true content of their songs, or, like the Mafia don in "The Godfather," they simply shrug off the filth by telling themselves, "Let them lose their souls." Chrysler should understand, however, that PR claims of "good corporate citizenship" extend not only to de rigueur charitable contributions, but also to an understanding of what activities will add to human and social advancement, up from barbarism. Pandering to rap musicians just to sell a few more cars is not one of them. The moral probity of companies is measured not merely by what they profess, but also by what they tolerate or endorse in others.
Barrett Kalellis is a Michigan-based columnist and writer whose articles appear regularly in various local and national print and online publications. He may be reached at kalellis@newsmax.com
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