[WS:] Correct. What I meant was that cars are not just utilitarian machines in Amerika (as such they are indeed nice pieces of equipment) but cultural icons that symbolize social status, sexual prowess, the Amerikan way of life, or a (false) sense of security and freedom. I just find such advertisement induced symbolism silly and disgusting - but that is different from a justifiably utilitarian use of cars as machines (e.g. as efficient means of transportation in remote or rural areas.)
As to my claimed overuse of the concept of cognitive dissonance - I did not claim that it explains everything, I just posited it as a possible explanation of many behaviors that many lbo-sters considered "irrational" at one point of time or another. In any case, I would not claim a motive without implicit understanding that the existence of that motive in a particular situation needs to be empirically established.
Wojtek
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