"Skillet Fodder..."

For generations Cadillac has been the flagship brand of the General Motors Corporation, and for just cause. It is doubtful that anyone can argue that Cadillac has not proudly represented the very best luxury automobile produced by an American automotive manufacturer. To bolster that claim Motor Trend named the CTS their "Car of the Year" for 2008. That having been said and acknowledged, I nevertheless take umbrage with GM's current offering of television commercials that tout this fine automobile, finding them to be arrogantly snobbish.

You've probable viewed a few of them that have been airing of late. One has the tag line, "When you turn on your automobile, does it turn you on?" This particular commercial is the less offensive to me, as I too appreciate a well crafted piece of machinery that excites me to own and operate. If one is going to spend one's hard earned paycheck on a mode of dependable and stylish transportation, one would expect that one would experience at least a mild sense of titillation in tooling it around the neighborhood. That is until at least the new car smell wears off or that first parking lot skirmish is experienced.

What catches my attention is the commercial wherein a lady of some obvious financial wherewith all is motoring down the freeway disparaging the past gifts she has less than appreciatively received from her significant other, one of which was a set of golf clubs. Apparently her sugar daddy finally wised up and presented her with her very own Cadillac sedan that is more appropriately suited to her highly inflated estimation of her personal grandeur. Smug, to say the least. Arrogant, to say a whole lot more.

Admittedly, presenting my bride with a brand new car of any description or manufacturer would most assuredly rank far higher in her eyes than her dismantling the gift wrapping from a set of monogrammed handkerchiefs or an easy bake oven. But I'm not made out of money and neither are most of the people that I personally am acquainted...and I hob knob with some pretty weighty gobber-smoochers. The idea that it is a common occurrence, as portrayed by the annual Lexus Christmas commercials, that the little woman of the house would be surprised come Christmas morning with a red ribbon adorned SUV is far more fantasy than fact.

It is obvious to me that the ad agency for Cadillac wishes to leave the indelible impression that if one owns a Cadillac one has surely arrived in the rarefied world of prestige and status. The other message that is subliminally planted in one's conscience is that if you can't possess one of these fine Cadillac automobiles "you ain't crap!" Apparently "going green" is only for the "little people." If one has copious amounts of money one need not be bothered by purchasing an automobile that gets more than ten miles to the gallon. Here's where I wish to unsheathe my avenging cast iron skillet, drag that rich broad out of the front seat, and bonk her soundly across her well coiffured skull. Better yet...let me use the nine iron out of her rejected set of golf clubs and twist it around her skinny, diamond studded neck.

Be assured, I take no issue with wealth. It is what some people do with it or are changed by it that gripes my tail. Spend your money on anything you desire, but don't look down your nose because you are fortunate to have a few dollars. I despise arrogance. And I despise the Cadillac commercials that seem content on propagating that far less than flattering or appealing behavior. At a price tag approaching $39,000 Cadillac provides a lot of car...a car of significant value in more measureable ways than just it's initial cost. Enjoy your new Cadillac, but don't think for a minute that your crap don't have an annoying odor just like everyone else.