Michael Pollan's Prius-Hummer Blunder

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This really offends me "The moralistic critique of their consumption choices readily inspired Hummer owners to adopt the role of the moral protagonist who defends American national ideals".
I drive a Hummer H2. Its gets the same gas mileage as any of the main stream SUVs and cross overs out there, Ford Edge, Mazda CX7, Jeep, Dodge Nitro etc., etc. I know because I've been looking for something with 4x4 and decent mileage is there really isn't much. I bought my Hummer because I liked the looks of it, the price was right, and its built very solid. And yes, I like that it is (was) American made.
But I also care about the environment. I use reusable bags at stores, I compost, grow my own garden, buy organic food from local farmers as much as possible, recycle, shop at thrift stores and I really HATE when people by crap just to have crap. I'm very conscious about what I buy and only buy things I need or will truly value for the long term.
I've read Michael Pollan's stuff and firmly agree with his teachings. I've learned a lot about our food supply and I've reduced the amount of meat and industrial farmed products that I eat.
So don't peg me as a moral protagonist who doesn't give a crap about the environment. You don't know me.

Stacy of CT 9:33PM January 22, 2010

Again, this study is not a survey based method. Two, this study did not address the actual environmental impact of the Hummer. Rather, it sought to explain the very puzzle you mention - why is the Hummer, which is just one of many low gas mileage SUVs, such a lightning rod for criticism and conversely a rallying point for defenders of "freedom" and the "American way-of-life."
I am just not getting the proverbial ax you are grinding here.

madtownpopulist of WI 1:33AM October 31, 2009

Look, you want to do any sort of defensible comparison based on survey it has to be statistically significant, end of story. This is recycled BS. I could invent hours of rederic on demand.
I can provide data on demand showing Hummer's impact on the environment to be so insignificant as to invalidate the coverage it receives.
How about doing the world a service and weigh the fuel consumption vs. vehicle's sold vs. odds the vehicle will be used as intended. That would actually be interesting and informative.

Knarf of IL 12:14AM October 31, 2009

First, the study did not use a survey. The authors used depth interviews, sometimes lasting up to 3 hours plus information (i.e. narratives) drawn from various pro and anti-Hummer websites. The authors are not generalizing to all Hummer owners,. Their point, again, was that Hummer owners can invert the ecological and social condemnations against their vehicles. In other words, they envision themselves as being heroic Americans who are standing up for freedom and holding the line against those who endorse un-American values.
The authors also suggest that is is not an arbitrary occurrence that H2 sales peaked soon after Bush's mission accomplished speech, when the euphoria of resurgent American exceptionalism was at a pinnacle.
For the record, the Hmmmer study made no comparisons of the carbon footprint of Hummer owners versus prius drivers, or vegans or any other eco-segment.

madtownpopulist of WI 9:51PM October 30, 2009

They surveyed 20 owners. You can't even get a standard deviation with less than 30 and even then 30 is the absolute minimum. Therefore the conclusions are meaningless and cannot support a definsible position. Period.
Responsible journalism does not support or promote flawed information. There isn't even a disclaimer here stating the study's flaws.

Knarf of IL 6:52PM October 30, 2009

You are dismissing the Hummer study on brute empiricist grounds but that is never the game in anthropologically-culturally oriented work. There point was the the Hummer owners (and lets be clear politically conservative and devoted Hummer owners) are understanding their vehicles from a culturally pervasive narrative of national identity. The authors drew linkages between prominent cultural expressions of American exceptionalism, hummer owner narratives, and broader rebuttals of global warming, Al Gore, Prius owners that are widely expressed on Hummer websites as well as many conservative blogs. In many respects, it is a far more grounded and powerful mode of analysis than simply reporting we surveyed 1000 people and they on average circled 5.4 on our scaled response to a question.

madtownpopulist of WI 4:39PM October 30, 2009

The only part of this writing more ridiculous then the claim regarding dietary preference vs. vehicle preference is the reference to that wholly flawed study regarding Hummer vehicle purchasers (20 respondents, no data published, complete BS).
Way to follow bad with worse as far as definsible claims and studies are concerned.

Knarf of IL 7:44AM October 30, 2009