Are You an Ugly American?

In today's economy, we can't afford to be such snobs.

By Daniel Gross | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Dec 19, 2007 | Updated: 12:19  p.m. ET Dec 19, 2007

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  • Posted By: Naga @ 01/13/2008 1:14:53 PM

    Mr. Gorin may or may not be racist. He certainly is ignorant. And what Mr.Gorin does not know hurts him - in the wallet. He might have, for instance, invested his money in Indian stock and made more money in four years than he did in all the years he peddled luxury cars. Alternately he might have invested in real estate in Nariman Point or Connaught Place and made out like a bandit. But, he probably has never heard of Mumbai or Delhi - and in the bargin missed out on the 100 per cent plus increases in real estate prices. Poor Mr. Gorin, his information on India probably came from Mowgli and Indiana Jones. He says perception is reality. True. But it is equally true that unless the perceptions are based on well researched information, they produce a reality which injure the ignorant more than they can ever tell.

  • Posted By: manbearpig @ 12/23/2007 2:37:13 PM

    The problem now is all the coverage in the media about global expansion of Indian corporates. Indian companies have managed to quietly buy up big chunks of lucrative markets in the past few years, no one noticed. As the article mentions the Tetley tea that the Jaguar-driving anglophiles serve with "biscuits" at high-tea is owned by Tata. So is NYC's Pierre Hotel or Boston's Ritz Carlton where the tea is possibly being served. And the steel that goes into the Jaguar is very possibly from Corus or Arcelor-Mittal, two of the largest steelmakers in the world, both of which are Indian-owned. The DVDs we buy are very likely manufactured by Moser-Baer, and Indian company. An Indian company makes and markets the third-largest selling farm equipment brand in the US. It's not outsourcing to India anymore. The Indian corporate is here in the heartland, in fact they have been here for many years now. We haven't heard about them till now is because they are GOOD. I have a small Mahindra tractor, and I love it. My tree-hugging niece drives a Bajaj scooter. My tractor dealer tells me that Mahindra is set to quietly launch a 2-door pickup in the US next year - I will be the first-in-line to get my hands on that baby.

    • Posted By: coolnave @ 01/07/2008 11:10:41 AM

      Dear friend... Your comment really heartwarms me. I salute your spirit. Many in the west turn a blind eye to Asians and their achievements. For long people thought that Calculus was developed by Newton and Leibntiz. Recently the University of Manchester proved that Caluculus was developed by a Kerala School in South India 250 years before Newton and Leibnitz.

  • Posted By: texter @ 12/24/2007 10:52:48 PM

    Bad Orient Expressed
    -------------------------------
    An elitist like Paul White has shown his "pedigree" by conjoining a defense with an offense.He has every right to refuse collaboration (which he has mistakenly perceived as hostile),but he has no right to shoot down another company who he does not want to work with.He could have politely declined by saying -incompatible brand synergies.He should be sued by the Tatas for tainting their image or get sacked.Mr.Krishna Kumar is absolutely right for going on the offensive .The normal protocol would be disengage , take the high road and go on your way,
    BUT dont malign or pooh-pooh your business partner in a global arena with off-the-edge emotions.
    His indignant rebuff reeks of branding his company of a higher immortal status than factual.
    This really should make the shareholders of Orient Express examine the temperament of their leader as well as his "refinement' to lead such a luxury brand.

  • Posted By: texter @ 12/24/2007 10:52:33 PM

    Crash Test Dummy
    ----------------------------
    Mr Osamu Suzuki's recent haughty unprovoked rival bashing makes him look like a middle tier / Old world Savant or Sycophant.
    His scorn seems distinctly self-doubt rhetoric. The 50% key is what Suzuki takes out of India for each and every car.
    The competition that he faces from TATA in India is healthy business rivalry, not kamakazi politics.
    He shouldnt forget that Japan faced the same disdain but a few decades ago when humbly entering the US market.
    The "J" factor but a few decades ago could very easily be misconstrued as "Junk" when the first few low segment
    cars were introduced in the US. In time , with refinement Suzuki too blossomed. Tatas are way ahead of that game
    and are as serious as your intent for quality. Mr Osamu, Thrash talking can be a two way street or DO ITTA (Move out of the way).

  • Posted By: texter @ 12/24/2007 10:51:08 PM

    **Bad Orient Expressed**
    An elitist like Paul White has shown his "pedigree" by conjoining a defense with an offense.He has every right to refuse collaboration (which he has mistakenly perceived as hostile),but he has no right to shoot down another company who he does not want to work with.He could have politely declined by saying -incompatible brand synergies.He should be sued by the Tatas for tainting their image or get sacked.Mr.Krishna Kumar is absolutely right for going on the offensive .Dont malign or pooh-pooh your business partner in a global arena with off-the-edge emotions.His indignant rebuff reeks of branding his company of a higher immortal status than factual.Same goes for the other orient - Mr. Osamu Suzuki ...

  • Posted By: texter @ 12/24/2007 10:50:42 PM

    **Bad Orient Expressed**
    An elitist like Paul White has shown his "pedigree" by conjoining a defense with an offense.He has every right to refuse collaboration (which he has mistakenly perceived as hostile),but he has no right to shoot down another company who he does not want to work with.He could have politely declined by saying -incompatible brand synergies.He should be sued by the Tatas for tainting their image or get sacked.Mr.Krishna Kumar is absolutely right for going on the offensive .Dont malign or pooh-pooh your business partner in a global arena with off-the-edge emotions.His indignant rebuff reeks of branding his company of a higher immortal status than factual.Same goes for the other orient - Mr. Osamu Suzuki ...

  • Posted By: Distant @ 12/20/2007 11:47:08 AM

    You know, the rest of the world feels perfectly comfortable making snide comments about America, Insulting our leaders on the world wide stage, and making negative assumptions about all Americans, hence the "Ugly American" moniker.

    But let one American citizen of any race or creed say anything negative about anybody anywhere in the world, and condemnation falls on all of us. It's interesting that the rest of the world is so very comfortable holding America to a high standard that they wouldn't even contemplate for themselves.

    • Posted By: manbearpig @ 12/23/2007 2:25:50 PM

      Distant@ That is because a leader is held to different standards than up-and-comers. America is where it is today (or where it was until 8 years ago) because America held itself to higher standards than the rest of the world, and define standards that the world looked up to. If you want to lead the race to the bottom, you are welcome.

    • Posted By: aman78 @ 12/20/2007 11:42:54 PM

      That is because we keep gloating about how we are the best in the world. USA # 1 chants reverberate and people do have a right to hold us to a higher standard when we think we are the best in everything we do. The fact is we were, we aren't anymore.
      And don't condone this Ken Goring with his obviously racist comments.

    • Posted By: aman78 @ 12/20/2007 11:41:04 PM

      That is because we guys keep calling ourselves the best country in the world all the time and gloating about it 24/7. We stop doing that and so will the rest of the world.

  • Posted By: angelface @ 12/22/2007 9:53:38 PM

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  • Posted By: shyamvallabh @ 12/21/2007 3:26:06 AM

    "My concern is perception [in the marketplace], and perception is reality," What creates perception, definitely not ownership, its the product and its performance to start with. Wow, perception is reality, all the magicians of this world are the true manufacturers, We all were under the perception till recently that Mr. Gorin was a sensible guy, that doesnt seem to be the reality.

  • Posted By: shyamvallabh @ 12/21/2007 3:24:34 AM

    "My concern is perception [in the marketplace], and perception is reality," What creates perception, definitely not ownership, its the product and its performance to start with. Wow, perception is reality, all the magicians of this world are the true manufacturers, We all were under the perception till recently that Mr. Gorin was a sensible guy, that doesnt seem to be the reality.

  • Posted By: William.Demuth @ 12/20/2007 3:24:48 PM

    The glory of free markets will work this out. If ANY company produces superior goods at lower costs America will buy from them. If one needs proof one can see Jewish Americans conducting business with firms that where complicit in the holocaust and Vietnam War Veterans returning to Vietnam not as soldiers, but as tourists.

    What we truly need to be concerned with are companies that distribute inferior goods with a facade of quality to consumers who don't have the resources or time to sweat whether each toy might kill their children or whether the clothes they are wearing were made by slaves.

  • Posted By: dewcooper @ 12/19/2007 1:12:34 PM

    Ken Gorin is correct. Anyone who has had to spend any time on the phone with tech support knows the 'quaility' image problem that companies in India face. Also, there are tremendous cultural issues which make working with companies in India 'difficult'. He is also correct in stating that perception is reality. A Kia and a Hyunda may be good cars, but how long has it taken for them to develop a slice of the market share because American consumers were skeptical of cars from a Korean company. Even Suzuki has perception problems - what does a motorcycle company know about cars (an initial question ask of Honda decades ago)?

    Astin Martin was sold to a group of investors who loved the brand and the heritage of the company, and not just to a group with deep pockets. Mr. Gorin seems to want the same for Jaguar. Why should that be an issue...

    • Posted By: shareiq @ 12/20/2007 10:48:37 AM

      Great article. Economics has nothing to do with perception and prejudices. Capital is transparent to race or color. Most investments into USA right now come from countries in the Gulf, China or India. Much the same that happened 80 years ago with American market, the conditions were right, is what's happening in India and China. Accepting it is better than fighting and pretending its not on.

  • Posted By: Ron Paul For Pope @ 12/19/2007 6:40:22 PM

    One of my professors once told me, "We're so dependent on technology now, that if you removed all of the analog-to-digital converters from the planet, humanity would cease to exist."

    Don't know what an A/D converter is? Don't worry, but what he said is true.

    Americans are now dependent on Indians and Chinese in the same way, although they refuse to acknowledge that fact. Pity poor Vijay, who has to become "Victor" in order to help you with your credit-card bill. But don't pretend that you don't need him.

  • Posted By: junkmail6 @ 12/19/2007 3:04:41 PM

    I think the luxury brand issue brings the real problem to light. Americans can't afford to be snobs anymore. Very likely, only Indian or Chinese companies have the ability to keep the Jaguar brand afloat, assuming there is still a market at all. And devaluation of US currency is a result of huge trade imbalances, not a credit crunch. In the next two decades, the US ratio of consumption to production is going to drop substantially (we are going to have a much lower standard of living) as the wealth flows overseas, and the snobs may very well live in other countries and turn up their noses at American made offerings.

  • Posted By: John Luma @ 12/19/2007 1:42:40 PM

    Great article. Jaguar, among other imported American brands, was never American in the eyes of the car-buying public. It was, and is, British to the core of its image. So the point is, and you make it very well, is that most people don't care now where something was manufactured, or who "owns" the brand name. I and millions of other Americans do care that American car companies succeed, out of pride and our need to compete in the world marketplace. But that is a totally different subject -- worth constant review: What will it take for big American industry to compete in the world, and flourish?

    Keep up the great work.

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