If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.
Fark SearchWeb Fark

         more options... Create account

(NPR) Interesting Henry Ford invested millions, and failed, trying to build an automotive-centric utopian society in the Amazon jungle. Hmmm, perhaps a little German-inspired engineering and social organization skills might have helped out   (npr.org) divider line 79
More: Interesting  

79 Comments   (+0 »)


Archived thread
First | « | 1 | 2 | » | Last | Show all
 
Weaver95 [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 01:58:06 PM  
y'know, i'm sure Henry Ford meant well, but some of the things he did were kinda scary.

 
nekulor [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 03:09:12 PM  
cache.kotaku.com

wanted for questioning, talks of joint partnership.

 
thereadlines [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 03:11:07 PM  
Never get involved in a land war in Asia, and never start a utopian society in South America.

 
Wrong_Intentions 2009-06-07 03:11:11 PM  
Question: Did he ask Congress to cover the losses for this SNAFU after the fact?

 
Kaoilia 2009-06-07 03:11:56 PM  
Do I have to drink the Kool-Aid?

 
mandingueiro 2009-06-07 03:11:59 PM  
Weaver95: y'know, i'm sure Henry Ford meant well, but some of the things he did were kinda scary.

you know who else meant well??

/oblig.

 
Fano 2009-06-07 03:11:59 PM  
If only he had ties to efficient people that knew how to make people work...

maybe some boys from Brazil could have helped.

 
jake_lex [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 03:11:59 PM  
www.variety.com

Approves

 
Hide your chickens 2009-06-07 03:15:00 PM  
But when a Ford engineer changed the way food was served - from wait service to cafeteria-style service - the workers rebelled. Angry workers destroyed the mess hall, pushed trucks into the river and nearly ruined the whole operation.

Union workers haven't changed a bit in over 60 years!

 
luvnuriko 2009-06-07 03:15:01 PM  
But when a Ford engineer changed the way food was served - from wait service to cafeteria-style service - the workers rebelled. Angry workers destroyed the mess hall, pushed trucks into the river and nearly ruined the whole operation.

... and that's when the Others attacked.

 
mandingueiro 2009-06-07 03:15:45 PM  
Fano: If only he had ties to efficient people that knew how to make people work...

maybe some boys from Brazil could have helped.


he wouldn't listen to them...daddy knows best type thing. That being said after RTFA: BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

 
AnnoyingKidNextDoor 2009-06-07 03:16:09 PM  
Hence the origin of "Found On [dirt] Road Dead."

 
noneyourbase 2009-06-07 03:20:09 PM  
wasn't he also on board with Hitler's Final Solution? Or was that some other industrialist?

 
noneyourbase 2009-06-07 03:20:59 PM  
noneyourbase: wasn't he also on board with Hitler's Final Solution? Or was that some other industrialist?

/you know who else used German inspired engineering and social organization skills?

 
All Apologies 2009-06-07 03:21:32 PM  
The one thing Ford did well gave him enough confidence to do a lot of other things very poorly.

 
SwiftFox [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 03:27:09 PM  
"Ford had very particular understandings about what a proper diet should be," Grandin says. "He tried to impose brown rice and whole-wheat bread and canned peaches and oatmeal - and that itself created discontent."

I'd pillage over that

 
antidisestablishmentarianism 2009-06-07 03:31:55 PM  
Weaver95: y'know, i'm sure Henry Ford meant well, but some of the things he did were kinda scary.

Didn't he help out ze Germans in one of those world wars?

 
Good Behavior Day 2009-06-07 03:33:06 PM  
My understanding of this episode of Ford's history was that Henry wanted to create a rubber tree plantation to supply Ford (or Firestone) with tires. The plantation wasn't too productive, and when synthetic rubber was invented the idea of natural rubber became impractical and the plantation was dropped.

There was also Ford's Social Department. Henry believed good clean Christian family men made the best workers and the best leaders. So he instituted bonuses and had a paid staff of men who would visit his workers at home to inspect their house and observe their family. I should note this was while Ford was still one factory in Detroit. Henry lost interest in this social engineering after WWI and the Peace Ship fiasco.

 
Four Horsemen of the Domestic Dispute 2009-06-07 03:39:22 PM  
i274.photobucket.com

 
Quigs 2009-06-07 03:51:28 PM  
Yeah, Ive seen quite a bit about this. Basically, Ford used engineers to design the place, so had neatly packed rows of rubber tree plants, which can't grow within a certain proximity of each other.

His other big problem was hiring Latinos. There's a reason productivity and creativity fall sharply south of Texas.

"HEY GUYS! COME WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FREE EDUCATION, A PLACE TO LIVE, A HIGHER WAGE THEN YOUR USED TO AND FULL HEALTH CARE!"

"Que?"

 
evajyna 2009-06-07 03:54:38 PM  
Quigs: Yeah, Ive seen quite a bit about this. Basically, Ford used engineers to design the place, so had neatly packed rows of rubber tree plants, which can't grow within a certain proximity of each other.

His other big problem was hiring Latinos. There's a reason productivity and creativity fall sharply south of Texas.

"HEY GUYS! COME WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FREE EDUCATION, A PLACE TO LIVE, A HIGHER WAGE THEN YOUR USED TO AND FULL HEALTH CARE!"

"Que?"


That's weird, in my experience Latinos were harder working than most. Oh sorry, you were just being a racist dick who didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

My bad.

 
Good Behavior Day 2009-06-07 03:55:11 PM  
noneyourbase: wasn't he also on board with Hitler's Final Solution? Or was that some other industrialist?

Henry Ford was fiercely antisemitic and was the only American praised by Hitler. Henry started a newspaper in Dearborn after WWI to denounce the "international jewish conspiracy". He had to recant his views after pressure from the Jewish community. I don't believe any of it supported genocide, but Henry pretty much shut up about it after the public apology.

/positive eugenics

 
Fano 2009-06-07 03:57:53 PM  
Quigs: Yeah, Ive seen quite a bit about this. Basically, Ford used engineers to design the place, so had neatly packed rows of rubber tree plants, which can't grow within a certain proximity of each other.

His other big problem was hiring Latinos. There's a reason productivity and creativity fall sharply south of Texas.

"HEY GUYS! COME WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FREE EDUCATION, A PLACE TO LIVE, A HIGHER WAGE THEN YOUR USED TO AND FULL HEALTH CARE!"

"Que?"


But he had HIGH HOPES.

 
Kim Jong B Illin [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 03:58:27 PM  
He would have gotten away with it too, if not for those meddling kids!

 
evajyna 2009-06-07 03:58:47 PM  
Good Behavior Day: noneyourbase: wasn't he also on board with Hitler's Final Solution? Or was that some other industrialist?

Henry Ford was fiercely antisemitic and was the only American praised by Hitler. Henry started a newspaper in Dearborn after WWI to denounce the "international jewish conspiracy". He had to recant his views after pressure from the Jewish community. I don't believe any of it supported genocide, but Henry pretty much shut up about it after the public apology.

/positive eugenics


Dearborn?? Hey, I work in Dearborn!!

/wait...

 
liverleef 2009-06-07 04:03:45 PM  
nice find subby

 
AmazingRuss 2009-06-07 04:04:08 PM  
Henry Ford found out the hard way why you don't fark with the Lorax.

 
Fano 2009-06-07 04:04:47 PM  
AmazingRuss: Henry Ford found out the hard way why you don't fark with the Lorax.

Lol +1

 
Quigs 2009-06-07 04:07:12 PM  
evajyna: Quigs: Yeah, Ive seen quite a bit about this. Basically, Ford used engineers to design the place, so had neatly packed rows of rubber tree plants, which can't grow within a certain proximity of each other.

His other big problem was hiring Latinos. There's a reason productivity and creativity fall sharply south of Texas.

"HEY GUYS! COME WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FREE EDUCATION, A PLACE TO LIVE, A HIGHER WAGE THEN YOUR USED TO AND FULL HEALTH CARE!"

"Que?"

That's weird, in my experience Latinos were harder working than most. Oh sorry, you were just being a racist dick who didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

My bad.


Oh shove it up your ass you whitewashed dumbfark. The only racist douchebag here is you for thinking all people from all walks of life are exactly the same.

/can lead a horse to water
//Your mothers a whore.

 
evajyna 2009-06-07 04:08:35 PM  
Quigs: evajyna: Quigs: Yeah, Ive seen quite a bit about this. Basically, Ford used engineers to design the place, so had neatly packed rows of rubber tree plants, which can't grow within a certain proximity of each other.

His other big problem was hiring Latinos. There's a reason productivity and creativity fall sharply south of Texas.

"HEY GUYS! COME WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FREE EDUCATION, A PLACE TO LIVE, A HIGHER WAGE THEN YOUR USED TO AND FULL HEALTH CARE!"

"Que?"

That's weird, in my experience Latinos were harder working than most. Oh sorry, you were just being a racist dick who didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

My bad.

Oh shove it up your ass you whitewashed dumbfark. The only racist douchebag here is you for thinking all people from all walks of life are exactly the same.

/can lead a horse to water
//Your mothers a whore.


Angry racist is angry.

 
TheShavingofOccam123 [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 04:08:36 PM  
Henry Ford received prestigious medals from the Third Reich. He was also a rabid anti-Semite (actually Jew-hater would be a more appropriate term). There was probably very little Germany could teach Henry Ford.

 
Nutcase [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 04:18:52 PM  
Henry Ford was a Nazi.

 
Quigs 2009-06-07 04:19:18 PM  
Nutcase: Henry Ford was a Nazi.

So was Rommel.

 
Amigajoe [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 04:23:36 PM  
vertiaset: Actually the peoples of Latin America differ greatly from culture to culture. Hell, even racially they are a mixed bunch from Nordic white to heart of Africa black.

Central and South America are richly varied in climate and geography and have tremendous natural resources.

I suspect that the single most important factor in their lack of progress and productivity relative to North America is culture. They are backward and poor relative to North America for the same reasons Spain, Portugal and Greece are backward relative to Northern Europe.

"Racial" differences between human beings are minimal and superficial and no indicator of intelligence, ambition or predisposition to governmental corruption.

Culture is the key here people ... so, suck it racists.



-The real (and seldom asked) question is: Does greater productivity and higher 'ádvancement' make people any happier?

 
Fano 2009-06-07 04:24:27 PM  
TheShavingofOccam123: Henry Ford received prestigious medals from the Third Reich. He was also a rabid anti-Semite (actually Jew-hater would be a more appropriate term). There was probably very little Germany could teach Henry Ford.

When Schindler's List first showed on Network TV, the "sponsored by Ford" ad made my jaw drop.

 
Amigajoe [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 04:24:49 PM  
-also, why do the letters I type sometimes come out as alternate characters?


/just askin'

 
Quigs 2009-06-07 04:26:32 PM  
vertiaset: Actually the peoples of Latin America differ greatly from culture to culture. Hell, even racially they are a mixed bunch from Nordic white to heart of Africa black.

Central and South America are richly varied in climate and geography and have tremendous natural resources.

I suspect that the single most important factor in their lack of progress and productivity relative to North America is culture. They are backward and poor relative to North America for the same reasons Spain, Portugal and Greece are backward relative to Northern Europe.

"Racial" differences between human beings are minimal and superficial and no indicator of intelligence, ambition or predisposition to governmental corruption.

Culture is the key here people ... so, suck it racists.


Exactly. +1

 
AmazingRuss 2009-06-07 04:27:04 PM  
Amigajoe: -The real (and seldom asked) question is: Does greater productivity and higher 'ádvancement' make people any happier?

Is happiness the ultimate measure of success?

 
optional 2009-06-07 04:27:11 PM  
vertiaset: Actually the peoples of Latin America differ greatly from culture to culture. Hell, even racially they are a mixed bunch from Nordic white to heart of Africa black.

Central and South America are richly varied in climate and geography and have tremendous natural resources.

I suspect that the single most important factor in their lack of progress and productivity relative to North America is culture. They are backward and poor relative to North America for the same reasons Spain, Portugal and Greece are backward relative to Northern Europe.

"Racial" differences between human beings are minimal and superficial and no indicator of intelligence, ambition or predisposition to governmental corruption.

Culture is the key here people ... so, suck it racists.


Now folks are going to call you a cultural imperialist set on forcibly imposing Western values on the wide-eyed innocent aboriginal peoples of the world.

For what it's worth, I agree that culture plays a huge role. So does local environment and geography, as well as interaction with other nations/groups. These various factors all tend to influence each other. Race is nearly irrelevant.

 
Vohnkar 2009-06-07 04:28:36 PM  
vertiaset: Actually the peoples of Latin America differ greatly from culture to culture. Hell, even racially they are a mixed bunch from Nordic white to heart of Africa black.

Central and South America are richly varied in climate and geography and have tremendous natural resources.

I suspect that the single most important factor in their lack of progress and productivity relative to North America is culture. They are backward and poor relative to North America for the same reasons Spain, Portugal and Greece are backward relative to Northern Europe.

"Racial" differences between human beings are minimal and superficial and no indicator of intelligence, ambition or predisposition to governmental corruption.

Culture is the key here people ... so, suck it racists.


So would it be more correct to accuse culture south of Texas as lacking ambition & creativity? Does that make me a "culturist"

 
adeist69 2009-06-07 04:32:54 PM  
Hide your chickens: But when a Ford engineer changed the way food was served - from wait service to cafeteria-style service - the workers rebelled. Angry workers destroyed the mess hall, pushed trucks into the river and nearly ruined the whole operation.

Union workers haven't changed a bit in over 60 years!



Came here to say this

/spoiled wankers

 
harlock 2009-06-07 04:37:57 PM  
The trick is to be comfortable with a healthy amount of spare time. A compromise of no time for a lot of money is not fun, neither is dead flat broke and lots of time.

The best way I have found to have the most of amount of time for the least amount of work is to be a contractor...high hourly rates, work until you feel you've got enough, then coast for a while and enjoy it. Fortunately the lines of work I am in (various media arts) allows for this.

 
hyperspacemonkey 2009-06-07 04:38:34 PM  
vertiaset: We in the West often look to the slow paced rural cultures with a nostalgic eye, forgetting the isolation, cultural and educational deprivation, back breaking labor, endemic poverty and periodic periods of starvation which define these cultures.

...as well as also forgetting that the west does not offer much in the way of technology and employment that doesn't cause massive, catastrophic damage to families, food supplies, and education in rural cultures in South America and Asia.

 
OscarTamerz 2009-06-07 04:45:30 PM  
In the end, Ford's utopia failed. Fordlandia's residents, ever in hope their patriarch would someday visit their Midwestern industrial town in the middle of the jungle, gave up and left.

Before the Fark liberturds start their usual circle jerk about Nazis ties to Ford you should know that Ford had the biggest operation in Russia of any American. He tried setting up a plant in the Soviet Union under Stalin at Nizhni Novgorod and during the purges of the 1930s when Soviets were being murdered by the millions Stalin rounded everybody up and stuck them in Siberian gulags. Only a few ever made it back to America. Here's a book about it but don't let the facts get in the way of your liberturdista thought processes and keep wearing those cool Che shirts. (new window)

 
Architectronica 2009-06-07 04:47:06 PM  
Eisenhower created an automotive-centric utopian society in the North American suburbs.

 
mandingueiro 2009-06-07 04:54:03 PM  
I'll see your:
harlock: Reminds me of....



and...



/hot like the jungle, cool off with some kool aid...

and raise you:

www.pentaclerecords.net

 
Tomflry7 2009-06-07 04:56:37 PM  
but, but, but, private industry always knows best.

 
Haoie 2009-06-07 05:09:51 PM  
Oh I thought you mean Detroit.

 
Amigajoe [TotalFark] 2009-06-07 05:17:22 PM  
AmazingRuss: Amigajoe: -The real (and seldom asked) question is: Does greater productivity and higher 'ádvancement' make people any happier?

Is happiness the ultimate measure of success?



-That's subjective, but imo it should be...

 
Mayhem of the Black Underclass 2009-06-07 05:26:06 PM  
Fano: Quigs: Yeah, Ive seen quite a bit about this. Basically, Ford used engineers to design the place, so had neatly packed rows of rubber tree plants, which can't grow within a certain proximity of each other.

His other big problem was hiring Latinos. There's a reason productivity and creativity fall sharply south of Texas.

"HEY GUYS! COME WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FREE EDUCATION, A PLACE TO LIVE, A HIGHER WAGE THEN YOUR USED TO AND FULL HEALTH CARE!"

"Que?"

But he had HIGH HOPES.


OOPS there goes another rubbertreeproductionfacilityintheamazonjunglethatruinedthecultureofthelocalpeopl ebyanantisemiticvegan

 
Displayed 50 of 79 comments

First | « | 1 | 2 | » | Last | Show all


[Continue Farking]