Washigton, Sep 22 (Inditop.com) Hummer drivers believe they are defending America’s values of “rugged individualism” and “frontier” lifestyle against anti-American critics, according to a new study.
Marius K. Luedicke, Craig J. Thompson and Markus Giesler of the universities of Innsbruck (Austria), Wisconsin-Madision (UW-M) and York-Toronto researched attitudes toward owning and driving Hummers, which many also criticise as a symbol of American “greed and wastefulness”.
The researchers first investigated anti-consumption sentiments expressed by people who oppose chains like Starbucks and believe they are making a moral choice by shunning consumerism. To these critics, Hummers (the civillian variant of military vehicle Humvee) represent the ills of contemporary society.
As one extreme example, critics have posted thousands of photographs of middle fingers directed at Hummer vehicles on www.fuh2.com.
The researchers, who investigated various internet expressions of anti-Hummer sentiment, were equally interested in the ways Hummer owners framed themselves as “moral protagonists” in the ongoing debate over consumer values.
They conducted in-depth interviews with twenty US -born and raised Hummer owners and found among these consumers an equally strong current of “moral authority”, says an UW-M release.
“As we studied American Hummer owners and their ideological beliefs, we found that they consider Hummer driving a highly moral consumption choice,” write the authors.
“For Hummer owners it is possible to claim the moral high ground,” the said, explaining Hummer owners employ the ideology of American foundational myths, such as the “rugged individual,” and the “boundless frontier” to construct themselves as moral protagonists.
These findings were published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
