Pearl Harbor All Over Again

Personally, I’m sorry about what’s happened to Toyota. Over the years, I’ve had more than one of their products and I have to admit they were among the best cars I’ve ever owned. Back when I used to change the plugs and oil on my own cars, Toyota continued to make things accessible when American automakers like Ford were hiding distributors in the rear of engines and placing plugs where you couldn’t get at them. Just last year, I came this close to buying a new Prius. Still, I was born in the 1940’s, a time when opinions on the Japanese were flavored by kamikazes and Pearl Harbor. A lot of folks my parent’s age who had lived through WWII didn’t think too kindly toward the “Japs,” as they were called, and they weren’t shy about making it known. Back then, of course, Japanese cars weren’t an issue. But, as the Japanese auto industry grew, dissension from WWII vets became more prevalent. Once, while parking my Toyota in a supermarket parking lot, I was accosted by an old-timer who cursed me and anyone else who would own a Japanese car. Which reminds me - back when I was a kid the phrase “made in Japan” was synonymous with “crap.” Miraculously, that changed with the ascent of Toyota and Honda. But now we’ve come full circle – the Japanese have once again launched a sneak attack on the United States, this time by firing their inferior and dangerous automobiles at the unsuspecting American public.