What is a relevant social group? What are the RSGs involved in the story told by the documentary?
As described in the course pack, a relevant social group is an organization, institution, or organized/unorganized group of people, with examples such as an industry-specific company or the military. In a social group all members must share the same set of meanings, attached to a specific artifact. To determine the relevant social group, it is necessary to establish whether the artifact has the same meaning for all of the members involved. Pertaining to the “Death of the Electric Car”, the relevant social groups include all parties that feel the same way towards the electric car.
Based on this prerequisite, the RSGs involved are, EV1 Driver, …show more content…
The board had viewed the vehicle as a potential answer to the air quality question, plaguing California at the time. Spawning legislation soon after the introduction of the EV1, CARB brought forth the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate in 1990, obligating car manufactures to sell a percentage of zero emission vehicles every year. However, as time progressed CARB’s interpretation of the EV1 changed, deeming it a failure. They believed it was an inferior product, due to the lack of functionality, stating that there were better viable alternatives available in the market. Subsequently, after abandoning the EV1, CARB invested their trust in hydrogen cell technology, to which they alleged was the …show more content…
The drivers had become devoted fans, with an immense passion for the product. The Key Problem was that another relevant social group (GM) was using its forces to remove all active EV1s from the roads. The drivers implemented Problem-Solving Strategies in an attempt to foil GM’s plan. They protested the decision to recollect the EV1s, campaigning to educate people about the existence and advantages of the EV1, and even camping outside the lots where the discarded EV1s were sent to “die.” When the EV1 drivers found the lots where the cars were being kept they stayed outside, camping 24/7 to “guard” the cars. They even took down the BIN numbers of the remaining 78 cars in the lots and “sold them” to willing customers. $2.9 million was raised by the drivers and offered to General Motors to buy back the remaining cars, to no avail. The Current Theory, commonly believed by the EV1 drivers is that GM was crushing all EV1s instead of using them for what they had said they would. Video evidence from a helicopter corroborated these
As described in the course pack, a relevant social group is an organization, institution, or organized/unorganized group of people, with examples such as an industry-specific company or the military. In a social group all members must share the same set of meanings, attached to a specific artifact. To determine the relevant social group, it is necessary to establish whether the artifact has the same meaning for all of the members involved. Pertaining to the “Death of the Electric Car”, the relevant social groups include all parties that feel the same way towards the electric car.
Based on this prerequisite, the RSGs involved are, EV1 Driver, …show more content…
The board had viewed the vehicle as a potential answer to the air quality question, plaguing California at the time. Spawning legislation soon after the introduction of the EV1, CARB brought forth the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate in 1990, obligating car manufactures to sell a percentage of zero emission vehicles every year. However, as time progressed CARB’s interpretation of the EV1 changed, deeming it a failure. They believed it was an inferior product, due to the lack of functionality, stating that there were better viable alternatives available in the market. Subsequently, after abandoning the EV1, CARB invested their trust in hydrogen cell technology, to which they alleged was the …show more content…
The drivers had become devoted fans, with an immense passion for the product. The Key Problem was that another relevant social group (GM) was using its forces to remove all active EV1s from the roads. The drivers implemented Problem-Solving Strategies in an attempt to foil GM’s plan. They protested the decision to recollect the EV1s, campaigning to educate people about the existence and advantages of the EV1, and even camping outside the lots where the discarded EV1s were sent to “die.” When the EV1 drivers found the lots where the cars were being kept they stayed outside, camping 24/7 to “guard” the cars. They even took down the BIN numbers of the remaining 78 cars in the lots and “sold them” to willing customers. $2.9 million was raised by the drivers and offered to General Motors to buy back the remaining cars, to no avail. The Current Theory, commonly believed by the EV1 drivers is that GM was crushing all EV1s instead of using them for what they had said they would. Video evidence from a helicopter corroborated these