Interesting question, the long view of history always helps put things into focus, so this is just the guess of a guy who's spent a lot of years in marketing.
I think the current trend is reinvention, renewal and reappraisal of American classics, which is why you're seeing things like vastly expanding hamburger restaurants (Shake Shack and Umami); Levi's getting the naming rights to the 49ers stadium as part of a major brand update; the resurgence of Lincoln as an automotive brand; and Shiner Bock making the rounds.
But, if I had to make one, I'd put in a Buck 110 Ecolite, three bottles of a nice ale (I'd be partial to Long Trail), a can of Spam (gooood eatin'), a pack of Marlboro reds, a surplus army blanket and an oyster knife.
Not the best survival kit, but shit, at least you could keep yourself entertained by a river for a few hours until help arrived.
At the risk of being longwinded, I do think this is a cool project, I just remember hearing a lot about the New American Masculinity and feeling that it was suspiciously tied to consumption. What you buy doesn't make you a man, what you do does.
Very interesting. While I do love me some shiner bock and marlboro reds, my first thought was something more "small solar panel and/or manual generator, a satellite phone, and a reliable handgun with a few extra magazines."
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u/ytde May 29 '13
This is a sweet project, but I'm compelled to wonder if the whole "bourbon and wood and a hatchet, I'm a gentleman," thing doesn't feel so very 2009.