Last but not least: The American dream continues to die

 Just two years ago, car manufacturer General Motors was still making a fortune with gigantomania. The Hummer, an oversized army vehicle originally designed for use in the desert, was considered the ultimate status symbol at the time. The American entertainment industry was responsible for promoting the product: hip-hop and sports stars such as 50 Cent and Shaquille O'Neal drove the bus-wide monsters through video clips, while appearances in TV series such as "Entourage" lent the vehicle Hollywood glamor. Suddenly everyone wanted to own one of these extremely impractical vehicles. Ecological concerns and the fact that the chances of finding a parking space were around 1:1,000,000 completely faded into the background. Now, these huge metal hulks have become a heavy block on the leg of manufacturer General Motors. In times of constantly rising fuel prices and increasing ecological awareness, the Hummers have developed into first-class shelf warmers. Sales have slumped so much that GM's top management is considering a complete overhaul of the fleet and even discontinuing production. In May 2008, the brand's sales figures fell by over 60 percent compared to the same month last year, from 4636 to just 1843 vehicles. "At this point, we are looking at all options," said GM CEO Rick Wagoner at the annual meeting of car manufacturers last week. Gone are the days when DJ Antoine was able to sell his Hummer with his own lettering to a fan after two years at a high profit. A very reassuring development, and not just for ecologically-minded people.