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Sometimes someone has to step out from the crowd and shout out the obvious. It's as though that Apple commercial with its commentary on '1984' is coming true. Folks are just marching in unison, staring into their smartphones and believing whatever is typed or displayed in front of them — even if it doesn't make sense.

Can anyone tell me WHY General Motors CEO, Mary Barra, is one of TIME's Top 100 Most Influential People?

I understand the print industry is in the can and needs to move books so it can still remain a going concern. In turn this leads to controversial moves to get attention. Recall Rolling Stone's decision to put the shameful Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its cover? This list also puts Miley Cyrus in the Top 100, so, perhaps I should take it with a grain of salt but if I don't ask "what the hell is going on," then I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.

I understand that Barra was not in charge when this whole ignition thing went down; however, she must have been pretty high up, no? It seems like the old GM is the "new" GM, doesn't it?

Aside from working her way up and becoming a senior-level female executive, what else has Barra done? Frankly, I am sure there are plenty of other senior-level female executives that have done the same AND built a successful company that puts out great products.

Right now GM is in the midst of a scandal and, frankly, isn't putting out the best products. So, I ask again: WHY is Barra on this list? It's this kind of adoration of mediocrity that got GM stuck in this mess in the first place.

To me it seems far too premature to give an accolade without seeing what this all-new leader can actually do and if they're behavior is, in fact, something to aspire to. It's almost like giving a president the Nobel Peace Prize while they're engaged in two wars. Oops, did I say that?

What say you, Spies?


In a perfect world, gender shouldn’t matter. So it’s about time someone of Mary Barra’s caliber and experience was appointed to the coveted position of General Motors CEO. I’ve never had the privilege of meeting Barra, but although we are a number of decades apart, I’ve read her background and it is much the same as mine. She grew up in a working-class family, as did I, and fell in love with cars at a very young age. She fell in love with a red Chevy Camaro convertible, and I fell in love with the Model A my dad bought.

Only time (and the pundits) will judge Barra and the kind of job she’ll do for GM, its board of directors, its employees, the dealers and, most important, the people who buy its cars. If she remains as forthcoming as I’ve seen her on television with Congress, she will enjoy a long tenure at the helm.



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FALSE Start? TIME Names GM's CEO, Mary Barra, To Its Top 100 Most Influential People — But, Why?

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