From the promises of the automobile to the model-T no one could predict how the car would alter the world we live in. The dependency on the automobile is quickly shifting from not only an American problem, but a global one. As Rudi Volti describes the begging’s of the Automobile, we also see America’s curiosity in the new technology and how it could change our world for the better, (2006). Volti describes how the automobile wasn’t an American invention, but quickly became the American ideal; no one has developed and changed the automobile as much as America, (2006). From the begging the automobile promised freedom that we had never experienced before, it has greatly altered our landscape and our culture. Amy Best describes the Latino youth culture in San Jose, “For them, the car is a central means by which they participate in cultural and economic life, navigating their ways around today’s consumer culture”, (2006). It’s easy to see how this can happen to the youth of San Jose, when it’s something that affects every American. The automobile promises freedom, but at a cost. While that cost varies by person, place and time; there is no one that goes un-touched by the consequences of an auto dependent society. Amy Best continues in Fast Cars, Cool Rides, “Freedom, more often than not carries significant social and financial costs”, (2006). This concept of freedom at a cost is present everywhere in our society; it can be seen as a false promise or a blatant denial of freedom. I will look at how both are constantly present and leave no one untouched. The best examples of both are present in the American Vacation. What was once a privilege for the wealthy; the American vacation became a staple in our culture. In Are we there yet?: the...
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...ntier: the suburbanization of the United States. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, USA.
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Tragos, P. (2009). Monster masculinity: honey, i'll be in the garage reasserting my manhood. The Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553.
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Volti, R. (2006). Cars and culture: the life story of a technology. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr.
Flink’s Three stages of American automobile consciousness fully express the progress of the whole automobile industry. From the first model T to the automatic production, it gives me an intuitive feeling of the automobile history from a big picture. On the other hand, Kline and Pinch focus more on a certain group of people--farmers or people who live in the rural area, they use it as an entry point to talk about automobile, alone with the role and duty transition between male and
Sports Utility Vehicles have long maintained the reputation of being gas guzzlers and detrimental to the environment. In the article, “Why Environmentalists Attack the SUV,” Mr. John Bragg presents the argument that the SUV is a symbol of Americanism. While it is easy to understand his thinking, it is largely based upon subjective reasoning. Conversely, the SUV.org article, “Environmental Double Standards for Sport Utility Vehicles,” postulates that SUV’s represent a paradox to consumers. Additionally, cartoonist, Khalil Bendib takes a drastic approach by overtly stating that American automotive corporations are directly contributing to the degradation of the environment.
Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler surfaced as the “Big Three” auto companies heading into the 1920’s. The invention of the automobile revolutionized transportation; by the 1920’s cars made places easier to access to people. Many of the traditionalists did approve of the automobiles, but some of them just favored the old way of walking places. The traditionalists were fearful of car accidents with the upbringing of the automobile. During the 1920’s a driver’s license was not needed in most states, and there weren’t really any “rules of the road” quite yet. No signs, signals, or traffic guards, and the roads were not ready for automobiles or pedestrians yet. Some traditionalists were not for these life risking ways of automobiles, but they were accepted among most for an increase in transportation and their easy access to even those who were not rich. The modernists at this time were known to want the exciting new changes and risks, so they were all for the automobiles. This rebellious group knew the advancement of technology with automobiles meant transportation to explore, and not be stuck in the same places within walking distance. The 1920’s
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Tragros, P. (2009). Monster masculinity: Honey, i'll be in the garage reasserting my manhood. Journal Of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2009.00695.x
...hing, more prominent than the effect on the farms. The automobile has radically changed city life by accelerating the outward expansion of population into the suburbs. The suburban trend is emphasized by the fact that highway transportation encourages business and industry to move outward to sites where land is cheaper, where access by car and truck is easier than in crowded cities, and where space is available for their one or two story structures. Better roads were constructed, which further increased travel throughout the nation. As with other automobile-related phenomena, the trend is most noticeable in the United States but is rapidly appearing elsewhere in the world.
“Americans’ Love Affair with Cars, Trucks and SUVS Continues.” USA Today. USA Today, 30 August 2003. Web. 5 January 2012.
The first alluring aspect of the Roaring Twenties is that it was when cars were first introduced to the public on a large scale. When Henry Ford’s “Model T” rose to popularity in the 1920’s, people could get in an automobile and go wherever they pleased for a reasonable price. In 1914, a Model T cost about $490. By 1921, Ford had lowered the price to only $310. Through this, cars transformed from a privilege to a commodity. As cars gained popularity, common people were freed from the limitations of their location. The automobile created mobility on a scale like never before in human history, and the resulting effect on living habits and social customs is endless. If I lived in the 1920’s, I would enjoy the new freedom that comes along with this revolutionary feat.
Andrew Simms, a policy director and head of the Climate Change Program for the New Economics Foundation in England, presents his argument about the impact SUV’s have on our roadways, and the air we breathe. “Would You Buy a Car That Looked like This? “. The title alone gives great insight on what the article is going to be about, (vehicles). “They clog the streets and litter the pages of weekend colour *supplements. Sport utility vehicles or SUV’s have become badges of middle class aspiration” (Simms 542). Simms opening statement not only gives his opinion on how SUV’s are the new trend, but he also paints a picture of what we see every day driving down our roadways. Simms also compares the tobacco industry’s gap between image and reality to that of SUV’s; stating that the cause and consequences of climate change resemble smoking and cancer. Simms comparison between SUV’s and cigarettes shows how dangerous he believes SUV’s are.
In Christopher Wells’ book Car Country: An Environmental History he starts by speaking about his experience over the years with automobiles. He describes how happy he was to own his first automobile. Mr. Wells goes into detail about the inconveniences of driving in towns where everything is fairly accessible, and the necessity of an automobile in major cities. Although Mr. Wells enjoyed his first car, his local surrounding helped shape the attitude he has towards motor vehicles to this day. Mr. Wells also argued that car dependence in America is connected with the landscape. Wells rejects the notion that America ‘s automobile landscape emerged as a byproduct of consumer’s desires for motor vehicles or as the result of conspiracies to eliminate
In the July 1997 issue of Commentary, James Q. Wilson challenges the consensus among academia’s finest regarding the automobile in his bold article, Cars and Their Enemies. Directed towards the general public, his article discredits many of the supposed negatives of the automobile raised by experts, proves that the personal car is thriving and will continue to thrive because it meets individual preference over other means of transportation, as well as presents solutions to the social costs of cars. Wilson emphasizes that no matter what is said and done in eliminating the social costs of the automobile, experts are not going to stop campaigning against it.
In the twentieth century, the introduction of the motor vehicle in the United States became not only noteworthy, but also vital in the development of modern American civilization. This technologically complex machine led citizens to vast future dependence on the invention. While mobility was suddenly not limited to alternative, more convoluted options such as railroad stations or bicycles, yet copiously amplified to aid convenience and expanded leisure opportunities. From auto-racing to redesigning infrastructure, motor vehicles allowed progression, digression, and essentially uttermost change to the lifestyles of the American people. This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all, credit renowned to Henry Ford.
Car culture had caused some serious headaches for city planners in the 1950s. They had not anticipated the added traffic when building cities and were forced to adjust their plans with mixed results. There were many side effects to the restructuring of the city, and most were not good for the city center. Business and customers were no longer funneled into the now crowded city center in favor of the more spacious and convenient periphery. Community life as well as business in the city center really suffered as a result of suburbanization caused by the car. Jane Jacobs says in her chapter called "Erosion of Cities or Attrition of Automobiles" in the book Autopia, "Today everyone who values cities is disturbed by automobiles (259...
Wachs, Martin. "The Automobile and Gender: an Historical Perspective." University of Califonia Journal. Proquest. Richter Library, Miami.
Karl Benz invented the first automobile in 1866; it has changed the world in how we commute every day. From riding in carriages to now cutting our time travel whether it is riding a bus or our on car. It has become more of a necessity in today's world to have a car because its something that we choose to have in our daily life that it is a choice that is high on the priority list to own. As to wealthier people the type of car you drive puts in a different class. Where some get the choice of car that they want others have a certain budget on what to look for. The way an automobile symbolizes today, changed in society, and how a car has become a collection.