This post is due by Tuesday, September 24 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Cars, Culture and Media you learned from EACH chapter of our book, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis. (Yes, the Introduction counts.)
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of Cars, Culture and Media after completing our reading.
Chapter 1:
ReplyDeleteCars: Cars as big entertainment. Cars have joined the likes of movie, football, baseball, skating, etc. Nascar, according to TV ratings, is now the second most popular spectator sport after the NFL.
Culture: The culture of the car connecting it to shopping. On page 5 it talks about how gas stations are now also mini marts, shows how connected cars and shopping are to each other; tied together by consumer culture.
Media: Drawing on Cars as big entertainment. The Media advertises and uses the car throughout Television and Movies, not just a a prop, but as a character. Movies like Mission: impossible, the Bourne Identity and Liver Free or Die hard are examples of movies that use the car in a supporting role.
Chapter 2:
Cars: The Car as a symbol of freedom. On Page 15 it talks about how the car gives us “independence from reliance on the schedules and desires of others” and “the car is experienced as the ultimate tool of self-reliance”.
Culture: It is interesting to see the gender differences regarding cars. Whether your a feminist or not, more often the man is the one behind the wheel versus the woman. The culture of the male being powerful and “lead footed” Is connected to the car. And as it shows on page 23, the majority of those charged with serious moving violations are males. interesting how a car is connected to being “powerful and manly” as is described on page 23.
Media: The way the cars are named is super interesting! Id never though about how they are so environmentally and exploration based names. On page 16 it talks about names such as the explorer, expedition, frontier, pathfinder, etc... Looking at it from this perspective you can see what message car companies are trying to bring across and represent in a car. Advertising the car as a tool for freedom.
Chapter 3:
Cars: The car is seen as a form of individual expression. Some people buy a car as an appliance and just think of it as a tool to use. While others see a car as a form of expression and buy a car for its style and what it represents. When buying this way they often make an emotional decision and even if it doesn’t have the best uses, they justify it and decide to deal with it based on the fact that they like how it looks and what it represents.
Culture: It is interesting to see the culture surrounding cars and how they sell them. The culture of advertising is now targeted at children as young as preschool! If they gain their favor and loyalty early on then they are more likely to buy from them when they get older. This culture of gaining support from children is a new emerging idea and interesting to see how it plays out as they grow older and become more immersed in the culture of automobility.
Media: Car dealers talk about how advertising and selling a car appeals to both the rational and emotional brain. They try to make people feel though and decide with their emotional brain, because then they will be more likely to buy it. The cars salesperson talks about the need to “reach people on a different level” (Page 41) connect emotionally and have them make an emotional decision.
CHAPTER 1
ReplyDeleteCARS: What struck me about this chapter were the figures given about automobiles in America. There are now more cars than people! There are approximately 200 million American drivers, and about 244 million cars. 9/10 households own a car, and many families own multiple. This makes me think about how many dead, broken, and destroyed cars there also must be in America. Cars and car culture (highways, roads) probably take up more space than humans. However, as Lutz says, it is us humans that live with and encourage the car culture.
QUESTION: What is the recycling process with cars? How much can/does get reused? Is a biodegradable car possible?
CULTURE: The authors say that many people in America enjoy their cars for the convenience they offer. This convenience culture is all over our country. We always looks for easier and quicker ways of doing things, even though they might not be the most efficient or healthy. The convenience of cars is more perception than truth though, as parking and driving is generally more expensive and more stressful than hopping on a bus or train. As a country, the U.S. wants everything to be easier, and at first, driving a personal vehicle does sound easy. Looking in the long run though, cars just cause more complications and distractions.
MEDIA: I liked the point that gas stations are now so much more than just places to fill up our tanks. They are all now mini-marts, providing, food, magazines, lottery tickets, newspapers, DVDs, and much more. In this way, gas stations are also media stations. It makes sense--with 200 million drivers there are going to be 200 million gas customers, so it's a great place to dispense media.
CHAPTER 2
CARS: "Driving gives people a sense of cognitive skill and physical mastery". I found this quote to be especially true, and probably the main reason people like driving so much. Everyone thinks they area great driver, and it does make you feel very in control. I also liked how the authors referred to cars as "cozy conversation pits". It made me think of American Graffiti and our discussions about the car being a private place. Following this, I connected with the idea that cars are a place of solitude. My favorite part about driving is listening to my favorite music while cruising through landscapes. Sometimes specific songs work perfectly with the way I am driving. The music you listen to in the car can make it a different experience and allow you to associate the trip with the song.
CULTURE: I got to thinking about how Drivers Education is completely a coming of age event now. It has invaded our culture and is almost as natural as learning to ride a bike. Along with going to college, drivers ed fits in with the typical track that young adults should follow in our culture. If you don't get your license, you may feel "immature, inadequate, or incompetent" in our country and culture.
MEDIA: I've always thought the naming of cars was funny. The environmental branding of cars is peculiar to me, because I think cars drive people away from nature. The Ford Escape ad with the slogan, "the great outdoors is now within reach" displays this perfectly. Sure you can drive to the "great outdoors", but you in no way need a car to experience wilderness or nature. Perhaps car companies give names such as the "Outback" or the "Frontier" to compensate for their environmental damages. It just seems funny that cars use names like this to advertise to outdoorsy people. It would be funny to see cars with honest names like "The Polluter" or "The Metal Machine".
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteCARS: I connected with the observation that many cars made by different companies look the same. I say this because I drive a cheap Suzuki that looks almost identical to a bunch of expensive Audi's. People often confuse my car with the more expensive look alike version. That's a clever marketing technique, to make a car look like it is worth much more than it is.
CULTURE: "The Conspicuous Consumption" theory, coined by Thorstein Veblen, states that the "upper class consumes freely and of the best". This is because it shows success and provides self expression. The point made is that our culture is comprised of millions and millions of rich people. There are super rich people, very rich people, and just normal rich people. According to the authors, "the cars we drive "communicate our personality, interests, fender, class, age, politics, occupation, and ethnicity." So much about our culture can be inferred about what we drive. I see this as a dangerous way to generalize, but it is undeniably true in some respects.
MEDIA: The way that companies and marketing agencies can segment the market into "lifestyle clusters" is scaring and seems invading to me. I've noticed in the past years that Facebook will advertise things that I'm specifically interested in. Things like soccer or music equipment. It seems Facebook even knows the bands I like to listen to! Car companies will use geographic and demographic data to determine the class, race, age, and personalities of possible consumers. This way they can market cars that will sell better in particular areas. I suppose this is more efficient marketing for both the seller and the consumer, but it seems like a breach of personal privacy and another way to generalize our diverse nation.
CHAPTER ONE
ReplyDeleteCARS:
On page 4, Luts and Fernandaz point out that in 1991, 75 % of people “said that a car was essential for them to live ‘the good life,’” more essential than children! I was baffled to read this statistic, when cars contribute so much to debt, poor health, global warming, etc. From the perspective of not owning a car, I go between wistful dreams of the freedom to get up and go anywhere, anytime and enjoying the comfort that comes without having the financial burden—I’m sure my body thanks me for all the extra exercise I get walking everywhere, too.
CULTURE:
The chapter opens at a car show. Car shows were like a playground as a kid—the hummer in particular was this mysterious new jungle gym to climb in. My dad was the dad described, pointing the Audi TT to me as his dream car, squeezing me into the way back seat. Reflecting on this made me realize that I was most definitely raised with “chrome-tinted contact lenses” (11) and feeling that warm fuzzy glow of car-love.
MEDIA
Luts and Fernandez describe the prominence of the car in movies: “the car is not just a prop, but is often the central element for character development and dramatic intrigue” in Hollywood films. What would Pulp Fiction be without Travolta and Jackson’s witty car banter and Marcellus Wallace’s near-fatal collision with Butch? Or “Clueless” without Dion and Cher’s freakout highway scene? Or Vertigo without the sprawling coastal California landscape that frames Scottie and Madeline’s intense love affair?
CHAPTER TWO
CARS:
Luts and Fernandez go into the masculinity of cars. On page 25, they share one person’s anecdote about one man calling his BMW coupe “The Magical Mechanical Masculinity Enhancer” while his wife simply calls it “the Penis.” I learned to associate masculinity with sports cars at a very young age: my mother, driving me and a friend to ballet class spotted a balding man in a sports car and exclaimed “Oh, he must have a small penis.” It’s interesting that cars are known outlets for men to get women, to “compensate” for something, or “enhance” it.
CULTURE:
The achievement and ultimate freedom of a 16-year-old and their license is arguably one of the only rites of passages from childhood to adulthood that (almost) every American goes through. A driver’s license is the symbol of a driver achieving “the status of a truly independent person,” so it’s understandable that kids at the DMV excitedly go through their initiation rites into the “freedom” of adulthood (20).
Question: What are the benefits of NOT having a license? How does it break down financially, environmentally, and health-wise?
MEDIA
At the beginning of the chapter, Lutz and Fernandez describe the transformation of the car from not only automobile, but into a concert arena and multiplex (14). I immediately thought of my buddy and pack-leader of my group of friends back home—Bobby. He is notorious for blasting either Metallica or womptastic Dubstep out of his decrepit minivan as he rolls the crew around the small, suburban town of Albany, California. He uses the music to extend his masculinity and individuality in his admittedly uncool car and hometown.
CHAPTER THREE
ReplyDeleteCARS
For years, the Audi TT played a significant role in my childhood. It was my dad’s dream car, the he obsessed over, read about. The black Audi TT was THE car aligned to him, the car he identified himself with. Despite its expensive repair and relative inconvenience as a family car, his dream came true.
CULTURE
The culture of autoshows that Lutz and describe also played into my dad’s decision to get the Audi. To rationalize this decision, every year for two or three years at the auto show, my dad would have me crawl into the tiny “backseat” behind the driver seat. Each time, although more cramped as I grew, I fit. We experienced the entrance into the car commercial and played right into the advertiser’s hands when my dad eventually leased the car.
MEDIA
When I read the section on selling cars to kids, in particular the part where Lutz and Fernandez cite the film Cars as anthropomorphizing cars for the enjoyment of small children, I thought of the Chevron car toys with eyes as headlights. No road trip was complete unless I got a new car toy at the gas station. Chevron was clearly trying to get the kids to beg for the car toy, leaving parents to fill up the family caravan at least once at Chevron.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"They are imagining..." "...teenage boys swarming around the cars fantasize a future in which y they occupy the driver's seat" "...couples just browsing for their next car, although this is still some years off" (p.2). The first impression we are given of subjects of this book are all preoccupied thinking about cars before they even get to this auto show. Cars and driving are all things people fantasize about, and in general spend a lot of time thinking about.
ReplyDelete"With remarkable near invisibility, the gas arrives at those stations via hundreds of thousands of miles of pipeline, and a vast fleet of tanker trucks ply the roads daily to make delivery" (p.5). I've never thought about that before, but now that I've read it, it is remarkable. I only really every see tanker trucks full of fuel occasionally, and when I do they're always already at the station pumping gas into the parking lot. It's really strange when you think about how much gas is driving around all around you at any moment on the road that you never really see it getting delivered to the station.
"The car system we have today is, in a thousand ways, a creature of the year-in-and-year-out decisions of these corporations and of government, including especially the choice to invest what is a comparatively very small amount in public transportation" (p.10). It is surprising that there is not more public transportation available. And what is available (outside of major cities) is often seen as a hassle or inconvenience. I've never taken the public bus in my hometown, and in fact, I'm not even sure where it goes.
Ch.2
"...In virtually all of these ads, other vehicles and humans themselves are nowhere in sight. In some, even the road disappears, leaving no obvious way for the car to have reached its remote destination" (p.16). "Automobile naming and commercials have headed into the wilderness..." (p.17). I remember being a little kid and enjoying my uncle making fun of all the SUV drivers from New York City, because they had vehicles meant for rugged terrain, but never go to those places. The closest they get is on narrow back roads in the Poconos. I specifically remember, around the same time, going past a Hummer dealership with a dirt and boulder test track and wanting my dad to try a Hummer so we could go on the track. For being such a strong selling point, the car often stays on the pavement.
"Outside major cities, most come face to face with the police only when driving the roads" (p.18). This is interesting, because it is true. Outside of traffic violations or accidents, my friends only speak of encounters with the police while they were drinking. Driving through Virginia this summer, I saw a cop almost every ten minutes for around five hours. I normally take for granted the enormous police presence on the roads, but put in the perspective that it's really the only place I encounter law enforcement, it seems startling. Thinking about what the signs say on the highway, there are an awful lot of penalties: safety corridor- fines doubled, work zone- fines doubled, unlawful to pass, not to mention "license check points," and cop tucked up behind an overpass abutment, ect. Suddenly it seems unreasonable, the amount of law enforcement on the roadways. Do they make that more money, or more safety?
ReplyDelete"The myth of car freedom causes us to... ask our government to spend more ... on roads and lanes, despite research that shows that those new lanes will become as congested as before within just a few years. We don't see, as Lewis Mumford once quipped, that this transportation strategy is like dealing with obesity by buying a bigger belt" (p.21). The efficiency of our roads is not increased by enlarging them. It sees to us that more roads provide more opportunity, or more lanes means more freedom, but the reality is that we become more ensnared by the car. More roads and lanes aren't more freedom, they're simply more places to operate your car. They aren't increase in interesting destinations.
Ch. 3
"We become attracted to a class of car or a brand because of the 'soft' or emotional appeal of its marketed image; then we use the hard information available to us not to evaluate or test our decision to buy that brand but to rationalize it" (p.41) We may want a car that gets good gas mileage, and we can transport the kids and the dogs which won't break the bank. But because we don't want to seem lame driving a boring and plain minivan, we choose a flashy town car. We rationalize that its time to buy something nice for ourselves, or that the town car has more horsepower. We become hooked on a particular car, and then convince ourselves why its ok for us to have it.
Wendy Wahl tells us on p.42, "The consumer is fed back what's in their mind, and the hope is that they then think: that product is for me." Except, that on p. 40, a retired auto exec "bluntly states" that, "The buyers are liars... They'll tell you this is what I want, and that's what they want...they think." In other words, the car company, not the consumer, is really the one who knows what the consumer wants. So if the consumer is fed back what's in their mind, but what's in their mind is put there in the first place by the marketing teams employed by automakers, then where is the consumer's sovereign thoughts and feelings? Horsepower is manly, but is that something intrinsically true of horsepower, or is it a natural association, or is it one distilled into us? Page 45; "Once they find a 'hole' or an opportunity, Nissan designs the product and its marketing campaign around the ideal consumer for that vehicle. Nissan creates an ideal, it doesn't realize it. And through a marketing campaign, distills that ideal into us.
"It [Nissan] forged an alliance with French automaker Renault... to reshape the company 'to be all things to some people" (p.43). All things to some people- quite the statement. This is a statement about perspective. Americans think that crime is increasing (p.42), when it only seems like it is. Similarly, Nissan wants to show 'some people;' the people who want Nissans, that Nissan can meet their every need- to create the illusion that all needs end at Nissan.
p.78 "As we will see, because many of us are going into debt to buy a vehicle that we think says something about us, we are limiting our options for self-expression in other spheres." Why are cars the crux of our self-expression?
ReplyDeletep.78 "As we will see, because many of us are going into debt to buy a vehicle that we think says something about us, we are limiting our options for self-expression in other spheres." Why are cars the crux of our self-expression?
ReplyDeleteChapter 1
ReplyDeleteCars: On page 3 it states that in 2003 "the number of vehicles in the national fleet surpasses the number of americans with a driver's license". This is an incredible statistic, as someone can only be driving one car at a time. This piece of information reminds me of an interesting gun statistic "there are 300 million americans, and 300 million guns owned by americans". Just as guns have some distinct purposes as a utility, they also have there uses for pleasure. This is very similar to cars, as they have their specific use: to get from place to place, but the eagerness in purchasing cars ties in with the recreational usage as well.
Culture: Cars and their methods of travel are so pervasive that "there is no spot in the lower 48 of the United States more than 22 miles from the nearest road"(6). As the U.S. is no small country, this factoid represents how heavily we rely on our road system.
Media: Talk of cars, and their usage is incredible prevalent in movie usage. The text speaks about transformers, Herbie, and American Graffiti, and how these movies all really play off cars. This reminds me of my younger obsession with James Bond, and how he always had an incredible fancy car.
Chapter 2
Cars: The use of cars can be quite different for men and women. Men use it as "jewelery"(25) to individualize themselves. Women use cars to be individuals too, as an "outward sort of expression on the highway" (26).
Culture: The reference to the movie superbad reflects a huge part of American culture. Some might argue that that film defines my generation, other may disagree, but its usage for cars, and the privileges offered by them, while still not granting full citizenship create quite the tale.
Media: Car companies launch campaigns to promote certain views of their cars to make them appeal to specific people. Making the car have characteristics makes viewers of the media apply themselves to the car and allow them to relate.
Chapter 3
Cars: The car buying processes is very interesting. While buying a car, people do lots of research, because it is a large purchase, but a lot of the decision making comes down to gut feelings and impulse. Car ads play on our emotions, how we want to (or want not to) be seen can play a huge role in our decision making. Because we judge people in cars, we assume we are judged, and this makes us stray from our purely rational thought process.
Culture: We each are individuals, that is the American way of thinking. But we all also fall into many socially created categories. These categories, in the development of advertising campaigns, are given names and faces, and then used to create marketing schemes that fit. We all like to think we are very different, but we are all so very alike.
Media: People are very wary of advertisements, and think that they are immune to its effects. An as this definitely isn't true, the extent that it is false is staggering. People may not be persuaded by every car commercial to jump up and buy that car, but there are sneaky ways car dealers try to sell you their products. Product placement in movies, or simply whenever a famous person is seen in a car acts as a form of advertising. Car shows also are a great way to advertise, because people enter them eager to learn about the car, and not viewing the information given as an add, but as a lesson.
What major industries have been destroyed as the car has taken over the personal transportation field?
ReplyDeleteChapter 1
ReplyDeleteThe New York Auto show, which this chapter starts off, is the perfect example of the convergence of Cars Culture and Media. It embodies people who are searching for the culturally acceptable car for who they (expanded upon in chapter 2), and various media outlets. As a child I went to the NY Auto Show, and I saw awesome sports cars not yet released, rode in an off-road course in a Jeep Wrangler, and even saw Will Smith’s futuristic car from IRobot.
On page four the author describes the car as, “essential to live the good life.” This is incredibly culturally relevant because car ownership according to a 1991 poll was more important to achieving success than having children. This basically means that a married couple with a house and a car is living a better life than a married couple with a house and kids.
My last point is more of a critique, kind of off topic. The author describes the stimulus spending on roads and general infrastructure as “disaster capitalism.” This is false because of the government multiplier effect. Government spending on infrastructure has a 1.5-multiplier effect meaning that for dollar spent by the government, the economy as a whole benefits from a $1.50 increase.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2013/08/fiscal-policy-developing-countries
Chapter 2
The first section of this chapter revisits the old topic of freedom, a common theme in Republic of Drivers. I find one quote particularly powerful, “The car is experienced as the ultimate tool of self-reliance.” This is equal to saying that there is no better way to experience freedom and independence (both American cultural values) than driving in a car.
On page 20 Lutz introduces the driver’s license as a right of passage. It provides teens with a feeling of independence as with their parents who are relieved from ‘taxi’ services. Growing up in Suburbia I find this to be very true. It was a much-anticipated movement to go to the DMV instead of school, and come back the next day with a fresh license.
As in American Graffiti, one 26-27 the car is discussed as an extension of one’s self. With the diverse number of makes and models along with additional customizations, those with the means certainly have the ability to show off their character through their wheels. I would like the stress the word means because many people drive what is most affordable which often entails a generic used car, whether or not they are a generic person.
Chapter 3
This chapter is about how advertisers communicate their products to consumers, and visits many themes already discussed in class. With the introduction of the Internet and the mass of information that it entailed much of car advertisement’s emotional appeal was undermined. This meant that consumers could make more rational decisions based on actual facts using their neo cortex.
This edge for the consumer was eventually negated through innovative advertising described on pages 42-47. This advertising was focused on once again making the subconscious brains, the emotional and reptilian, the dominating decision makers in automobiles. Examples include Ford targeting the fight or flight characteristic of the reptilian brain, and Nissan targeting the emotional brain.
On page 47 Lutz describes how American values like “individualism, and independence” create a false sense of resilience to advertising. She makes the point that if Americans were immune, automakers would not spend $18 billion a year. It’s an easy observation to make that almost every exposure to media entails a car ad. As Americans are not immune to its influence mediums are not immune to its presence.
Question: What are the benefits/costs of media regulation, and banning irrational/irresponsible discourse in media?
Chapter 1
ReplyDelete-The foundation for most of this book is stated on page three when Lutz and Fernandez explain how America has become a country whose transportation and residential system is based on the private car. The infrastructure that has been created in America makes it very difficult to get around in a timely fashion through the use of public transport. The American Dream of owning a home in the suburbs has led to a dependence on cars that is more pronounced that in other nations.
-Lutz and Fernandez mention on page five that, "the car's handiness can be more perception than truth." When one is thinking about a personal car, he or she tends to think about the convenience and freedom it provides. The costs associated with the car, along with the annoyance of having to find a parking space and keep up with necessary maintenance are often afterthoughts. Having a car when it is not necessary can often lead to more frustration than joy, as it is easy for the cons to outweigh the pros.
-An interesting statement can be found on page eleven, when Lutz and Fernandez state that, "culture is what we swim in, but we are the last creatures to truly understand it because it is everywhere." Cars are so deeply ingrained into our society that we often hardly notice their presence. Because cars are constantly around us, it has become difficult to imagine a society that is not based around their widespread use.
Chapter 2
-Lutz and Fernandez mention on page seventeen that throughout the Cold War, freedom was seen as the main difference between the Americans and the Soviets. While many examples can be drawn from this statement, the main symbol of freedom in America was the personal car. The car represented a personal autonomy and freedom to travel that was not present in the Soviet Union, adding to the many cultural differences that the nations faced.
-Page twenty contains a quote from a teenager on the day of getting her license that includes, "...it's like, you go through puberty, and then you go through cars!" This unnamed teenager has demonstrated that cars and driving are so deeply rooted in our culture that they are on the same level as a universal biological function. Gaining the ability to drive is another one of the steps towards reaching independent adulthood.
-The second chapter is filled with anecdotes that explain how one's car is a form of self expression. As stated by the Hoffmans on page twenty-nine, "people don't know us, but they know our vehicle." Those in the market for a new car are searching for something that speaks to their truest selves, something that makes their heart beat faster, rather than something that is the most practical or affordable.
Chapter 3
ReplyDelete-Lutz and Fernandez mention on page forty-one that we often use the hard information available to us about cars not to evaluate our decision but to rationalize it. A car buyer often has their mind made up about a car due to an emotional attachment to it, which they then try to justify using the facts and statistics on the car, even if they don't match the desired traits. It isn't the fuel mileage or the cargo capacity that is being considered, but rather how the car makes one feel.
-Marketers are aware that most people think they are immune to the effects of advertising, as well as the fact that most people are similar to each other. This has developed into the widespread use of some tactics to gain the attention of people, such as the use of fear. It is stated on page forty-two that fear has been theorized as a "more powerful" motivator than desire, something that marketing companies take full advantage of. So, rather than using an advertisement to focus on what makes the car desirable, the focus is on how it will keep you out of harms way.
-Lutz and Fernandez mention on page fifty that, "automakers are targeting one key demographic group: children." It seems strange to market something towards a demographic that is incapable of buying the product, yet it is clearly a long-term strategy. By ingraining the minds of kids with the image of a car brand, companies are hopefully reaching clients that will remain loyal throughout their life, continuing to buy the same make of car for years to come.
Culture:“… a band of retired buddies who note they share a pragmatic approach to cars, replacing them only after “driving them into the ground…” This quote first made with think of my dad’s old car which he has passed down to me and my two sisters to drive after we got our license. The car drove across the country twice, pulled my mom’s car out of the snow, was “totaled” by a Tahoe, hit a bus, a Prius, and the side of the garage, drove over a flooded bridge, and still refuses to give out. Our family no longer keeps the car just because it still runs, but because it’s part of our family. I think it’s become part of our culture to have emotional attachments toward our cars because all the opportunities they provide us and the memories they make.
ReplyDeleteCars: “But by 1991, the figure had risen to 75 percent, making cars more important to us than children…” For me this quote was astonishing, and at the same time completely believable. For many people their car is their baby. You have to put time, effort, and money into it to take care of it and to insure that it will still run.
Media: “Whether we are driving them or watching them, the number of hours we spend immersed in care culture means that cars are everywhere.” It’s no wonder that cars have become more important to people then having a family, we are literally surrounded by the car culture in everything we do. There is just a huge emphasis on not only owning a car, but working as hard as you can to own the car of your dreams. People are willing to work a crappy 9 to 5 job that they hate every day just so they can own that bad-ass car they saw at the movies or that shiny Mercedes they saw at the car show when they were 15.
Question: going off the idea of “running a car into the ground,” my question is how much land space is taken up by not only car dealerships but also by junk yards holding “dead” cars?
Chapter2
Cars: “They like that the car provides a cozy conversation pit to share with their spouses, buddies, or children, or alternatively, they like the solitude it provides, the chance to crank up their tunes and belt them out.” This is exactly why people who have the ease of public transportation at their fingertips are still willing to pay hundreds of dollars more a month to own a car rather than taking the train or bus to work every day. They are willing to pay over and over again for the feeling of isolation and freedom the car gives you when you shut that door and turn the key.
Culture: “you must be a driver to achieve the valued status of a truly independent person…or the shame of seeming somehow immature, inadequate, or incompetent.” It’s no lie that after you’re handed that newly laminated license, walking through the doors at the DMV is like walking through the doors into adult hood. That 20 minute test you just passed is the Governments way of saying you are now allowed to experience what it truly means to be a free American, and without going through that right of passage you can’t truthfully be free.
Media: “From the perspective of carmakers, the ideal consumer is one who is unhappy with what he has a year later.” Companies selling any type of technology have a very strategic way of using media to convince us that we aren’t happy with what we have even if it still works flawlessly. They move our attention away from the fact that we just spent 200 dollars on a new phone last year and on to the fact that we won’t be truly satisfied until we get the new one. It’s the same with cars, they make it seems so easy to get rid of the one you have and move on to the new one you want.
Chapter 3:
ReplyDeleteCars: “People started to recognize, he said, that certain Buicks, for example, were basically the same cars as certain Oldsmobiles, with a different badge slapped onto them.” This made me chuckle because there have been so many times that I have mistaken a fairly inexpensive car for a high end costly car. People get so hung up with the symbol and brand name on their car and the “status” that comes along with it, even though the car its self may not be that much different than a less expensive one.
Media: With the advancements in technology and the internet people are able to do extensive research on cars before they go to the dealership planning on outsmarting the cars salesman, but at the same time car companies are spending just as much time, if not more, researching us and what we want. “the consumer is fed back what’s in their mind, and the hope is that they then think: that product is for me.”
Culture: “It was a vivid reminder that marketing so suffuses our culture that we hardly notice the tide of marketing messages.” It’s in our culture to feel like we have the ultimate decision when it comes to doing or not doing what we want. We see ourselves as independent individuals capable of making our own decisions but we are mostly oblivious to the fact that those decisions are being fed to us by underlying media messages and advertising throughout our daily lives.
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ReplyDeleteChapter One:
ReplyDeleteCars: “For this man and many others, the cars on display are the big carrots available to those who work hard or win the lottery…” (p.2) Right from the beginning of the book, the authors describe the power that automobile has in our culture. The ownership of an automobile creates a certain illusion of success. The more expensive the car, the more successful you appear. Our culture has taught us to strive for these materialistic items to show off your success, but more importantly your status in society.
Culture: On page three, the authors talk about the new car culture the United States has created and supplied impressive characteristics to our car culture. One of the most shocking statistics they provided was that in the 1960’s, twenty percent of households owned a second car; now sixty-five percent do. To think that multivehicle households are a fairly new concept is unimaginable. My household has three cars and only four people live in my house. Having multiple cars in my household has become a normal part of life and has become a mode of convenience. I’m not sure how my family or let alone I would function on a daily basis without these hunks of metal. How upsetting?
Media: “…the car is not just a prop, but is often the central element for character development and dramatic intrigue, and remains central to Hollywood’s archetypal plots.” (p.7) Cars have become a vital element in various media types, but especially in the Film industry. As we saw in the movie “American Graffiti,” we began to associate each character with the type of car they drove and the car helped illustrate their identity. Cars are a strong part of our culture and have infiltrated numerous types of film genres, whether it’s an action film or “chick flick,” and illustrate the values and ideas we associate with the automobile. On the top of my head, I can’t think of a film I have seen in the past several years that does not involve a car in one way or another. That’s insane!
Chapter two:
Cars: “Many understand that cars are a form of male display, often flaunted for the benefit of other men. “ (p.25) In this section of the book, the authors talk about how men use cars to express their masculinity and who they are. The type of car a person drives, says something about who the driver is as a person. A person the authors interviewed said that they would never own a minivan because it is a “mom’s car.” Minivans don’t express the message that majority of men want to portray; they need a “sexy” and more muscly car to assert their manhood. Cars offer a sense of individuality and provide that status symbol drivers, especially male drivers, look for.
Culture: “Getting a driver’s license is a central rite of passage in the country, one that stands above all for freedom from the family and the family’s schedule.” (p.20) Going back to “American Graffiti,” the car symbolizes a rite of passage into adulthood and a new found independence. When I turned 16, the first thing I did was get my license. The ability to drive gave me this sense of freedom and a new found self-reliance, because I no longer had to ask my parents for a ride, I could do it myself. I felt like an adult and that’s what this section of the book was getting at.
Media: “Model names invite the driver to see him or herself as explorer in nature.” (p.16) Maybe I’m just oblivious, but I never realized how automakers name their cars after words associated with adventure or the “Great Frontier.” One of the greatest emotions and values the car embodies is freedom. The freedom to just go anywhere you like, explore, and go on a journey. Car commercials always show cars driving in some aesthetically pleasing outdoor scene. It makes sense that automakers would name their cars after aspects in nature like the Land Rover or Forester. Whichever name the car has, the car promises to take you away from your everyday life and take you somewhere new. I don’t know why I never made that connection.
Chapter three:
ReplyDeleteCars: “…we have seen certain people driving certain cars—but are also hatched from marketing messages the automakers have delivered to us about who should drive a particular car.” (p.55) This whole statement goes back to the idea of how a car expresses the identity of the driver. Advertisers have targeted a certain audience to sell their cars and in doing so have pinned certain stereotypes to the cars, like minivans are cars for soccer moms. It’s imperative to buy the right car, to create the right identity for yourself, while simultaneously achieving society’s approval. Cars are a continued status and a form of self-expression.
Culture: “Americans’ reliance on spending to help create and communicate a sense of self has become increasingly entrenched.” (p. 57) Advertisements have spent years trying to engrain these messages of what the automobile means: freedom, independence, and now self-expression. Studies have showed that the driving factor to why we choose one product over another is because of how we want to express ourselves. People will invest money in order to achieve this message to society. I didn’t know a car had such power over us and our society, but looking at the stereotypes that circulate about certain cars like the Subaru wagon, the “Lesbaru,” it makes sense. We want people to see us in a certain way and we will invest money in order to achieve that.
Media: “Marketing automobiles to children has a payoff now and in the future.” (p.50) A few car companies in the past several years have decided to target children in their car advertisements. Advertisers have found that children exposed to these ads have the power to alter their parent’s decision on what car to buy. The advertising schemes also help increase support for the car brand later on in life, when they are looking to purchase a car for themselves. It’s an interesting target audience, but it seems to work.
Question: The media has targeted certain customers to buy their products, like the soccer mom is targeted to buy a minivan. Is the media strong enough to change these stereotypes of what people drive what car and can the media be used to redefine the cars that w
Question: How do car companies and advertisers decide which audience to target their product to and what characteristics or features of a car attract men or women to buy that product?
Preface:
ReplyDeleteCar- This intro chapter really put cars in perspective relative to people’s everyday lives. It pointed out the dangers of cars, as well as, the perks of owning them. One quote that really stuck out to me was this: “the car is an everyday object, our most valued machine, had such awful, awesome power in our lives” (p. x). The car is both a gift and curse in this sense. A gift because it broadens our capabilities to go places, but a curse because everyday people die or get sick due to some relation to the automobile. This quote really got me thinking, and hooked me into what else the author had to say.
Culture- On page xiii, the author discusses how the American dream helped to promote cars and how everyone should have a car, and now it is what demotes cars. People are beginning to find other ways of getting around and are looking for a cleaner more sustainable way for movement. It fascinates me how quick one part of culture can have a dramatic change and a completely new definition, like the American Dream.
Chapter 1:
Car- Cars obviously popped up a lot in this chapter, but the most interesting fact was on page 2. We care about how we look in our cars. This is so blatantly true, and some people don’t even realize they are doing it. New parents by new, bigger vehicles, young kids get sports cars; retired people buy nice new antiques or fast cars. In all honesty, the car we purchase is one we hope reflects who we are and what type of lifestyle we are living. It is great to try to match people to their vehicles, because some really do take you by surprise.
Culture- The statistic provided on page 6 was that on average, we spend 18 ½ hours a week in a car. This just astounds me. Those hours could be spent on something constructive or living life, but instead we chose to spend our time in a metal contraption. Cars play a big role in our everyday lives of course, because most people need to go to work or run errands, but that much time seems excessive. It also amazes me because people don’t think like that. They never wake up and say how long did I spend sitting in my car this week, it is just a norm and we don’t think twice.
Media- For media in this chapter, I chose the NASCAR quote. “NASCAR now claims 75 million fans in 2003” (p. 6). NASCAR was rated number 3 in sports which is also surprising. I do not understand the thrill in watching cars go around a track a certain number of times. It really illustrates how dependent our society is on cars, that we are willing to literally sit for hours watching someone else drive around in circles.
Chapter 2:
ReplyDeleteCar- Cars still today, offer a sex appeal. On page 23, a man was saying how he loved being in the driver’s seat and having his girlfriend besides him fawning over him while he is driving. This is still true today, most couples I know allow the men to drive and the women constantly touching the man for reassurance and affection. It is just funny that women and studying the man while driving, and the man is studying the car and the road. Certainly a different way to look at the sex appeal of the car.
Culture- On page 20, the author discusses how cars are a rite of passage in this country. It not only makes kids feel like there are now free from their parents and the rules enforced in the car, but it also allows parents to be free from being their children’s chauffer. As a young adult myself, I love driving freely in my car, but I would think as a parent I would constantly be worried, but maybe that will change when I have kids and want my own free time. Who knows, but as of now I like that cars provide boundaries between parents and their kids.
Media- When discussing car advertisements on page 16, the car commercials always depict cars in surreal surroundings, making the car look more enticing. I never really thought about that before when I saw a car commercial, but it all makes sense now as a production/marketing technique. Cars also appear on tops of mountains, with no road leading to it, as the book points out, making cars look like they are part of nature. This is comical to me because I know the detrimental effects cars have on the environment so to assume it is something natural, is a mere joke to me.
Chapter 3:
Cars- Most people prior to buying a car have a mental checklist of what they want their car features to have (p. 40). However, cars are representative of who we are so most people end up buying one that fits some of their needs, but in the end looks good with them. Cars are our outward symbol to the public of where we stand in the economy and what our lives are like, so even if we go into a car dealership explicitly looking for one car, we most likely will come out with one that is ½ the original checklist, but nice to stare at.
Culture- “Cars are a way to communicate not only personality but wealth and status” (p. 58). This is such a true statement! Cars are something most people use every day and are constantly seen with. If a person in an office building wore ratty shoes everyday people would notice, same with a car and others might judge that person thinking they either do not care about their looks or they lack money. If that person shows up in a really nice car, people then know he has money he just choses to wear those shoes. Cars are first judgers for people.
Media- On page 50 the book discusses how car companies target children to “get ‘em early.” The book then continues to say kids in elementary school already have their car preference. This just astounds me because I didn’t even think about cars that young, let alone could tell you what type of car I wanted. This could be due to the fact that I am female and grew up in a rural area, but it just surprises me that children are the target audience.
Question: Do you think that as we approach a renewable energy era, the status symbol with cars will be that the coolest, richest kids will be driving the renewable energy cars?
Chapter 1:
ReplyDelete- On page four of Carjacked, the reader is informed that owning a car has become the number 3 most important thing in American’s lives. It drove into this third place ahead having children after spending previous decades at #4. I think that the author is trying to say that a potential family must own a car before having children. The automobile, similar to house and an occupation, has come to signify a marker of stability and success. Thus, it is more of a prerequisite to having children, not an item that is ranked above a human life in importance.
- I’d always thought convenience to be a major perpetuator of car culture. According to Carjacked, that is often not the case; people will opt for car transport even when it is more expensive, increases the duration of travel, and causes other huge wastes of time. (5). This is testament to the success of car media. We Americans have consumed their various advertising tactics so that we opt for car travel even when there are better options at our disposal.
- Page 11 explains how this aforementioned scenario still thrives in our society: since out culture is all around us, we often do not even notice it, as it is central to our being. This really clicked in my head. While reading books on automobility I often think to myself, “Yeah, that’s pretty obvious”. But if it were so obvious, I probably would have though of it sooner.
Chapter 2:
- The notion that cars bring about autonomy and individuality (similarly stated in A Republic of Drives) is also raised in Carjacked. The authors posit that the car owner has a freedom to drive where she pleases, when she pleases. The carless driver, however, is remains dependent on others, and is likely to feel impotent to her car-owning peers. (15). Although I agree that this statement is partially true, I also feel that removing oneself from car culture can be liberating. Using bicycles to get to nearby locations, and public transport to get others brings on a different type of agency than owning a car. One, for me at least, that brings about greater feelings of “exploring the frontier”, as traveling in this way typically requires more forethought.
- Even in our contemporary culture where gender norms are becoming more relaxed, cars still illicit notions of the ideal man and woman. Pages 21-22 offer an example: men are likely to be knowledgeable about cars brands/quality, while women are more likely to cart the kids around. Performing these roles well outlines either one’s masculinity or femininity. I am curious how the hybrid/electric car shift that we are currently seeing will shape these norms. As we have noted in class, the Prius has been equatated to a vagina on wheels in pop culture. If at some point down the road all cars are hybrid/electric, can masculinity reshape itself to mean quite and earth friendly? My guess is that the Tesla, a regal looking machine, will come be equated with manliness, while the chevy leaf may mean girlish.
- On page 36, the authors note the naivety, or optimism, (time will tell) of youth. It shares that many young people hold the view that technologies will solve the world’s problems, i.e. a car that runs on without fossil fuels, which will help mitigate global warming. I have to admit that I hold this view; being an environmental studies major, I am very concerned about climate change, but I do feel that improving technologies will be the saving grace. Although the gasoline car engine may not be completely obsolete by 2015, the current upward trend in electric car manufacturing suggests that it will be on it’s way out. As a side note, I feel that this young culture of optimism (as long as it does not foster complacency) will be necessary in solving the problems of the 21st century.
Chapter 3:
ReplyDelete- When buying a car, many people invest a lot of time into research; they want a car that is reliable, safe, and affordable. The truth of the matter is, however, that people want a car that best fits their personality, and makes a statement about themselves. Pragmatism then takes a back seat to desires. (39-40). This demonstrates how car culture has become ingrained into the human psyche.
Reading this section of Carjacked is very timely, as my mom went through the car-buying process this past summer. She kept saying, “I think I want a Subaru station wagon so I can cart things back and forth to the Cape, and your stuff to and from school”. I knew that she would never buy one, however. As I guessed, she went with a less practical, sleek sedan that was more in accordance with her corporate job than would be a crunchy, 4-wheel drive Subaru.
- The fact the car companies have started to advertising to children as young preschool age (50) is not too surprising, but nonetheless reflects the gross injustices that are allowed in capitalist culture. Since children are not able to form fully rationale opinions at this age, tactics such as these are equitable to brainwashing, literally. If this is allowed in car culture and other aspects of American life, future generations will likely lose the ability to think for themselves, as ideals have become ingrained into their consciousness by no choice of their own.
- A car as a means to express one’s personhood and individuality is a recurring theme that is again brought up on pages 53-54. The Mini Cooper is used by tall, quirk of man to express some appreciation for irony, while Luke is working five part-time jobs in order to fund truck that will set him apart to upper-class, suburbanite peers. Do cars really represent a medium for expressing individuality, though? For starters, buying a car to express yourself in relation to another’s car is adhering to some type of collective norm. It says: “I’m so individual that I’m going to get virtually the same product as you, but mine will be a little different!” Moreover, the differences among cars are already predetermined. Therefore, the same individuality that one person seeks can be bought by anyone else, which makes it mundane.
Q: how will gender norms be played out in our changing culture of automobility? Will driving a hybrid or taking the train to work take masculine or feminine connotations?
Chapter one:
ReplyDeleteCars:
“our vehicles are much bigger and more powerful then ever before. American manufacturers have put their vehicles on a course of steroids over the last decade or two...” Cars and the car industry has such powerful modes of influencing Americans in their choices of car purchases. Produce the bigger, the better and couple it with false advertising, creating a hype and interest in these vehicles that thus help consumption. And then we incorporate “these stations are now usually mini-marts, selling food and lottery tickets...and reflecting the centrality of the car to shopping and the time crunch American families find themselves in...the gas arrives at those stations via hundreds of thousands of miles of pipeline, and a vast fleet of tanker trucks ply the roads daily...” (5) The car industries create this monstrosities, horrible for the environment, that thus create markets and cultural trends that further add to consumption. My observation essentially here is how the introduction of the car, create an entire culture for bigger better, and immensely added the concept of sprawl, and stripmalls, and gas stations shopping opportunities. Even “the average occupancy rate per car in 2006 at 1.6%” (4)
Culture:
I was immensely intrigued with the car show descriptions of consumers. The use of beautiful people to advertise the cars and to whome, “attractive young product specialists...teenage boys strolling among the cars” (1). The young boys love the vision of imagining themselves in it, with a beautiful girl in the passenger seat. The car industry has a strong grip on appealing to the user. Which also brings about the whole culturally idea of the car being of form of self-curation. Expressing oneself or creating a image by their vehicle prop. ‘What do I like about this car?! I like the way I look in it.” (2) said one man at the car show. I’d like to also note a quote that shocked me that goes along with the desire for expression and how its been prioritized in life, “75% in a survey said car was essential for them to live “the good life” in 1991 - making cars more important than children. (4)
I also wanted to know the observation and facts on the “steepest growth in the number of cars per family came as women began entering the paid workforce in larger numbers back in the 1960’s.” (3). I found this extremely interesting because we spend much time analyzing the lure of cars by men and young boys and the stigma that go along with cars, but the reality of the car industry is the boom in business when both parents began entering the work force and the need for transportation.
Media:
I think media obviously has an immense impact on the brain. The advertisements are shiny, speedy, attractive...“(nonbuyers) they might not even have a drivers’ license yet, it’s the car that they have a poster of over their desk...”(2). My observation here was on how media and the car industry doesn’t necessarily only focus on buyers, but even the younger generations that can’t even drive yet, they give them this vision to work towards, this way of imagining themselves in that car in their future, driving fast and free, their character will change once they possess that car. Plant the idea in their brains from a young age, first through toy cars, then to cars like the Barbie Car they could actually drive around in from a young age, then come the magazines with age, so their dreams can come realities. Even, “Hollywood movies... the car is not just a prop, but is often the central element for character development and dramatic intrigue, and remains central to hollywood archetypal plots.” (7)... such movies are sold not only as tales for boys and men; cars are the settings, plots, and even characters...”. It’s almost part of boy to men character development, growing up with differing forms of car media, to finally be able to purchase a real car after a whole childhood of thought and excitement preceding their first car purchase.
Chapter Two:
ReplyDeleteCars:
My observation from Chapter 2 relates a lot to American Grafitti, and they even references it, I think it’s important to note how the car is a prop in many forms...
“the chance to crank up their tunes and belt them out. This particular pleasure expands with each new electronic device optioned onto late-model cars: some are now virtual concert arenas, with satellite radio providing hundreds of commercial-free stations, as well as cinemas or multiplexes, with screens for watching TV and videos.” (14) The car allows for a place for various activities, but not only has it served us as a mode of transportation, getting from point A to point B, but now cars are transforming into the future, to be a theatre to watch movies, a music concert, to blast tunes, to even make phonecalls through the vehicle. The car is transforming rapidly with technology.
Culture:
Relating back again to American Grafitti, the car has many roles, beyond the technological advancements mentioned above, but it’s metaphorical roles. One can drive in the car, hope in and drive away, to escape or find freedom, or serve as a “cozy conservation pit. “...we hope the car will help us live our values, many of which we share and can identify as particularly American... these include the idea of freedom: a visions of the ideal man, women, and family...individuality is superior to collectivism and conformity... opportunity and success itself.” (15). Car’s have so much more meaning then their simple use of transportation. I’d also like to note the quote, “Driving gives people a sense of cognitive skill and physical master, and it is rare to find someone who does not claim...that he or she is an ‘excellent driver’” (14) I found this immensely humorous, you’ll rarely meet someone who will admit their a bad driver, many drivers become possessive of their vehicles, it’s like their little habitat, and find immense attachment, and therefore like to think of their control of their vehicle and connect it to their fine ability to be an excellent driver (even if its not the case...)
Media:
“ Movies and commercials are our nations mythmakers, spinning our compelling versions of the stories we tell ourselves about what we love and what we fear, what we aspire to, and what we seek to protect.” (14) “As they entertain us, though, they distract us from their purpose: to create a return on the investment of the billions of dollars spent making them” Many movies, music videos, magazines, and various forms of media use cars and persuasion to create an interest in the vehicles for sale, but these forms of media to little if nothing to inform us of what really goes into the creation, purchase, and use of vehicles, the negatives are always left out, its only about the allure.
question:How can we use media to portray an intrigue for differing forms of transportation, like public transport, biking, carpooling, how can we make these the social norm for society and create a new cultural shift through the use of media?
Chapter Three:
ReplyDeleteCars:
“I’ve always had fords..my dad had fords... my grandfather had fords... so it was like a family tradition. (49) I think this goes back to an earlier observation, that car salesman like to get consumers from a young age, to gain their trust, and have them continually invest in their projects. “automakers are targeting one key demographic group: children. “Get em early” is the plan..”(50) In fact, I only listen to my brother when it comes to cars, I want what he approves, I like what cars he likes, i’m sure this doesn’t apply to all females, but I think it’s curious what an influence male opinions have on female decisions, when it comes to cars, and how generations and families all choose or seem to drive similar vehicles, cars salemens...their tricky.
Culture:
“High consideration products.” (40) reliability, handling, safety, cargo space, and cost...Yet if buyers followed through on those practical checklist, we would all be driving the handful of least-expensive and highly reliable models out there.” (40)
“the car is a personal statement and as a result have lost our practicality in how we buy and own them” (40). The culture of cars. This observation goes back to the idea of self-curation and need to express one self through their vehicle. I think it’s safe to say that we acknowledge what’s the smartest type of car to purchase, but we don’t chose to purchase smartly, we chose to purchase based on how people will interpret our choice. There are many stereotypes I think in modern culture that goes along with this, for instance suburu’s and prius’s for vermonters and environmentally conscious people, hummers for macho men who want to make a statement, beat up junkers for people who want to say they don’t care what they look like in their ride, the list and stereotypes can go on. There is so much thought that goes more into expression then the real qualities of a vehicle, safety and efficiency being two.
Media:
Advertising. I think this goes along with what we learned about the brain seeing 30frames on tv per second, and only processing 8 that we don’t have time to think thoroughly and thoughtfully on what we see. We see speed, color, freedom in ad’s on cars, we don’t see the big picture or can’t process the big picture and thats what sticks with us longer. “Corporations spent huge amounts each year on advertising in the welter of media space: on network and cable television, in newspapers and magazines, on the radio, on the internet, on billboards, buses...”47. Also in regards to the brain packet, repetition is one, if we’re continuously seeing a car ad, we might not know anything about the car, but if we go to the dealership, the car we’ll most likely look for is what we see over and over again, because it’s become what we “know.” And lastly, “director...of advertising agency...smily knowingly at the idea that people think ads don’t affect them...” Advertisers know exactly how their effecting our way of thinking. It’s their job. “$18billion spent on advertising by automakers and dealers in the course of a single year” and in return we buy into the ads and thus buy their vehicles.
Cleopatra
ReplyDeleteChapter 1
- Pg 3 talks about how we aren’t just owning more cars in the U.S, but we literally have bigger and more powerful cars. This illustrates how cars are becoming more and more aggressive in society. This affects our humanity in the long run.
- pg 5 speaks about the government policy that drives car usage. However, with my self, who grew up in a city, and the fact that ½ of the human population will live in cities in 2030, government may support cars a lot less in the future.
-pg 8 talks about the importance of the car economically. Having 1/10 people who have car-related professions is crazy! What will happen to the economy when oil becomes even more scarce, and more people live in cities?
Chapter 2
- Freedom is again redefined in this story as “independence from reliance” on pg 15. It’s interesting how many views of freedom there are in the U.S. and how the car plays a huge role in that. With a car, one can truly rely on one’s self, and be independent.
- Also, on pg 20, the author goes on to talk about how freedom has value outside of the cubical, outside of the work place. The work place is just a factory with human knobs, it strips a person of their identity. But with a car, you become individualized. A worker becomes their car when there’s nothing else to define them.
-pg 29 talks about the hit TV show “Pimp My Ride” I remember growing up watching that show and seeing how cool all the cars were! The customizations and additions people added to their cars to make them selves seem well off were immense.
Chapter 3
- Selling the car is part convincing and part lying (pg 40). Salespeople need to lie a bit to convince you to actually buy a car. They need to create urgency and excitement in the selling of a car. A seller doesn’t want someone to think about buying a car, they want them to actually buy the car.
- pg 46, on pitching “woo” is intense. The extreame case of Marc who owned 25 cars is an interesting character, but also he is one who buys cars as his hobby. The rush of car sales has overtaken his life, and he hasn’t noticed how advertising and pitch has affected his hobby.
- pg 47, ads! Cars use ads all the time to increase sales and “woo.” The very fact that 18 billion dollars has been spent on ads yet people in the U.S. still choose to deny images of ads affect our daily lives and choices is insane! U.S. Teenagers see 100 ads (at least) a day, but our culture continues to deny the affects this has on us as a community and as individuals when it comes to buying cars.
Question: How do “aggressive” powerful cars affect the human psyche? Do we become more aggressive and powerful with our cars?
ReplyDeleteCar Jacked
Chapter 1
Cars
“This economic power of the car and all its secondary industries has translated into formidable political power.” (Page 9) This statement was strong because it showed how cars have become a staple in our economy. So many people worldwide have cars and the price of cars only continues to increase and create a better economy. Carjacked focuses on how instrumental cars are to our lives and how cars have empowered people.
Culture
“Across the country, there is evidence that convenience is not necessary at the root of our love of the automobile.” (Page 4) This statement was interesting because 200 million Americans own cars and when I think of cars I think of how my car brings me to the grocery store and to work. I think of how difficult going to these places would be without a car so I actually disagree with this statement. Although I might be in the minority of Americans, I believe that a car does bring convenience, but this could be because my hometown is a suburban town.
Media
“We don’t just enjoy cars by buying and driving them. We also enjoy them when we go to the movies or stay parked in front of our television sets.” (Page 6) This statement reminded me of “American Graffiti” because the freedom of driving cars gave the teenagers an escape to go to the drive-in movie theaters. This also reminded me of how much media and cars are interrelated, cars bring you to the media outlets you want visit. American Graffiti was a great example of how the two are related along with other forms of media, the film also displayed how much media is apart of our lives.
Question- After reading this chapter it makes me wonder how much does your location affect your view on owning and using cars on a daily basis?
Chapter 2
Cars
“Since the Model T, Americans have used or at least aspired to use the car to get away and explore less peopled places. (Page 15) This was one of the best quotes that I found to describe to want to explore America by car. When the Model T was invented it gave Americans a faster way to travel and gave us the want to drive everywhere instead of walking or taking public transportation. There are so many places in the United States that are only accessible by car, and the availability of cars to most Americans gives us the opportunity and freedom to explore this amazing country.
Culture
“Dark and so handsome it’s practically cruel, the celluloid playboy billionaire (also a military industrialist and technological wizard) grips the wheel of a sun-glistening silver sports car as it explodes across the landscape.” (Page 13) In every movie or advertisement I have ever seen there is always a beautiful person driving the car, I have never seen an unattractive person in an advertisement because our culture has set up the stigma that sex and beauty are the best selling points. Even though the fanciest car driving down the road could be driven by an unattractive person in the real world, you would never find that in a magazine because the car companies want you to feel just as beautiful and sexy as the person in the advertisement when you drive the car.
Media
“Volkswagen’s 2005 “Beetle People” campaign was typical of this effort.” (page 27)
The type of car that you drive and the way the media perceives it, is a way that people will judge you and put it on your social standing. When the Prius first came onto the market, few people drove them because it looked like a car only a wimp would drive. Today all hybrid cars are some of the top selling cars in their markets.
Question- Why do cars have to depict your social standing in present day and in the past, like in “American Graffiti?”
1. Despite global technological advances, we continue to sacrifice practicality for perceived individuality. Lutz points out an interesting and revealing fact: that “the Model T got an astounding 28.5 miles per gallon” but in 2004, the national average “was down to 24.7 mpg”. Automobiles get worse mileage, because the engines are larger and can propel us faster, despite the fact that traffic laws prevent us from ever reaching the fabled 160 mph (or 110 if you drive a Corolla!).
ReplyDelete2. The United States is home to 105 million parking spaces. These paved surfaces “match the square mileage of the state of Georgia”. Honestly, I was surprised by that figure. I would consider the amount of impervious surfaces designated as parking spots to cumulatively equal a greater area than Georgia. What would be the impact if these areas were allotted to green space instead of pavement?
3. Lutz points out that “At the beginning of the twenty-first century, and several decades into the Information Age, the computer has not replaced the automobile as the centerpiece and engine of the U.S. economy”. Technology is a huge factor in our economy, but as recently as 2002, “sales of General Motors vehicles were seven times the dollar value of sales of Microsoft products”. This leads me to wonder which luxury is more critical in our current climate; the freedom of mobility or the freedom of information?
1. Lutz cleverly titles a sub-heading “Riding out of a cubicle into the asphalt frontier”. We use the car as a tool defining our own self-reliance, and those without vehicles are left coping with “the anxiety or guilt of relying on others for rides or the shame of seeming somehow immature, inadequate, or incompetent”. This is true, it is an uncomfortable and unwelcome feeling to be stranded, and to have no means of transportation.
2. Advertising addresses our connection (or lack thereof) to the outdoors. Model names like the “Canyon, Sierra, Mustang, Ranger, Sequoia, Tundra, Forester, Silverado, Wrangler, and Grand Cherokee” are just examples of the many names designed to invoke your sense of adventure and reconnect the buyer with nature.
3. As a nation, we still hold the idea of a technological hero, or rather an innovation that will take hold and repair any environmental damage, allowing us to continue on with our consumptive habits and enable our current culture of automobility. A recent “survey of American attitudes toward innovation found that one-third of adolescents think that by just 2015, the gasoline-powered engine will be obsolete, a reflection of their overwhelming belief that new technologies are on the cusp of solving critical global energy problems”.
1. When considering advertising, and how car companies pitch their products, Lutz notes that “American consumers like to think of themselves as immune to advertising”. Our belief in our individualism and independence causes us to assume that we are above advertisements, and that we recognize the market ploys when presented to us on the television, radio, or computer. However, advertising and subliminal messaging yields results, whether they materialize in your own subconscious, or that of your children.
ReplyDelete2. Car companies “try to influence kids’ brand preferences as early as middle, elementary, or even preschool”. Kids vehemently defend brands they know very little about, aside from the basic advertising or pictures that they have seen. By appealing to children, car makers are hoping that when they get their first car, they will have secured a customer for life, who starts out in a modest, affordable car and continues to upgrade throughout their life.
3. Cars play a role in movies, where we see them perform at their maximum levels, glorifying them and their drivers. “In a recent study, researchers asked participants to match photos of people with photos of the cars they owned”, which they were able to do correctly more than 2/3s of the time. Like pets, we choose vehicles that embody our own personalities, or alter them in such a way as to fit what we perceive as ourselves.
Q. Which could/would you prefer to be without for a month? Your smart phone/laptop, or your vehicle? What might be some of the challenges associated with each? Any benefits?
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ReplyDeleteChapter 1
ReplyDeletePage 3: “In 2003, the number of vehicles in the national fleet surpassed the number of Americans with a driver’s license for the first time.” I wonder what they accounted in the national fleet to get this statistic. I think it might be the number of vehicles that have been registered with the DMV, but I don’t know if they also included cars in a car dealership for example. I would like to know how the number cars consumers have bought for personal use compares with the number for Americans with a driver’s license. With the way some people collect cars and the way some rich people buy an unnecessary amount of them, I would think that it would be a good amount higher than the number of Americans with a driver’s license.
Page 4: “In a 1975 study, 71% said that a car was essential for them to live “the good life,” a higher percentage than any element of American life other than home ownership, a happy marriage, and having children…by 1991, the figure had risen to 75%, making cars more important to us than children, who were bumped to a sad fourth place.” I was born in 1991 so this quote is funny to me, but I definitely could live a happy life without a car. It would just be difficult to do so the way society is set up right now. I think the reason that cars are seen as being so important for “the good life” in this study is that because of the way we planned our towns and cities, it is very difficult to operate without one. Weekly destinations like work, school, home, and the grocery store are not always close enough to walk or bike to and they aren’t always on lines of public transit. Then there are instances of going to the doctor, visiting family, or going on vacation that you might have to give up that some people also see as essential for the good life.
Page 9: “This money has historically gotten results: of the top 15 Senate recipients of (the car) industry largesse, not one voted for a 2005 bill raising fuel economy standards for cars.” I know there may be some other extraneous factors that could have played into these votes, but I do believe that getting money from the car industry greatly influenced their decision. That thought makes me shake my head because in a time when we should be saving as much fuel as possible, I would hate to see people who have the power to make change choose not to because they were given money for their campaign. The car industry has the technology for higher MPG vehicles but chooses not to in order to make more money.
Chapter 2
ReplyDeletePage 15: “Cars tap into the notion, as old as the nation, of a frontier ripe to be explored and expanded by the intrepid traveler on an epic journey.” I have been on a couple of road trips and I definitely felt like I was exploring unknown territory when I'm driving on unfamiliar roads. Being from New England and driving around the Southwest this winter and going from Vermont to Arkansas and back this summer are great memories for me. I had never been to either place before, and driving around the country tapped into a latent feeling of wanting to explore, and the car allowed that. Because the car and the road system allow us to go almost anywhere we want in the country, that is how automobility spread so quickly
Page 29: “Young or old, customizer or simply customer, Americans want their cars to say who they are to others.” This statement is so true, the whole reason bumper stickers exist is to give the people behind you an idea of who is driving the car ahead of them. I personally have a Boston Bruins sticker on my back windshield and a sticker from the music festival I went to this summer on my Subaru Outback Sport. At first, the festival sticker was a parking pass but then I decided to keep it on for no reason other than it would let people know I went there. It says something about me and now my car says a little bit about how I am to others.
On page 37, it talks about how the core American ideals of freedom and family, individualism and identity, and success and progress reinforced our positive emotions about and intense desire for cars. They authors claim that these ideals have clouded our ability to see the drawbacks of the car system and claim that it actual takes away the freedom that we all think it gives us. I can see why they think that and why some would disagree. I personally am not on behind their beliefs right not but I am interested to see how they back up the claim in the following chapters.
Chapter 3
ReplyDeletePage 47: “American consumers like to think of themselves as immune to advertising – our belief is our individualism and independence makes us reluctant to admit that we are swayed by it.” I too think that I am immune from advertising sometimes but when I really think about it, I totally am not immune. I personally haven’t bought a car yet, but there is a certain impression you get from commercials that will create thought about certain cars so that when you do buy a car you have these preconceived notions about what car goes with a certain lifestyle. The theory is that then you would choose the car that the advertisement depicted matches your lifestyle. It works on many people and I believe it worked on my dad when he chose the Subaru for me.
Page 54: “Car enthusiasts can be dismissive about frugal people…who drive the same old cars forever, and about people who buy unassuming models such as Toyota’s Camry or Ford’s Focus.” I don’t anticipate trading my car in very often or buying a flashy car anytime in the future. I like to think I will choose a car based on its utility to me and if it fits my needs rather than if it looks cool or is showy. Also, as long as my car is still worth putting money into for repair late in its life I won’t trade it in for a newer model. I think that it’s better to use something until it is useful no more, so I guess car enthusiasts would look at me funny.
Page 57: “Just ask a group of American males whether they would willingly drive a Subaru wagon, widely known as a “Lesbaru” based on its reputation for being popular with gay women, to their weekly basketball game.” If you asked me this question, the answer would be yes because I have already done it. I drive a Subaru Outback and have no shame about its reputation. The car fits my needs of being able to get through the winter in Vermont and being able to fit a few pairs of skis or snowboards to get me to the mountain. I did hear about the reputation back in high school before I got my Subaru this summer but I just let it be and enjoyed the privilege of having a vehicle.
Chapter 1:
ReplyDeleteCulture: pg. 2 This section is talking about a car show and how many teenage boys who aren't even old enough to have a license or let alone afford a car in the first place are so excited about the show because they get to fantasize about their car-futures. I connected this with our common topic of freedom and the American Dream fulfilled by way of car- in pg. 15 in chapter two a quote really pulls this idea together: "...the idea of freedom; a vision of the ideal man, woman and family; an abiding faith in progress; and the belief that individuality is superior to collectivism and conformity." Also, because I found this a very important part of our current culture- on page 4 it says: "... by 1991, the figure had risen to 75%, making cars more important to us than children, who were bumped to a sad fourth place." Not only is this an incredibly upsetting stat, but I have a friend who has recently proved this in a local school here in Burlington. He is a first grade teacher and, naturally, has parent-teacher conferences at the very beginning of the year to assure worried parents that everything will be fine. Well, he does/did an experiment with the parents, and asked them in their meeting to hand over their car keys- almost every parent hesitated and either said no or asked why, as if he was crazy. His response: "So you would trust me with the safety and well being of your child no problem but wouldn't trust me with your car?".
Cars: Pg. 3 I couldn't help but have this for my car observation, because I had no idea that there was such thing as the "Hummer Tax Deduction", which allowed businesses to own SUVs for up to 100,000 dollars off of the ticket price. To me, as an environmentalist, I hate the idea of this, however I understand how it would enable 25 times more SUVs to be sold to businesses who "need the space". If only this would work as well for the alternatively powered vehicles...
Media: pg 6. I was truly shocked when I read that 75 million people are fans of NASCAR, making it the second most popular sport in the US measured by TV. Personally, I am not a fan so maybe that is why I am so surprised, but the sport of watching cars on TV or reading about them has absolutely taken off in the 2000s.
Chapter 2:
ReplyDeleteCulture: Pg. 14- "They like that the car provides a cozy conversation pit to share with their spouses, buddies, or children, or alternatively, they like the solitude it provides, the chance to crank up their tunes and belt them out." After all of our class discussions on American Graffiti, I couldn't help but immediately think of the movie with this culture observation. In each scene (just about), we are in a car with either one character or multiple creating a perfect environment for intimate conversations, goofy music/radio moments, or trouble-making. Either of these are incredibly important in today's car culture.
Media: pg 16- In the 2000s, auto-makers started creating a pitch to buyers that with their vehicle, they could become one with nature. While there is almost nothing as contradictory as this, their commercials reached the folks who wanted to "get away" and be "an explorer of nature" and take their big, bad SUV into the forest to go camping or hiking (still on a road, naturally).
Cars: pg. 30- Our character in this section is Jens, the oh-so-lucky owner of the BMW M5 who explains that if you have a love for cars and know what kind of car this is just upon first glance, that makes you a part of a certain little "elite group". It is an exclusive purchase because of the number of these cars made as well as how expensive they are, so it flaunts a certain class and character when driven.
Chapter 3:
ReplyDeleteMedia: pg 41- A common theme throughout the entire chapter is that the pitch needs to appeal to the specific consumer's emotion as well as reason in order to be successful. However, as Wendy Wahl explains, the goal is to create an emotional override and win over the customer by how badly they want the product because of how it looks, sounds etc. It should be a rational reasonable purchase, however most of the time it ends up being more emotional. I think this shows a lot in terms of what kinds of car commercials we end up watching daily.
Culture: pg 47. I found it very interesting that most Americans (myself included) consider themselves "immune to advertisements". I can relate to this and the feeling of annoyance when an ad interrupts an incredibly intense episode of your TV show of choice, however the numbers spent and received in purchases after car commercials explain to advertisers as well as us that we are wrong- the things we see on TV absolutely affect what we purchase whether we are conscious of it or not.
Cars: pg 46 Firstly I just wanted to comment on Marc owning 25 cars, one per year since he could drive- that is insane, not matter how much money you have. Pg 58- It is amazing how a name- brand can account for so much, especially when it comes to cars. Talking about the first Porsche SUV- one very similar to the competing brands, some of which being much less in cost- made car owners absolutely geek-out over the name on the car and call to make sure they had the very first of its kind- no matter the price tag. It doesn't truly matter if the Porsche had different gadgets or better gas mileage- its just the status of the name, and then having the very first one would send an even more powerful message.
I forgot to write my question:
DeleteWhat is the average # of cars to own over the course of one's lifetime (in the US)?
Chapter 1
ReplyDelete1. page 6 “There is no spot in the lower of 48 of the United States more than 22 miles from the nearest road, outside of some unbuildable swampland in southern Louisiana.” When I read this, a little bit of me dies. We are so deep into this shit. Like stated in the books preface, we have absolutely no idea how engrained car culture is into our society. “… industry, infrastructure, land use, governmental activity, consumer behavior, and habitual patterns…” Car culture is not at all an option, but mandatory, we are not independents choosing to take part. We are part of the car fleet, given liberties to choose what car to buy. Having a car in modern society is really not a choice.
2. page 8 “… more than one million Americans are employed directly in some aspect of the “parking profession” administering access and fines, handing out tickets and moving cars, taking payment in garages, and manufacturing parking meters, building garages, and paving lots.” This fact kind of blew my mind. When you step back and think about all the people in this industry it makes a little sense, but then think about it like this: more than one million Americans are employed directly in some aspect of catering to our vehicles. And that’s only providing for the parking of the vehicle, once you start to think about all the people providing for our vehicles (manning gas stations, toll roads, building roads, building cars, fixing cars, making cars, making car parts, styling cars, customizing cars, etc) the numbers grow exponentially. I wonder if a comparable number of individuals are involved in providing for things, like pets.
3. page XIV “… asking a driver to examine a full impact of the car on his life can prompt deep anxiety that he will be forced to give up his car.” When I read this I felt I could relate, I fell as though this kind of anxiety is the same that the average environmental student feels when they are told to recognize their consumption habits, and all its impacts. Our understanding the impact of the food we eat and the food systems we use. It is crucial to recognize this anxiety and respect it when discussing topics like these, so you can empower people, rather than make them feel helpless and as though there is no point in altering the norms we operate in.
Chapter 2
ReplyDelete1. page 5 “With remarkable near invisibility, the gas arrives at those stations via hundreds of thousands of miles of pipeline, a vast fleet of tanker trucks ply the roads daily to make delivery.” Another eye opener, you never put too much thought about how the gas gets to you. It is only recently that there has been so much conversation regarding where the “black gold” originates, but even still, I have never thought too much about how it gets to me. Another connection to the food system- the food is on our supermarket shelves, and we understand the concept of farms- but I bet the average American puts minimal thought into all the steps between the 2.
2. “Many believe that these road rules require that you “keep up with the flow of traffic” and feel therefore that speeding is both ethical and virtually required on most highways when traffic is moving freely.” Speeding is glorified, many times people strive to be the fastest on the road, it serves as a means to prove yourself. (American Graffiti) Furthermore I am always intrigued by speeding, its like smoking cigarettes- that thing the older generation always tells you not to do and preaches is so bad, yet they all do it. I personally have had multiple speeding tickets. I also believe that speeding is encouraged socially as well as inherently (← I think that’s the word) because in a conversation with my doctor I was informed that individuals with ADD or ADHD are much more likely to be speeding and drive aggressively due to the anxiety. So one might even drive safer and slower when alone on the road, with no pressure from other cars to share the space or the speed- which is backwards to me since you may be safer speeding with on the road solo.
3. page 25 when speaking about cars…. “said one man in his fifties, “They’re sort of like men’s jewelery.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7raEe2VLTU
4. page 28 “What I have with my car is definitely a relationship. It’s definitely a part of me, part of my personality. When my car is in the shop, I feel emptiness inside, as pathetic as that sounds.” I have this relationship with my bike. I can understand the love and pride one takes in their vehicle for mobility. I picked the bike for its character, its functionality, I justified the price because I just NEEDED to have that particular bike, i added accessories making it more compatible with myyy personality, I feel lost at times without it. Bike culture… thank goodness its sustainable.
Discussion Question: “Ten or twenty years from now, many of us could be in a car that does not use gas, but our image of the way there needs revisioning.” Do you think that our generation will actually be able to produce a cultural shift of that magnitude? Could we reeeaaaallllyyy have a solid population of drivers of vehicles running without gas?
Chapter 3
ReplyDelete1. page 41 “Hill pointed out that consumers have gained power as the internet allowed them to obtain a great deal of information about cars, information over which automakers and dealers once had more control.” This is a great example of how automobility and Web 2.0 have evolved together. Also promoting car culture are the hundred of ads you are bombarded with every time you look at a screen, any screen thanks to convergence. Now we are given information on cars so we can feel like an empowered consumer, just the way the want us to feel, and then the bombard us with feel good messages convincing us we simply must invest.
2. Starting from the bottom of page 41, and onward for quite some time this chapter made my skin crawl. Sirens were going off over and over in my head yelling MANIPULATION, MANIPULATION ….. “Marketing executive Wendy Wahl explained to us that all good advertising taps into the desires of the target customer with the purpose of activating this kind of emotional override. Advertisers seek to discover the emotional hot buttons for their clients target customer. What they have to do, she said, is “ home in on that one key insight that drives the advertising. What is the one thing that is burning in the consumer’s hearts? Is it a fear of something? Is it a passion about something? Is it something they’re secretive about and don’t want people to know? You can turn that into an add and reach people on a different level.”
Page 44 “Suckow echoed the belief that smart car marketing means directing separate, distinct messages to those who buy using their head and those who buy using their heart or gut.”
Page 47 “Even in the industry rocking year of 2008, when national ad spending declined, five automakers made the list of the top ten advertisers.”
They are manipulating our mental, human, instinctual reaction to sounds, images, words and selling us something. Whether you are selling a car, or an idea, this is a dangerous and valuable skill to have. It’s unfortunate that these people and monetary resources, which are so powerful in our society and are capable of so much, work for corporations selling unsustainable lifestyles for big bucks.
Food for thought: Do you think we could see a rapid(ish) paradigm shift to more sustainable transportation practices, as well as lifestyles, if these campaigns were provided with the brilliant minds and money that currently support the advertising campaigns for corporations thriving off of the present capitalist infrastructure?
CarJack me, UVM posse!
ReplyDeletePowerful meditations here - we'll unpack them in class.
Rev,
Dr. W
Chapter One
ReplyDeleteCars: Certain types of cars, like BMW’s as mentioned on page two show signs of success. Cars become a symbol of wealth and high profile and a motivation to work for.
Culture: The car creates sub cultures like “gear heads,” but also appeals to the masses. The average man or woman can enjoy the luxury of a car in most cases and it will change the way you feel about yourself; “What do I like about this car!? I like the way I look in it!”
Media: Cars become a certain form of advertising. As we see in NASCAR advertisements and brands cover the stadium, driver, and the car itself. It is an easy and captivating way to broadcast to a large audience.
Chapter Two
Cars: We personify the car and it becomes a “side kick” or super heroes and aids in justice. The book mentions an Audi R8 in the movie Iron Man, but I think an even better example of that is Kit.
Culture: “Unlicensed and careless adults know this better than most; they cope with the anxiety or guilt of relying on others for rides of the shame of seeming somehow immature, inadequate, or incompetent” (15). It is an interesting point, but I also feel like its bashing those who don’t have an automobile and would just rather rely on other forms of transportation.
Media: Cars become a characteristic of movies that drastically make action scenes more intense, transitions from place to place more fluid, a symbol of American justice. The good guy always drives a nice car to catch the bad guy.
Chapter Three
Cars: “The car is an object of desire or viewed as a ‘treat’”(41). A lot of attention and research is not put in by the consumer, due to factors like the Internet, that allow the customer to pick out various different details between a number of cars, thus, making the car more glorified.
Culture: On page 48 Lutz and Lutz touch on some cultural stereotypes of reasons people fall victim to buying cars they clearly cant afford. One included “because daddy did love me” and another “because I’m making up for my short comings.” I don’t think I’d ever be that irrational buying a car so it is kind of surprising to hear that.
Media: “Advertisers seek to discover the emotional hot buttons for their client’s target customers”(4). Much time and money is spent just to specifically target a desired ranged of customers, appealing to one select audience. If you watch ESPN and Sports center you’ll notice a lot of truck commercials, these are to appeal to the audience that these networks generally get viewed by, men.