1. Concept of Automobility and the American Identity.
The first, and possibly most important revelation I have learned from this class is the very concept of "automobility". Before taking this class, I had no idea such an all-encompassing and useful term existed. I have learned that automobility is at the root of the American identity. In "Republic of Drivers", Cotten Seiler quotes James Oliver Robertson, explaining that, "a free American in pursuit of happiness…is mobile, is, has been, will be, in motion" (Seiler, 22). Seiler explains how the essential questions surrounding automobility are, "cultural, philosophical, and political, not automotive nor technological nor even psychological" (Seiler, 2). The history of automobiles and the cultural politics and behaviors that they have fostered have undoubtedly shaped the face of our nation. "Cars as both commodity and symbol, affected the American economy, landscape, and social structure more than any other consumer product." (Seiler, 113). I never knew how important the car was to American identity, even to the point that the figure of driving was used to separate Americans from communists. American capitalists claimed that Russia "merged the individual into the group". Creating freedom was a huge priority for the United States during the automobile revolution. Autonomy, social approval, and personal achievement are some of the characteristics Americans wished to convey through driving.
2. Health Risks of Cars
I knew cars were dangerous and harmful to the environment, but I wasn't fully aware of how hazardous they are to human health. What got my attention was the data on the "new car smell", and how it can cause liver toxicity and early puberty just to name a few disorders. (Lutz & Lutz, Chapter 8) The issue of off-gasisng is also pretty terrifying. Our cars are essentially incubators of toxic gas. Before taking this class, I had no idea that cars were dangerous in the sense that they can cause internal health issues to drivers and passengers. This revelation will cause me to be much more cautious about my future vehicle use. On a separate note, I wasn't so surprised to read that 50% of air pollution can be accredited to cars.
3. Electric Car Revelations
Our viewing of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" paired with our course readings provided many lasting revelations for me. What struck me is just how political the car industry is. It makes me wonder who is really in charge of our nation. Is it the federal government who ultimately make the laws we must follow? Is it the big oil companies who seemingly have the whole world in a vice grip? We have become a backwards, profit driven nation run by special interests instead of people. This documentary uncovered how the federal government and oil companies are apparently intertwined. After reading Kunstler's book and watching "WKTEC?", I have come to realize just how deep the relationship between the federal government and the automobile industry is. Kunstler writes, "The automobile, a private mode of transport, was heavily subsidized with tax dollars early on, while the nation's (electric) streetcar systems, a public mode of transport, had to operate on private companies, received no public funds, and were saddled with onerous regulations that made their survival economically implausible" (Kunstler, 86-7). The electric vehicle was never encouraged by the government until recently, when GM (an influential company regarding oil politics) entered the industry to rival Tesla. Through our viewing of "WKTEC?" and our first hand experience with a Tesla, I learned a lot about the history and the future of electric cars. I also learned that wealthy companies and politicians with special interests can impact the media, as seen by the TERRIBLE advertisement for the EV1.
4: Racial Politics in Automobile History.
This course introduced the concept of the road as class system/hierarchy. Seiler asserts that roads were "established under specific regimes of radicalized inequality and limited access." (Seiler, 107). It's troubling to me that a space that should be completely neutral has taken on so many different meanings. In fact, I have come to realize that almost all arenas in our country tend to be organized by race, gender, and sexuality. Examples given in this chapter include the profiling of minority drivers and the racial-spacial politics of highway planning and placement. This is highly pertinent today, as issues regarding racial equality and environmental justice still make headlines. The revelation here , made by Kathleen Franz is that, "although white travelers constructed the open road as a technological democracy, open to anyone who owned a car, they simultaneously limited access to automobility through a system of discrimination and representation that positioned nonwhites outside the new motor culture (Seiler, 107). This revelation will allow me to keep my eyes open for other forms of "freedom" that actually limit or discriminate against various races.
5. Media Power Tools
A good portion of this class is focused on the role the media plays in shaping our nations culture of automobilty. I found the "media power tools" packet to be incredibly informative, and pretty much everything in it contributed to this revelation. I was unfamiliar with the Triune Brain and the functions of the different brains. Additionally, the shifts explained in the packet were all revelations to me. When you grow up in a technologically advanced world, as many students today have, it is hard fully grasp the serious changes that have happened. The internet has completely changed the way products are advertised, marketed, and experienced. I was introduced to persuasive tactics that companies use (such as simple solutions, big lies, and symbols) and the value messages and emotional transfers that are present in the media. This is articulated on page 82 of "Geography of Nowhere", which says, "American space had ceased to be about forms. It was now about symbols--communication, advertising!" Kunstler talks about how it no longer matters what the actual substance of a thing is, it is about how it can be used to convey messages and sell various things. Using my new media power tools skill set, I will be able to pick apart and identify media tricks and tactics, and that is a massive revelation I have taken from this class. Also, if I am trying to persuade someone, I could utilize some of these power tools (for a good cause of course).
6. America's Golden Age is Over
"Geography of Nowhere" really got me thinking about American mindsets and our problematic outlook on life. Speaking about the fifties, Kunstler writes, "This was America's golden hour, a time of tailfins and the hoopla of annual model changes (Kunstler, 194). This quote ties in well with our classes viewing of "American Graffiti", a nostalgic film about America in the early 60's. This was a prosperous time for United States, the automobile industry was booming, people were happy, and social equality was becoming realized. What our nations history (seen through Kunstler and American Graffiti) has made me realize about our current situation is that The United States is far from a utopia. This is an important revelation for all citizens. We need change our collective behaviors and values if we want to preserve the human habitat in America. Kunstler describes perfectly what exactly the problematic American mindset is. "Ever-busy, ever-building, ever-in-motion, ever-throwing-out the old for the new, we have hardly paused to think what we are so busy building, and what we have thrown away"(Kunstler, 10). In "Carjacked", the authors note that the wealth inequality in the US is greater than in India, but Americans still think they are "lucky". We are at a period in American history where we need to make responsible choices for the future wellbeing of our planet and our people, and that requires the transcendence of cultural paradigms and political corruptness. This revelation, that our attitudes and principles need serious adjusting, is something we all need to accept.
7. We Don't Need Better Cars, We Need Better Cities.
A reoccurring theme in our class was the idea that there are many viable alternatives to cars. As an environmental student, I want to study ways that we can end our nations love affair with the car. Richard Watt's article hit the nail on the head for me, and I completely agreed with everything he wrote in his article and talked to the class about. The very title of his article "Transportation solutions will take more than electric cars" is quite telling of his position. While electric cars are cool, efficient, and clean, they are still cars. I have learned that cars contribute to our nations culture and behavior, and that is where the real problem is. Watts asserts that, "the cleanest, greenest, cheapest mile is the 'nega-mile', the mile not driven in a car". The problem is that our nation and our cities are built for cars to navigate them. And our popular media encourages this car culture. Kunstler describes one of the only American cities where this isn't the case, Portland, OR as, "A vibrant downtown, the sidewalks full of purposeful looking citizens, clean, well-cared for buildings, electric trolleys, shopfronts with nice things on display, water fountains that work, cops on bikes, greenery everywhere (Kunstler, 200). Cities require thoughtful, intelligent planning that discourage the use of cars, and we can look at Portland as a role model. Judging by my classmate's video on "complete streets", European cities like Copenhagen and London have already been excelling in smart planning and city life. This revelation states that American cities encourage car use, and perhaps the best way to divorce ourselves from automobiles is to plan cities that discourage their use and promote community ideals and alternative transportation.
8. The True Cost of Car Ownership
After housing, cars are the second most expensive investment people will make in their lives. Lutz & Lutz explain that"… car prices have risen beyond the means of many, as real incomes have dropped or remained stagnant while other costs have risen" (p.85). People that cannot afford cars are still buying them because the consequences of not having a car in our society are worse than living in poverty! The consequences of not having a car, as we have learned throughout the semester, involve shaky job security, limited access to schools, supermarkets, and healthcare, and a stigma that comes with not owning a car. If you don't have your drivers license or a car in our county, you are looked at as poor, lazy, and/or immature. So car ownership, which involves the physical car, insurance, gas, and upkeep, is one of the most expensive things we can be involved with, but it is necessary to be a respected and capable citizen. Quite the paradox. Kunstler reiterates this by saying the car has created "two separate classes of citizens: those who can fully use their everyday environment, and those who cannot." (115) Our car-crazed culture has even farther reaching consequences that involve time away from loved ones while stuck in traffic, and emissions that lead to climate change. In 1991, 75 % of people “said that a car was essential for them to live ‘the good life'” (Lutz & Lutz, 4). This just shows that cars have completely transformed the world. Never has a non-human object had such agency. When we put so much emphasis on cars, what is it that we are sacrificing? I would argue that we are losing the very concept of what it means to be human.
9. We Are Going Nowhere Fast.
One of the big points, if not the biggest, of Kunstler's book is that Modernism and Industrialization has essentially turned America into one big homogenous land of "no place". By this he means that we have constructed highway systems that allow us to travel at high speeds for miles and miles so that we can go somewhere else. The problem is that everywhere in America is essentially the same in principle. "Modernists and their successors tried to stamp out history and tradition, and the meanings associated with them, as embodied in the places we live and work" (84) Page 167 speaks to the belief of the car as a "connection to the outside world". Kunstler argues that the car actually just "connects the inhabitants to the inside of their car, not to the outside world per se". When you drive a long distance, or even a short distance, there is so much that gets overlooked in the outside world. Cars and highways serve as a portal in this sense. You bypass all the boring stuff (nature) in order to get to your destination. More often then not, the destination is just another "No place". In his final chapter, Kunstler writes that, "we have lost our knowledge of how physically to connect things in our everyday world, except by car and telephone."
10. People Are Amazing. We CAN and WILL Change.
After taking this class, it is easy to feel pessimistic about our world's social and environmental future. Very rarely did we read optimistic outlooks regarding cars and the natural environment. Kunstler is especially pessimistic when he writes, "Sooner or later, absolute necessity will compel us to give up our present habits, but by then the cost of rebuilding may be more than we can bear. In the meantime, the standard of living in the United States is apt to decline sharply, and as it does the probability of political trouble will rise" (274). My final revelation is an attempt to instill hope in myself and others. Parallels between cars, culture, & the media are starting to be realized through various books and fields of study. I would argue that the most difficult aspect of the environmental movement is articulating topics in a way that applies to everyone. The best way to do this is through education. This class introduced new concepts to me (and my classmates) that I would have been unaware about if I had never taken it. What I have learned is that we are all wildly intelligent, thoughtful, and capable of driving a social revelation. In their conclusion, Luts & Lutz say that change is "achievable through a twofold approach: reducing our individual dependency while increasing our collective awareness." Humans created automobiles, but now we have the challenge of not doing away with them completely, but integrating them into a new way of life. I have faith that this new way of life is possible. What I have seen in my peers, professors, and even the youth of our country, is that we are becoming a nation that is determined to make a big difference in the world. Hope is something that sometimes gets lost in environmental discourse, but perseverance, determination, creativity, and courage are things we need if we wish to change our current behavior. We can't underestimate the value of simply believing in our own abilities.
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