Ten Revelations

       1.      Automobility

I knew America was a car culture, but before taking this class I never really had a true understanding of what that actually means.  Cars became such a central feature in the American culture.  It was more than just the cars and road itself, it was about the ability and accomplishment of owning a vehicle and being on the “open road.”  Automobility was the true sign of freedom and escape for Americans.  It changed the way they viewed themselves along with how they viewed their environment.  Automobility opened up a whole new world of opportunity and travel.  “Moreover, it asserts automobility as essential to shaping the dominant meanings of “America” and “American.” (Seiler)  If you didn’t have automobility then you didn’t know the true meaning of “American.”   

       

2.      Individualism

Throughout history we have seen cars propel individualism in different ways.  Cars brought the feeling of self-reliance.  People no longer had to rely on public transportation to get around.  They could decide for themselves, who they were going to travel with, when they were going to leave, and where they were going.  The car represented the freedom of the individual and it still represents that today.  People still value the freedom to travel on their own terms, and the time they spend alone in their cars. The car is a bubble that separates everyone from the world around them.  Even when you are on a busy street surrounded by other cars you still have the feeling of being alone.  It’s your own personal cocoon.  “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.” (Lutz)       

3.      Racial Segregation in Automobility  

Cars were introduced as the key to freedom and the way to truly live your life, but a huge underlying factor of early automobility that I didn’t consider before the class was the exclusion of anyone that wasn’t an upper class white male.  They were advertising the road as a place without limits, a place for Americans to escape and be free, when in fact there was nothing particularly “free” about it.  In theory the road was a place without class systems of unfair hierarchies, but in truth automobility was defined by race, class, and gender.  “They simultaneously limited access to automobility through a system of discrimination and representation that positioned non-whites outside the new motor culture.”(Seiler)  There are numerous examples throughout Republic of Drivers of African American travelers facing discrimination and racial injustice.  Although the African American community was gaining more freedom related to driving, they still faced many social hindrances caused by racism.  “Blacks lived at freedoms edge” (Seiler)    

4.      Relying on Cars

It is seemingly impossible for so many people living in the United States to picture living their lives without their car.  People use it to get absolutely everywhere, work, school, the store…everywhere.  Most people have to own a car in order to have a job, and have to have a job to own a car.  Creating this vicious cycle of car dependency.  Owning a car has become so essential that some families have to sacrifice other basic needs just to keep their car running.  “The poor can’t live without the car, and the poor can’t live with it.”(Lutz)  It’s even hard for some households to consider sharing cars with their family members because it would inconvenience their schedule.  This increases the number of drivers and cars on the road. 

5.      Infrastructure, no one on the streets….   

One huge factor that contributes to American’s dependency on cars, it our poorly designed infrastructure.  “The traffic engineer is not concerned about pedestrians.  His mission is to make sure that wheeled vehicles are happy.” (Kunstler) Machines are the main focus and priority over humans, making it hard for opportunities in other forms of transportation.  There isn’t money seen in public transportation so companies are more concerned with the private realm, pushing community spaces out of the picture.  Our buildings and streets are designed to keep up with a fast pace life style, encouraging people to keep moving.  There needs to be big changes made in our infrastructure before we will see any changes in our automobility habits.  “First, the zoning laws in this part of town ordain a minimum lot size.  Your business has to occupy a lot of at least one quarter acre, whether it’s a hot dog stand or a car dealership, which makes for a lot of dead space.” (Kunstler) Our tows have become one big parking lot, making driving look even more appealing over any other form of transportation. 

6.      Media literacy

I learned a lot from our power tools and media literacy.  I can no longer look at an ad or a commercial without applying our power tools especially persuasive techniques like “big lie”, “bandwagon”, and “plain folk,” analyzing everything they are saying and showing.  It is amazing the amount of research and strategic planning that goes into each advertisement.  Media companies spend so much time and effort on carefully constructing each add specific to each individual target audience.  I also learned though our power tools that most ads appeal to our emotional brain rather than our rational brain.  Some advertisements don’t even include any facts about their product, they want the audience to strictly be driven by their emotions rather than thinking rationally about it.  This is especially true for car dealers and realtors, our class media presentations showed many examples of this occurring along with examples in our books.  “Here was a neat little sematic trick introduced by realtors as they became professionalized: the prospective buyer was encouraged to think of hid purchase as a home, with all the powerful associations.” (Lutz)

7.      Costs to own a car

When thinking about the money it takes to own a car, most people consider the initial price of the car and the amount they spend on gas.  When in reality this is only the tip of the iceberg.  Owning a car takes up a huge majority of family incomes.  People neglect to realize how much of their time and money truly goes straight into their cars for things like new tires, maintenance checks, windshield wiper fluid, brakes, and heaven forbid you get in an accident.  “While they note that we drive to work, less often do they recognize that we increasingly work to drive.”(Lutz)   People buy a car to have the freedom to travel, but they have to work longer hours in order to even afford their car, taking away from the time they can actually enjoy driving it.

8.       Health risks

“Cars affect our national and individual health in significant but invisible ways.”(Lutz)  Learning about all the different health risks caused by automobiles is one fact I almost wish I hadn’t learned.  There are so many different ways that cars are negatively affecting our health besides the obvious impact from gas emissions.  It’s terrifying that before reading Carjacked I had never been exposed to all these different health risks that contribute to our high rates of asthma, heart disease, obesity, and cancer, from using cars.  The facts about health risks like liver toxicity, birth defects, and early puberty behind the “new car smell” is absolutely alarming.  Many people believe that the air inside their car is healthier than the air outside their car, when in fact it’s the opposite.  You would hope that if people knew more about the amount of chemicals that are “exhaling” into their cars, they would be more open to walking and other modes of transportation. 

9.      Electric car

At first I was completely guilty of viewing the electric car as a cure to our oil crisis and dependency, and that’s why I really value the information and conversations we were exposed to about the electric car in our class.  I do believe electric cars are amazing and are a great step in the right direction, but they do create a false illusion for people who are not educated on the issues surrounding our car culture.  Electric cars require people to change almost nothing about their life style besides the type of car they drive, and it’s our life styles that are causing most of the problems.  Electric cars don’t put pressure on our city planners to change our current infrastructure to incorporate different forms of transportation, or to cater to people not cars.   

“Electric cars should be part of the solution — but the focus should be first on reducing use, providing real alternatives to the car, building communities that enable walking and biking, and living in ways that reduce our auto-dependence”(Watts)

10.  Corporate consolidation

“Street car companies received little government support, and the organized auto interests conspired actively to kill them off.”(Kunstler) Car companies like GM gained so much authority and political pull extremely fast that they had the wealth and power to buy up street car tracks and buses eliminating as much public transportation they could, decreasing options making people reliant on cars.  We also saw in, “Who Killed the Electric Car,” the influence the Government has in large oil and car companies making them even more powerful, which is something I hadn’t considered before.  They make decisions based on what will benefit their wallets best, even if it’s against what the general public wants.        

Top Ten Car Revelations

1) Cars offer many trade offs, but one of the biggest is being a protective shell.

Cars offer gateways of seclusion from people around us. In the film American Graffiti the car was a form of protection from thugs, relationship problems, friend problems, and a place to escape people’s own difficulties. Cars still today, are these gateways of escape, and therefore a form of protection from the harsh realities of the surrounding world. “Many of these travelers were sponsored in one way or another by auto companies, who promoted the journeys as “reliability tours” demonstrating the quality of a particular made or model” (Seiler, 47). I chose this quotation to represent this revelation because it illustrates that cars promote journeys, journeys away from the troubling world. By offering people an escape, it helps build a protection barrier. I, myself, use my car for protection and escape frequently. The car offers us the ability to get away and not have anything impact us further as we drive along. This bond between car and man has grown over the years of automobility, and still today cars are our protective shelters and gateways to escape.

2) Cars offer the idea of being an individual, but in reality people are still part of the collective on the road.

"To divest of her particularity and enter on a par with the other individuals on the public road, all of whom are similarly veiled by their machines and following uniform protocols of driving" (Seiler, 140). Many people think that when they are in their cars they have all this freedom to do as you want because you can go anywhere and are alone, but in reality you are restricted. You have to go certain speed limits, you can only go on roads that permit you, you have to respect others on the road; any violation of these rules results in penalties if a person is caught. Clearly the road does not offer all the freedom and individuality that people often believe they have. Driving in a car solo may mean you are alone, but once you hit the main roads, you certainly are no longer an individual, you are now part of the collective use of drivers, all trying to get where they need to go.

3) Car media is designed to target one or more parts of the brain to get people interested and consumed into the car culture.

The brain processes 400 billion bits of information every second, and only 2000 bits that we are conscious of. The brain is highly complex and has three major regions (discussed in this class), the neocortex, the limbic, and the reptilian. Car ads today focus on sex appeal, mainly targeting the reptilian brain for mating, but many others catch viewers attention with music, visual aids, and words on the screen. There are many methods that capture the viewers attention by targeting certain parts of the brain. "There is a marvelous moment in the hit movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? that sums up our present national predicament very nicely. The story is set in Los Angeles in 1947. The scene is a dreary warehouse, headquarters of the villain, Judge Doom, a cartoon character masquerading as a human being..." (Kunstler, 9). Kunstler in his book used the part of the brain that recognizes memories, and even describes a scene targeting another part of the brain. All sorts of media use this method, even writers in books, who are trying to prove very important points like Kunstler. Media is a big part of our society, so by targeting our most important organ, viewers are bound to be hooked and pay attention to what is in front of them. A lot of our class ad presentations targeted various parts of the brain, and each student had to list how the brain was targeted. By doing these presentations we were all able to see that with everything we watch or read, there is some connection to our brain, whether we realize it or not.

4) Car stereotypes still exist plentifully today.

People are constantly being subjected to car stereotypes throughout their lives; "the car makes the man" or "women are terrible drivers." These are just two examples of the many that exist. Car stereotypes have been around for a while. "Indeed, the rise of mass automobility offered a pretext for calling subordinate groups' claims to citizenship further into question, with doubts about 'safe driving'" (Seiler, 58). This quotation targets when women first began to drive, and how men viewed women's new mass numbers on the road as a risk of safety. Today women are still criticized for their driving skills, even though it has been proven that women tend to be better drivers and have less accidents. The other major stereotype to be addressed is that "the car makes the man." All sorts of media pick up on this stereotype and use it to their benefit. "What do I like about this car?! I like the way I look in it!" (Lutz, 2). People these days are buying cars they think will make them look better, more successful, hoping to move up the status ladder. Cars are now a symbol for who we are and we are therefore furthering the stereotype that cars define who we are. Clearly we need a cultural shift away from this, but it cannot happen without a conscious effort to negate such stereotypes.

5) Cars are now embedded in our lives.

On page 200 in the book The Geography of Nowhere Kunstler describes a conversation he has with a mother who is sitting on a bench in a park, with her child asleep in a stroller next to her. She talks about the peacefulness of the park and how she loves coming there. Kunstler continues to ask her why she thinks it is peaceful but she never directly responds. "I tried and tried, but I could not drag out of her any admission that, perhaps, the place was peaceful because there were no cars around" (Kunstler, 200). Cars are such a large part of our lives today that many people do not even realize how we are constantly hearing cars roll by (unless you live in the woods). It's just a common sound we hear everyday and think nothing of now. Also, as a short reference to Lutz in her book Carjacked, she repeatedly points out that cars should be viewed as a tool and not a family member, which is how some people treat their cars. Cars were made to serve us, and too many people live to baby their cars and make sure they are in pristine condition. Life has much more to offer, rather than wasting our time on something that destroys the environment and is constantly being upgraded to the bigger and better every year, slowly draining people of their money.

6) Automobility encourages unhealthy lifestyles.

Today, people drive such short distances and then complain about gas and mileage. Americans have become lazy and spend far too much of their time in their cars going to places that are unnecessary or do not require a car to get there, the car is just easier. "Americans made over one and a half million more stops in their cars to get something to eat or to buy a cup of coffee" (Lutz, 138). Lutz discusses "the Starbucks effect" and how people make meaningless short trips with their cars that they now view as essential. With cars taking us where we need to go, and allowing us access to food anywhere, people have the ability to eat more and exercise less, causing severe health risks. Another unhealthy part of cars is their emissions. Lutz in another part of her book discusses smog in a city. "I sort of plan my workouts at different hours and try to work out when the smog is less.' Even when the report is relatively good, she still may have to stop, though, because she often experiences lung pain when she runs" (Lutz, 171). Car emissions are a big problem as the world today continues to shift towards a "greener" world. It is the hope that in the future, more cars will have less emissions and will not impact humans everyday lives as much. A person should be able to run for exercise and not have to worry about the air she is breathing. This alone shows that we need to make a shift away from this unhealthy lifestyle that has come to be the norm of our society.

7) Homes, cities, and suburbs are built with a car infrastructure in mind.

Cities are designed based around roads. Businesses are placed along streets to capture drivers attention, but other businesses avoid traffic dense streets to ensure that potential costumers will have parking and not have to worry about traffic. Cars impact our economy and our home lives. People move away from cities to get away from cars, but in the end, they are relying on cars that much more because a car is then needed for transport to and from the city for necessities and pleasure. "The suburban 'developments' of today and the shopping smarm that clutters up so much of the landscape in between them, arose from the idea, rather peculiar to America, that neither the city nor the country was really a suitable place to live" (Kunstler, 39). Many people recognize how dependent our society is on automobiles and changes are slowly being made today. Cities are trying to change to be more walking and biking friendly so that infrastructures are still being used, just in a more environmentally friendly way. Shifts like these need to continue to be made and will result in better infrastructure and in the future a less dependent car society.

8) Cars offer a sense of adventure (especially in media) to attract people to purchase and use cars.

"Model names invite the driver to see him or herself as an explorer in nature. There is not an automaker without countless such names: Ford's Expedition, Explorer, and Escape; the Jeep Compass and Liberty; Land Rover's Range Rover; the Lincoln Navigator; the Isuzu Ascender..." (Lutz, 16). Cars are named to inspire a sense of adventure in the driver, and a fancy name may encourage that person to do more with their car and go further. People also enjoy the ability to tell people about their fancy car names, and let the mind wonder on the cars capabilities based upon the name. Movies and other media further this idea that naming a car something adventurous may enhance the vehicles capabilities. "Movies and commercials are our nation's myth makers, spinning out 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" (Lutz, 14). Media encourages us to believe that cars are capable of anything, but in reality they can be limited, and most people have cars for show, not for actual expedition like the ads display.

9) Cars were originally frowned upon, who knew we would come to depend on them so much today.

Originally cars were hated and mass transit was the preferred method of transport. "I do not like motor cars and never will until I am able to own one" (Seiler, 37). This was a big reason cars were disliked, besides their health risks. Many people could not afford a car, therefore furthering the gap between rich and poor and societal boundaries. As soon as the car became more affordable this view changed though and our society flocked to cars. It is sad that money and cars dominate our society, but over the years it just became the norm. One lucky thing that is happening now is the "green shift" and hopefully with this change, a newer, environmentally friendly method of transport will come about.

10) We WILL move towards a sustainable car future.

With rising gas prices, an environmental demand, and the stagnant economy, a demand for cheaper, greener cars is on the rise. The movie Revenge of the Electric Car clearly illustrated that a major change in automobility is on the rise. I could not be more happy about this change, and look forward to the day that cars will no longer run on fossil fuels. Already small changes are being made to encourage mass transit options and limit SOV's. In Portland, "At the same time that the light rail started operating, the city put a 'parking lid' on the total number of parking spaces downtown" (Kunstler, 203). Portland is a major icon for sustainable cities. Bikes are the main means of transport and cars are the bother. This is the type of city I would like to see and will hopefully take over the rest of the globe, before complete chaos sets in over fuel.

** Pictures all came from Google Images and the word "car" put in the search bar. Many pages were surfed for the right images :)

Ten Revelations

1. The media aspect of this class is the one that really interested me the most.  How much thought, time and money goes into creating these advertisements to sell to us really intrigued me.  I guess it was just something I never thought that much about. Everything in a 30 second to 1 minute ad is so carefully constructed, I now look at ads so differently!

2. Going off of the media idea, the different tools that these companies used were eye opening.  Now whenever I see an ad I start de constructing it in my head and analyzing which techniques they are using to try and pull me in.  I in essence have this new lens on whenever I see ads and am more apt to not be swayed (I think) or at least recognize when the tactics are working on me!  For example this one worked because the tactics were so obvious and out in the open...http://i.huffpost.com/gen/582569/thumbs/o-PONTIACAD3-900.jpg?12

3. Looking at the way that America was built at the car scale and not the people scale was super interesting to me and now so obvious after this class!  This idea was mainly addressed in The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler, which was my favorite, most engaging read of the semester.  Kunstler, albeit a bit cynical, really laid out how are constructed landscapes were created and why they were built the way they were.  In terms of the car centered landscapes the superhighways are the epitome of this “driving stakes through the hearts of old neighborhoods, killing whatever life they touched” (Kunstler, P 193) 

http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/CHS-48579.jpg

4. How cars define people and how people are so connected to their cars.  Personally i have never owned a car and feel that I am a bit outside of this bubble of people hat are very hung up on their cars.  But it was very interesting in American Graffiti to see how much having a car affected peoples attitudes and social status.  This is addressed in Republic of Drivers as well.  “Cars are a way to communicate not only personality but wealth and status” (Seiler, p. 58)

 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/17/article-1200389-059CE11A000005DC-751_468x304.jpg

Now imagine this ad without the car...

5. This class made me open my eyes and really see the car culture in America in a new light.  Cars are so accepted in our culture we don’t even realize we are surrounded by them constantly.  Everything that goes into the car culture we as Americans rarely realize or see what is happening on the other side of the world in order for us to live the way we do.  "The newspaper headlines may shout about global warming, extinctions of living species, the devastation of rain forests, and other world-wide catastrophes, but Americans evince a striking complacency when it comes to their everyday environment and the growing calamity it represents" (Kunstler, p. 10)

  class="s3">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YOx8KCvJZw.

6. Cars as a private space to get away from outside world, to either have private conversations with others or simply be in your own head.  This can be seen in American Graffiti and is also talked about by Seiler in Republic of drivers.  “Being alone in a car is like being in one’s own time machine, in which the mind can rove ahead to the future or scan the past” (Seiler, p. 139)  This is an often used tool for people to reflect and get away.  Something that I have never (consciously) used, but opened up my perspective to why people go for a drive a lot of the time...  http://itstartswith.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/OPEN-ROAD-with-car.jpg

7. Car as a symbol of freedom and independence.  I think that this was a very important theme throughout.  The idea of a car as a symbol of independence, allowing one to go where they chose without having to rely on anyone or anything else is unbelievable. “independence from reliance on the schedules and desires of others” (Lutz, 15) This idea has slowly become muddled with increased costs of driving and so many more cars on the road as well as more built up infrastructure and more police officers and surveillance.  Lending itself to less freedom and more of a structure when driving around on the roads.http://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2013/11/trafficcamoveload.jpg

8.  A huge eye opener for me was the alternatives to the gasoline powered car.  First off the electric car.  After watching who killed the electric car I was awestruck and so frustrated!  I had no idea about the EV 1 and can’t believe how much it faded out of everyones memory.  What this really showed to me was the bigger picture, that technology isn’t necessarily where we are hitting a brick wall, but rather politics.  It is greed that is stopping us from moving forward and it is really sad to see that greed killed what very well could have been a revolutionary change to the auto industry.

http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/EV1_crushed3.jpg-Crushed EV 1s

9. Going off of that, alternatives to driving a personal car at all.  Walking, biking, skating, running, public transit, etc...  This would require a complete paradigm shift, however something that I think completely possible, and in all honesty completely necessary for human kind.  It would require a restructuring of landscapes.  I have briefly thought of this idea,however not nearly in as much detail or the actual possibilities that Kunstler showed in his book.  Kunstler talked about DPZ who is a group that is working on building more people centered landscapes I became really interested and began my own reseach into what theya re doing and it turns out that they ahve already built a number of places.  Below is an example of one place that they built in Al Khobar, KSA.  Evidently they are doing projects all over the world, although centered in the US.  http://www.dpz.com/Practice/1110

10.   A very interesting perspective on suburban sprawl and the histories of cities was covered in Kunstler’s book.  I found it increasingly interesting of how the car culture and suburbia is ultimately what has led to the downfall of Detroit.  Detroit which was known as the motor city was one of the first cities to become a ‘car city’ is now seeing the fallout effects of this.  A telling sign of what is to happen to the rest of our cities? As can be seen in Detroit, The “Quickest to uproot themselves are the educated classes, generally to advance their corporate careers.” (Kunstler, Page 148)  It is going to be tough to get Detroit back on its feet if this continues to be the case.http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18nd14hozg2hqjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg

Thanks for a great class.  I really did get a lot from it and am now that much more conscious of our built landscapes, the way I am advertised to and the cars that are running rampant in our lives today.  I really enjoyed your enthusiasm and found the atmosphere in class to be very comfortable and welcoming:)

REV on!

Revelations

1 

1.)  Roads are everywhere.

"There is no spot in the lower 48 of the United States more than 22 miles from the nearest road, outside of some unbuildable swampland in southern Louisiana" (Seiler, p.6).

To me, the essence of "wild" places is a sense of isolation. Given that you can't go more than 22 miles without hitting a road, how isolated can any one place be? It really makes the world seem small. If you find someplace that seems wild, you know it is not bounded by an ocean or a continent, but merely a road, which is probably only just out of sight. 

2.) The roadways are authoritarian.

"The increase in levels and vantages of surveillance... in public space and the suspension of various rights to mobile privacy... are symptoms, perhaps, of the republic of drivers' evolution" (Lutz, p.151).

We take for granted that the roadways are authoritarian. We just accept police "checkpoints" as part of the road experience. Furthermore, this road authority primarily threatens us with monetary penalties, such as fines. Somehow, it is natural that we could get a speeding ticket at any time. Really, being on the road is the primary place I encounter law enforcement. On the roads, I'm not in public space, I'm in police space.

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3.)  We are remarkably unaware of a majority of the components that make our car-centered culture work.

"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 supply the roads daily to make delivery" (Lutz, p.5).

Sure, drilling for oil is bad, and so is spilling it in the ocean, not to mention burning it. But, most people don't even know the half of what it means to be so dependent upon gasoline. We don't even think of the carbon footprint of the trucks that transport that fuel. We don't think about the materials, the right of way issues, the cost or the unsightliness of those gas pipelines. Most of our culture of automobility is neatly tucked away out of sight, and out of mind.

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 4.)  We don't buy cars with reason.

"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" (Lutz, p.41)

We are seduced into somehow letting our cars be mediums for our own personal values. We buy sports cars because we want to portray ourselves as cool or wealthy, not because we want good gas mileage. Then, we tell ourselves that it's ok that the Corvette doesn't get great mileage, because it sure does have a lot of horsepower, and those are the sacrifices you need to make for torque. Interestingly, the values we try to portray through our cars, such as vanity, are often frivolous. We are sold not on practicality, but rather on romanticism.

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 5.)  We equate mobility with personal freedom.

"Mobility is ostensibly a universal right" and "it's true goal is not mobility as such; it is access to people and facilities" (Seiler, p.26).

By mobility, we really mean our ability for autonomy. You are not free if you are not mobile. Almost by definition, if you can't move, you are stuck, and stuck is the opposite of free. Our society is highly mobile, because almost everyone has access to a car- that is, to a greater capacity for freedom. If we had great public transportation, but little access to cars, we would not say we are so mobile, as we would have less autonomy. We would not consider ourselves very mobile if we could only travel at the mercy of bus and train schedules and routes.

           

6.)  Our car-centric system of values dictates how we view the actions of others.

"Perhaps they are ashamed to put in a garden- afraid the neighbors might take it as a sign that they are too poor to go to the supermarket" (Kunstler, p.249).

In our car-centric society, not being able to drive is seen as a sign of being lower class, and is coupled to our idea of mobility as freedom. The higher class you are, the more freedom you have. Not being able to go to the store is to have less freedom, because you have less ability to move autonomously. We don't even think to value the fact that growing your own food is a great display of autonomy, itself necessarily an example of freedom.

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7.)  We settle for vanity over substance.

"Whatever their purpose- motel, casino,... pizza emporium... they were all just cinder-block sheds, and rather pathetic amid the sprawl. What mattered were the signs attached to them and how dazzling it all looked at night" (Kunstler, p.82)

            Everything is about catching attention, but not necessarily holding on to it.

Because we value mobility so much, we are always on the move. And because we are always on the move, it isn't necessary for things to be substantive, because we only interact with them a short time. These places, motels, casinos, pizza joints, are all just stops, they aren't destinations. The problem is that we start to value these things more, though they actually have less substantive value, because they bolster our ability to be mobile. Because such places give us more mobility, we are replacing our towns, which have a vibe of permanence,  with "strips" of places which not only allow us to be mobile, they require it.

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8.)  Instead of improving drivers, we try to make all their behavior survivable.

"One of the problems with cars is that all drivers are not highly skilled- often they are even drunk- and accidents happen. So to remove some of the danger that drivers pose, highway engineers have developed a standard perfect modern suburban street... at least thirty-six feet wide- same as a county highway" (Kunstler, p.49-50)

Cars are necessary for everyday life in this age. Not having a car is tantamount to being a lower-class citizen. Since everyone depends on cars, it would create a huge hassle if only a minority of them could actually operate vehicles. Therefore, we let just about anyone drive, so long as they can afford to. Instead of making it harder to get a license, or requiring more training, we simply make roads which can better accommodate less-skilled drivers. Our value of personal freedom is shockingly higher than that of personal safety.

    

9.)  Despite viewing mobility as freedom, and having great opportunities for mobility, we are no happier for it.

"Importantly, people with longer commutes report 'lower satisfaction with life' than those with short commutes- that is, they are simply less happy. These commuters' spouses are also unhappy" (Lutz, p.165).

            Despite how much we value mobility and freedom, driving just doesn't make 

            us happier. I think this is precisely because everyday life now requires us to

            drive. Because we are losing our towns to strips of flashy convince- based

            businesses, we have to deal with the roadways and their many inconviences.

            We can't just go to the corner store, we have to drive out in traffic to places

            not connected with anything. Perhaps the reality of mobility isn't freedom at

            all.

10.)  Cars aren't at the root of the problem, we are.

"Bob Yaro, since departed from his new job with the NYRPA, offered this final assessment in a phone interview: 'When they come to chronicle the decline of this civilization,' he said, 'they're going to wonder why were debating flag burning, abortion, and broccoli eating instead of the fundamental issues of how we live and use the environment" (Kunstler, p.267).

"Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune...

(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens;           

I carry them, men and women—I carry them with me wherever I go;           

I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them;           

I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)"

-Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

It is not about cars or the impact that their use had. It is about what we did as people. The problems of automobility exist only as long as we continue to perpetuate them. Any problem with cars or automobility is really a problem with ourselves, as cars exist only so long as we continue to make and use them. I have included a video of a klein bottle for this last revelation to illustrate this point; how the problems of automobility we see around ourselves start within ourselves.  

Ten REVelations - Nick Leger

  Failure to change:

Detroit is an historic American City most known for its car production. The GM tycoon that finds its home there has not, however, kept up with the shifting trend in transportation technology and infrastructure. Lutz and Fernandez corroborate this point: “Detroit spends twice as much on roads as Toronto, while Toronto has spent eight times as much as Detroit on public transit.” (Lutz and Fernandez, 126). Despite being in a state of economic calamity, this car commercial suggests that the city and industry is on the rebound. In reality, it’s just a well made video that posits a big lie, using a combination of plain folks and celebrities.

 The downside of technology:

As time goes on, driving an automobile becomes increasingly easier. The industry “has put a premium on speed and fostered the idea that convenience and efficiency should rule as we make our way through the day.” (Lutz and Fernandez, 163). I feel that self-parking/driving boarders on absurdity, though; are we really too busy or too lazy to park our car and then walk the short distance to our final destination? What’s more, the cultural shift from privacy to surveillance is amplified by this technology, as a self-driving vehicle needs to be under constant watch.

 The illusion of safety: 

Although the intelligent headlights demonstrated in this informational video put out by BMW will make nighttime driving safer, the fact of the matter is that operating an automobile is still extremely dangerous. Even with other ubiquitous safety measures such as seat belts and airbags, we are still at risk “against other passengers or items in the car hurtling around the interior, intrusions into the passenger compartment, or high-speed collisions that partly or wholly destroy that compartment.” (Lutz and Fernandez, 184). The calm music and neat graphics in this promotional video are thereby appealing to the limbic brain, suggesting that driving is actually safer than it is.

 Context makes all the difference:

At the end of Carjacked, the audience is advised to “stay informed and make demands to our politicians” to better transportation infrastructure. (Lutz and Fernandez, 223). The above commercial advocates a similar message: we need public transit… Although I agree with the underlying message, I do not agree with how it is conveyed. Next City (the organization that produced this clip) sets public transit within a Christian context, which definitely evokes different value messages for different people. Maybe that’s the best the organization could come up with; their production techniques do not suggest any degree of affluence.

The loss of self: 

“Taylorization made automobility possible, but also made it necessary”. (Seiler, 18). A century down the road, this trend is still very much a part of American culture, as portrayed in this Bentley commercial. Manufacturing has become a group process where individualism has taken a backseat. Thus, one of the best ways to express oneself, both then and now, is through the automobile. In relation to the power tools, this video clip represents an epistemological shift and a technological shift, as it uses images to convey a message over the internet medium.

  The falsehood of individuality:

The Cadillac commercial that I used in my deep dive presentation demonstrates how advertisers (attempt to) dupe consumers into believing that that we can be autonomous through buying mass-produced goods. Seiler recognizes that this is no new phenomenon, stating: “This figure, featured in advertisements for a myriad of products from soap to clothing to automobiles, merged the expressive individual of the marketplace with the autonomous individual of republican political culture, offering reassurance that a subjectivity distinguished by self-determination had survived the transition from the old to the new regime of accumulation. It was a social self, but it looked like a sovereign self. Its characteristics were mobility and choice; and its embodiment was the driver.” (Seiler, 35). Again, the makers of the commercial suggest that through owning a Cadillac, you yourself will become “re-imagined” and “redesigned"; you, as a unique individual, are making a great choice in choosing cadillac. 

 The perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity: 

The realm of automobility has been ingrained with gender roles since its conception. Seiler gives an historic account of this relation: “The powerful conjunction of self-determination, speed, and mastery informed the common and durable trope of driver-as-monarch – a symbolic identity that merged masculine potency and charisma.” (Seiler 45). This relation is still very much present today, and is obviously drawn upon by the ford advertisers in this tug-of-war of manliness.

 The Destruction of Nature: 

In this VW commericial, automobility and nature appear to be in a state of harmony – the turtle-loving driver saves his shelled friend from a screeching eagle, all with the help of his car. This unfortunately posits a big lie, as the pollution from cars and car infrastructure threatens more species than any type of natural predation. What’s more, “the amount of driving necessary to exist within this system is stupendous, and fantastically expensive.” (Kunstler, 118) This, too, contributes to the land parcelization and the loss of species habitats. And what is a sea turtle doing in the wilderness in the first place...?   

Loss of Culture:

“In the early years of motoring, hardly anyone understood the automobile’s potential for devastation, not just of the landscape, or the air, but of culture in general” (Kunstler, 86). The above picture epitomizes this statement. Instead of local-businesses, streets virtually everywhere in the United States have been overrun with chain stores. We have sacrificed culture and individuality for perceived convenience.

 A Beacon of Hope: 

Masdar city is projected to be a contemporary utopia; zero pollution and person-friendly infrastructure foster environmental and societal health. It is the actualized manifesto of Berkeley professors, using infrastructure as “connections between spaces rather than mere objects.” (Kunstler 249). With effective policies, new technologies, and a bit of luck, this will hopefully be the template for cities of the future. 

     

Top 10 Key Insights About Cars, Culture and Media

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.