The effects of the cars on people.

Adam Andre Gives us his thoughts on cars and their effects on people.

We all remember our first car. For me it sparked a passion that never left. At 16 I could finally go where I wanted, when I wanted, given I was home by curfew. Driving was always a blast with my friends and my bike collected dust in no time. Cars decreased involvement with our neighbors but, made it possible to live and work much farther apart. We listen to most of our music in the car and it is looked upon as a status symbol. For many men, including myself, it is the basis of our masculinity. Our everyday lifestyles changed dramatically due to the automobile and it has integrated itself strongly into our society.

Before cars people walked, road a bicycle, road a horse, used a carriage or maybe a steam train. Since most of us drive a car now, we get little exercise from traveling. With less of us walking, contact with our neighbors also slowed majorly. We travel fast in a sealed structure and have to concentrait on the road. Other people around us are doing the same thing.

We can accomplish many day to day tasks without leaving our cars. A person can: Go through an automatic car wash, do their banking, buy many different kinds of foods or beverages, deposit mail for delivery by the postal service, drop off dry cleaning, pick up and pay for prescription drugs at a pharmacy, return library books, videotapes, or almost any other small object that is regularly lent to the public.

The ability to travel farther distances in less time lead to a decentralization of cities too. Why live in a cramped city when you can stretch your legs in a suburb? At first there would be little businesses in these suburbs and everyone would commute to the city. Soon many shopping centers were developed in or near suburbs to save residents trips to the city. This provided goods and services further reducing the need for suburban residents to visit the city. Slowly local economys gained importance and business parks appeared, allowing suburb residents to work near their home. This, like a butter knife, spread business, culture and people across our nation. Separate cities and towns were born and people were no longer subject to urban surroundings.

The automobile has also been the target of technology to cater to the needs of the always moving individual. Cell phones we can use anywhere, but with the development of “Bluetooth” we can transfer numbers from our cell phone to our car radio/navigation system to allow for handsfree talking and it will keep a directory of names and numbers. Many cars have available navigation or you can buy portable navigation for any car. The use of large paper maps would be unessesary. Common helpful features include keyless entry, power seats, and cruise control. There are newer features such as rain sensing wipers, blind spot sensors, rear view cameras and parking assistance systems.

With AM/FM, CDs, mp3s or satellite, many listen to music in the car. Music is our only entertainment in a car. We have to sit for a long time until we get to our destination and we can’t watch tv. Its very easy to find any song you want on the internet for free, then move that to a cd or portable mp3 player and listen to it in the car. Many people have portable mp3 players they can listen to anywhere. So as we used to gather around the radio in our homes before television now few of us even have a radio at home. In my car I updated my speakers and radio with higher quality aftermarket components. I also added a 10 cd changer and a powerful subwoofer. Having quality sound at my home for my tv or radio isn’t important to me. If I had no kids, and had parties or entertained people a lot, I would consider that.

For teens a car means freedom for the first time. You can go much farther, than you could on a bike. You no longer had to nag your parents to get a ride. No more waiting at the cold bus stop in the morning or waiting after school. For many first time drivers putting money into their car is more common since they probably don’t own a house or have any bills. It’s one of the few things they can call there own and the image they display to their peers in important. So, switching or addings parts and accessories is common. Keeping it clean is always a plus too.

The car has also been a median for judging people. These can offend a lot of people as prejudgments or stereotypes usually do. Those with more expensive cars are often viewed as more successful or wealthy. Those with an old rusty car are often judged as poor or undereducated. Smaller and older cars are often utilized by young drivers that are not yet established or still in school. Drivers of large, comfortable cars such as offered by Buick are almost always older people. So cars can certainty effect how we feel about ourselves and how others view us.

For men the automobile fueled an everlasting passion. It has been a way to express masculinity. To drive a fast car is very exciting and exhilarating. I for one am very passionate about taking care of my car and dressing it up with add-ons, electronics, or performance applications. This, of course, doesn’t mean I can afford too. I do most of the repairs and up keep on my car. If something broke and I had the means to fix it myself I would for sure. Back when I was single, I would do without many things and instead spend money on my car. For example, I bought a $180 power window switch for my 94 Mazda from the dealer. Now that I have a family to take care of, I can’t do as much. It’s hard to describe why I like cars so much. My wife loves to decorate the house with “pretty” items or figurines. I guess it’s just how we are wired. While women check their makeup, men check their tire pressure. Wearing ripped up jeans, an undershirt and flip flops is acceptable to me as long as my car is shining. I would be very bored if I didn’t have my car to tinker with.

Some believe that men who strongly adore cars are not as involved with their families. For me many of my friends are into cars just as I am. We enjoy talking about our own cars and new ones coming out. I have always closely followed new cars as they come out. Of course Speed is my favorite channel. My wife understands that I will likely always love cars, just as I understand that she will always like changing her hair color. She enjoys seeing the possibilities of car modifications that I show her or at least pretends to.

The automobile is truly convenient for people today and it has made it possible to live and work much farther apart. It has helped our country develop rapidly. Cars have effected how and where we listen to music and brought forth many new technologies. Our cars affect our self image and we can be easily judged based on what we are driving. The automobile is highly admired by many men. With such a large infastructure catered to wheeled transportation, it is unlikly they will go away. We are rapidly developing solutions to ease oil dependancy and pollution. The future holds many new exciting changes for the car. There are limitless possibilites for automobiles and they are becoming further interwoven into the fabric of our lives.

-Adam Andre (06/22/2007)