From the movie "American Graffiti"
By Charles Layton
The other day, The New York Times carried a front-page story that pretty much shattered my faith in the United States of America. Here is what it said: “Many young consumers today just do not care that much about cars.”
What? American youth don’t care about cars? Have they all gone off and joined The Taliban?
Apparently they have.
The Times story says General Motors is struggling to re-connect with young consumers. They’re hiring market consultants to help them figure out how to do this – how to replace the good old “American Graffiti” “Grease” “Rebel Without a Cause” “Miss American Pie” culture that had once placed slick, souped-up “rods” at the very center of teenage life.
(Notice: Anyone younger than 55 can stop reading this article now, because the rest of it is a geezer rant.)
In my day, we cruised aimlessly up and down the streets in Corvettes and Thunderbirds, slouched low behind the wheel, dressed in our chino pants, white t-shirts and windbreaker jackets. Or we daydreamed about doing that if, as was mostly the case, our families couldn’t afford such cool cars. Cruising around aimlessly, in whatever kind of car, was the meaning of life. It was heaven.
We boys hung around the Diary Queen in packs, arguing about fluid drive and twin carburetors and Smithy’s mufflers. Most of us didn’t know what the heck we were talking about — I sure didn’t — but so what? Occasionally we’d raise the hood of someone’s car and poke around. It was simple in there, not like the mishmash of unidentifiable components jammed under the hoods of today’s cars. Our cars just had an engine, a battery, a radiator and some hoses. You could drop a softball in there and it would fall right through and land on the ground.
Our entire social life was centered on the car. You picked up your date in the car and you drove off to the high school dance — the “hop.” Do today’s youth even dance? Do they have dates? I don’t think so. They just text message one another and email the occasional lewd photo. You don’t need a car for that. But where, I wonder, do they go when they want to have clumsy, fumbling, irresponsible romantic interludes? In our cars was where we did that.
These days, the Times reports, young people aren’t just indifferent to cars; they have actively negative feelings toward them. Cars hurt the environment. They give you asthma. Parking is a hassle. Gas is expensive. A market consultant told the Times that young people consider a car “a giant bummer. Think about your dashboard. It’s filled with nothing but bad news.”
In 1998, 64 percent of potential drivers under the age of 20 had drivers’ licenses; in 2008 only 46 percent did. In a survey, 3,000 consumers born between 1981 and 2000 were asked to name their favorites of 31 product brands. Not one car brand made it into the top 10. The most popular brands were companies like Nike and Google.
Cars used to be all about speed — zero to 60 in X seconds. Nike is about walking. Google is about just sitting still for hours on end.
Here, for old time’s sake, is some music by Bo Diddley:
Back in the day, when I was dating my future ex-husband, we had a ’68 Monte Carlo, a ’73 Chevelle, a ’75 Monte Carlo and a ’76 Dodge Duster with a slant six, all of which we had restored. Working on your car was both a hobby and a group effort; in warm weather, we could spend every weekend day with six or seven friends and their cars with the hoods up, radio playing, and a few beers (even though we weren’t yet 21.)
These days, with inboard computers that need to be flashed at dealerships controlling many elements of vehicles, it’s more difficult to work on your own car, so a lot of the passion people had for their cars is gone.
Charles, they have “clumsy, fumbling, irresponsible romantic interludes” in their parents’ bedrooms while their parents are at work. You sooo don’t watch 16 and Pregnant.
At last, the solution to Ocean Grove’s parking situation.
This is a good thing. Less cars = less accidents, less pollution, less traffic, less stress. Personally, I prefer a well tuned bike, or just my feet. Being in a car disconnects you from your surroundings, from other people, from eye contact, from connecting. I also think it often leads to a more confrontational and defensive mindset, i.e., everything is in your way – pedestrians, cyclists, other cars, etc. I’ve been noticing this since I was a teenager. It’s terrible that once a 17-year-old starts driving, the bike is most likely left in the garage and only taken out now and then or for hobby purposes (mountain biking, etc.).
“In 1998, 64 percent of potential drivers 19 and under had drivers’ licenses; in 2008 only 46 percent did.”
I hope it continues to decrease. Our society is overly dependent on cars, and our communities have been designed around them much to the loss of everyone. Think driving to Wal-Mart or Home Depot on 66 for just a few things. The damage has been done, and it’s pretty bad damage.