- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@derp.foo
As a European, this article has explained a lot of things about US car culture to me that never made any sense… including the Cybertruck. The author has a lovely way of taking you by the hand and leading you through the history of America’s cars not as evolving pieces of technology, but as an expression of their respective time’s culture.
Musk’s emphasis that the Cybertruck is an “armored personnel carrier from the future” is likely driven by his belief that “the apocalypse could come along at any moment.”
[The Cybertruck] is the perfect vehicle for a culture where everyone is afraid of their neighbor. Musk’s bulletproof wedge-shaped machine is the physical manifestation of America’s fear, and whether it is good or bad, we deserve it.
Cars, in American society, are the next-closest thing to culture itself
🤮
Couldn’t make it any farther
She does make some good points further down the line. Give the article another chance. You may disagree with the author’s views or conclusions, but it’s difficult to argue that cars are not an expression of their time’s culture one way or the other.
American here and that is completely, 100 percent true.
Almost every piece of infrastructure built in the US in the past century is built around cars. Every American is expected to learn how to drive a car at age 16, as soon as legally possible. Except in very large cities like NYC, it is considered “strange” or “a significant inconvenience” to not own a car. For the vast majority of the country (both by land area and population) a car is required for commuting to work and almost anywhere else.
This culture also very much transferred to Mexico where we have the same issues. All infrastructure built in the past 50 years is built for cars. Horrible colonies (suburbs, if you wish) with 100s of 4 meter wide houses are chunked next to each other with no way to realistically get in or out without a car.
Where I live right now in Mexico I gotta drive about half a mile down a mountain to get to a small “convenience” store for a huge national store chain that only sells trash food, and if I want to get anywhere else I literally MUST drive for some 5 miles because there are no roads for pedestrians or bikes. The modern Mexican urban design is godawful and is hurting the country.
I live half-half in Canada too and there I live in the most expensive neighborhood of the most expensive city, not because it’s cool and trendy, but because they have the basic design of having stores around the corner. It’s still a car hell scape there but at least it’s a walkable hellscape where I can walk to the bakery etc…
To add to the other poster, when someone is telling you about themselves, particularly about areas of passion, it’s probably worth hearing them out before you dismiss them.
In this case, the author makes a very compelling case, and expanded my worldview.
Also, it’s borderline unkind to dismiss OP’s post (and this author’s article) so vocally and rudely, imho.