Skip to main content

The Definition of American -- Writer's Poke #430

 
People can drive whatever they want; I understand that. But why do so many people feel the need to drive oversized vehicles? If I’m correct, most people only need a small car for day-to-day trips. Small cars can be surprisingly roomy and comfortable for one or two people, too. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been sometimes tempted to buy a SUV; after all, I am an American. If I ever succumb to the temptation, though, I hope someone will quickly put me out of my misery.
I drive a dinky little VW Beetle; most Americans these days seem to drive SUVs, big trucks, and minivans. Americans like space and comfort, and it’s exhibited in the vehicles they drive. I watch the users of these vehicles, and most of the time, they seem to use their vehicles in the same exact way I use mine; that is, we’re all just driving from point A to point B. As far as I can tell, most of them aren’t transporting baseball teams to games; nor are they hauling new furniture home from the store; in other words, the extra space isn’t being utilized.
Parking lots, generally, are designed for cars. A small car like mine fits most spots just fine; the larger trucks and SUV take up the full space of a spot, which means when I am forced to park between two SUVs, I feel the squeeze. Not only is it difficult for me to get out of my car without dinging the giant next to me, but when it’s time for me to back out of my spot, I have to do so blindly; I’m rather amazed that someone hasn’t crashed into me…but I fear it’s just a matter of time.
What is the best definition of the term “American”?
"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That's not leadership. That's not going to happen." -- Barack Obama

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus and the Inconvenience of His Word to American Christians

I'm not a preacher, but if you follow the teachings of Jesus, it was he who said: Do to others as you would have them do to you. That's from Luke 6:31 , and reading all of Luke 6 isn't a bad way to spend five minutes of your time.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%206&version=NIV I guess a lot of Christians understand the Golden Rule and practice it in their daily lives. Others, however, especially political Christians (and specifically those promoting Christian Nationalism) seem to ignore the Golden Rule. They don't care about humanitarian issues. They claim they either don't exist, aren't the problem of the United States, or are the fault of the victims. They counter with distractions like, "Why do you care so much about THEM when you should be caring about the REAL people who matter?" Sorry, but I don't recall Jesus ever dividing people into those who matter more and those who matter less. Of course, Jesus also said not to j...

Microblogging? The Future of Writing with ADHD

Bill Bennett is a very common name. Right now, I'm reading a book by the Australian film maker Bill Bennett. He hiked the Camino in 2013 and then wrote a book (and made an Australian movie, not available in the U.S.) about it.  Seems he kept a blog about that hike, too. I went to look for his Camino blog, and found he started one years after the hike, but he didn't post regularly... His last post from 2022 announced his had Parkinson's and had kept the diagnosis secret for 4 years.  Now that almost three years have passed from that post, I wonder what's happened to him.  Blogs are weird. They just sit there. Anyone can stumble upon them, and read them. So I decided to keep looking for his Camino blog.  https://billbennett.blog/home/ *** And I found another Bill Bennett, this one from New Zealand, who keeps a microblog. It's current and updated. "What's a microblog?" My wife asked. Well, I said, it's a small blog. Just a sentence or two for a post. ...