americans and their cars
Every day, hordes of Americans drive themselves to work, or to anywhere they want to go. Most of them are alone in the cars that they drive. They consume gas, space, air and parking; they produce noise, pollution and the headache of traffic. Nevertheless, they are here to stay.There is a small group of loyal people who take the bus wherever they wish to go. Some use subways, and some take a combination of busses, trains and subways. Some even walk! By far the majority of Americans, however, will not even consider taking a bus or a train to their destination. Most people are oblivious to the schedules, destinations, and capabilities of the mass transit system. Even people in legislative or executive positions, like congressmen don't think of mass transit as a viable alternative to cars. This can be seen by the fact that they appropriate huge sums of money every year to build new highways or to widen old ones so that more and more cars can reach the outermost suburbs, and the fact that the mass transit systems in most cities are inconvenient, dirty, incomplete or fail to connect up in a logical fashion. Political decisions govern where mass transit systems run, and few run
One does not have to talk to anyone, smell anyone or have any contact with anyone else, and one can listen to one's own music in his car. There is a select few Americans who simply love to drive, and love the experience of driving their own cars. This is because the residents did not want public transportation stops in their neighborhoods. Many people regard cars as more than an instrument with which they get to work, but as an extension of their personality, or an extension of the personality they wish to possess. Because Americans relish convenience, privacy, status, and the sheer exhilaration of driving, they will never forgo their vehicles in favor of mass transit. The car is a notorious status symbol, as any advertisement attests. These people like to work on their cars, fix the motors, polish the bodies, and relish tinkering with their beloved. Cars are more convenient than mass transit because they can go anywhere, and one does not have to wait for a car, or stand in the rain or snow wondering if it will ever appear. The light rail, in Baltimore, for example, does not stop in Ruxton or Roland Park, two neighborhoods where car usage would appear to be very high. He does not have to speak to bus drivers or occasionally unruly passengers, and can isolate himself completely, as he drives to his isolated suburban cul-de-sac. The motorist does not have to have correct change or a ticket. Americans prefer their cars for the convenience, status, and privacy they confer. In his own car, a man can sing at the top of his lungs, talk to himself or pick his nose and still feel that he is invisible to the world around him. The motorist does not have to interact with anyone if he doesn't want to.
Common topics in this essay:
Roland Park,
Porsche Ferrari,
,
mass transit,
BMW Mercedes,
transit systems,
mass transit systems,
own car,
people cars,
themselves cars,
one's own,
extension personality,
own cars,
|
Acceptance Essays
