This is one of those weeks in which my hatred for the automobile comes to a
full boil.
I bought a Honda Accord last year, and my decision had to do with its
deserved reputation for reliability, excellent gas mileage and its being
environmentally friendlier -- I still won't call it "friendly" because it
still has emissions. Anyway, this car has been in three accidents this
year, none of which were my fault, but all of which have been costly to me in
terms of both time and money. Entire businesses in Los Angeles are wrapped
up in scams around car wrecks, all of which exploit insurance and charge
egregious amounts -- that forces up premiums for all of us. All of these
places are linked with car rental places which benefit from delays in repairs
to your car. What should take a few days ends up taking weeks or even
months, and most insurance policies only cover car rentals for a few weeks.
Modern cities like Los Angeles and Houston make ownership of a car essential.
A thirty minute car ride in L.A. can literally take hours by bus. I
remember a woman I knew who used to cook for the fraternity of this guy I
used to date. She would take the bus from Compton to Westwood and it took
her three and a half hours each way. That's a terrible thing for anyone to
have to endure -- 7 hours of every work day spent on a bus. Cars may mean
freedom and convenience to people like Colin who live in the country, but for
lots of people, especially people who hate cars, they aren't a convenience at
all. They are expensive to operate, and a huge chunk of our incomes goes
towards their purchase, fueling, repair, insurance, registration, etc. And
traffic gets worse every year, so we spend hours in our cars breathing fumes
and fuming. We wouldn't have to work 50 and 60 hour work weeks if cars
weren't so expensive. It's kind of like working overtime and stressing
yourself out so you can afford a stress relieving massage.
I know of people who left L.A. and moved to places like San Francisco and
Boston and suddenly found they had extra hours in their day. Those are two
of my favorite cities in America, and part of the reason, is that they are
charming, beautiful, walkable places. In my old 'hood in S.F., my doctor,
dentist, grocery store, Irish bar, record shop, barber shop, sushi bar and
post office were all within two blocks of my house.
I've read several sources which say that the United States, a mere 4 per cent
of the world's population, provides 25 per cent of the world's air pollution
that contributes to both global warming and the diminishing ozone layer.
Some will dismiss these syndromes as panic inducing tripe/junk science, but
ask people living in Chile about their alarming skin cancer rate, or
herpetologists about the extinction of various frog species, or ask Brits
about the flooding of their country this year.
I've always hated the suburbs. Cities are so much more interesting and
exciting, and in real cities, you don't have to drive. If I had it my way,
we would stop sprawling as we build, which begins with curtailing our
population. We would have livable, walkable cities with viable public
transportation. Cars are an unnecessary evil, and a selfish, inconsiderate
mode of transportation. Smokers have gotten used to the idea that they
shouldn't smoke around others, but few of us hesitate to start our engines
and pour out emissions which are just as responsible for lung cancer in
nonsmokers as cigarettes are for smokers. Cars are noisy assed things. They
hit and kill dogs, cats and deer as well as humans, and are completely
dangerous to drive when drunk, but people drive them anyway. And it's not
like we're getting more conscientious about the kinds of the cars we drive as
evidenced by the popularity of the S.U.V. which the Union of Concerned
Scientists calls the single greatest threat to the environment with its low
M.P.G. And the S.U.V. is such a ridiculous vehicle as few of them are ever
driven off road or into the country. When I've asked friends of mine why
they bought one, the answer is almost always that they "like to be above
others" or "like looking down" on others. It reminds me of a few years ago
when every gay clone was wearing oversized hiking boots fresh out of the box
-- they were never hiked in, they were worn to discos. The only climbing
that was ever done in them was of the social kind.
It's also important to mention that my car was backed into twice by S.U.V.s
which could not see me in full daylight or with my headlights on. I spent
hours today and hours the other day dealing with the bullshit which will get
my car's body repaired so that my "resale value will not be affected." At
times like this, I long for my hippie past and wish the film industry was
located someplace other than smoggy, sprawly, Los Angeles.
My agent, who is a great woman, talked me out of getting a Saturn, because
they are too "granola, too lesbian" and not the best car to drive on to the
lots. What's wrong with granola, what's wrong with lesbian? Let me say it
loud and proud, I eat granola, and I'm practically a lesbian myself (or a
lesbi-man as Paz called me) as I love softball, flannel shirts, monogamous
relationships and I play the acoustic guitar.
I got a deal today, and another one is in the works. I'm hoping it will
allow me to go electric -- both with a guitar and a car.
- Clark
NP: John McLaughlin and Shakti - The Believer
