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FacebookI never understood the joy of fishing. You sit there and nothing happens. As far as I can tell, it’s all luck. You give two guys the same bare, pole, and lake, there’s nothing either one of ’em can do to catch more fish. They throw their lines and hope something is dumb enough to bite.
Gas prices are skyrocketing and I have little sympathy for those who complain at the pump. America is a society where people really couldn’t care less about the price of gas. Sure, they’ll bitch and complain about how much it cost to fill-up. The evening news will cover numerous stories regarding the hardships people experience. You might even catch a person or two suggest they’ll drive less.
But the truth is actions speak louder than words. If Americans really wanted to do something about the price of gas, they’d take action against it. Look at the roads today–the streets are jam-packed with SVUs and other non-economical vehicles. American’s are obsessed with big cars and powerful engines. There’s a reason there’s more Suburbans on the road than Focuses–Americans love their big cars.
Rising fuel costs isn’t anything new. A decade ago, I remember when gas ‘skyrocketed’ to $1.50 a gallon and people freaked out everywhere. I saw the same news stories then that I do today: people complaining about the price of gas. People saying they would cut back on their driving–folks wondering how they could afford food. That was ten years ago and people are still buying vehicles that aren’t very fuel economical. It’s the same today as it was back then. If someone really wanted to cut down on their fuel expenses, they could buy a more efficient car.
I gotta laugh how the car companies boast that the hybrid SVUs get 20 miles to the gallon; how Corollas get 30–and that’s supposed to be some sorta technical improvement. My car gets between 30 and 35 miles to the gallon–actual, not theoretical (I know ’cause I keep track of it myself). I drive a ’95. Even my recently sold CRX got 40 MPG–and that car is over 20 years old. The point is people have had options to buy vehicle with better fuel economy and they have for a long time. But MPG isn’t as important as giant, hulking vehicles of steel. It’s not the carmakers fault your car cost 70 bucks to fill up. It isn’t Congress’s fault the cost of gas is high. And I certainly can’t blame the Arabic princes who keep raising the price of a barrel of oil. The only thing we can do is drive smaller cars–and hardly anyone wants to do that.
What it really comes down to is Americans would much rather drive a gas-guzzling giant and pay ridiculous prices for fuel than be caught dead in an economy vehicle. We’d rather have on our muscle cars with big engines and complain than actually do something about it. Americans crave big vehicles (insert the obligatory phallic reference here) and it’s obvious by the cars on the road today. Compare the Corollas and Civics of today to the versions made in the 90s. The older cars about two thirds the size. Look at pickup trucks verses the ones made 15 years ago–they’re friggin’ huge! Because in our society, bigger always means better.
The real problem in rising fuel costs is not how much it takes to fill up your car. When gas goes up, it cost more for airlines to fly across the country. More for farmers to ship their product to the grocery stores. More for FedEx to mail your package. That’s where it really hurts us because business hafta raises their prices to remain profitable. Our purchasing power becomes less.
So quit complain’ America. I’m tired of hearing Norton No-bucks bitch about how much it cost to fill up his Expedition. We all have the power to do something about the cost of gas–if it’s important enough to you to do it.