Monday, August 13, 2007

[1860 - Annie Oakley (Phoebe Ann Mozee), frontierswoman, born in Drake County, Ohio]

[1895 - Bert Lahr (Irving Lahrheim), actor, born in New York City]

[1899 - Alfred Hitchcock, director, born in London, England]

[1912 - Ben Hogan, golf champion, born in Stephenville, Texas]

[1930 - Don Ho (Donald Tai Loy Ho), singer, born in Honolulu, Hawaii]

Wheels Coming Off

The popularity of oversize vehicles is no surprise; they conjure images of war and aggression, guaranteed to boost the testosterone level of any red-blooded American male (or female). That these overweight, oversized, inappropriate vehicles are without any redeeming social value further appeals to the seemingly insatiable public appetite for pornography. The very impracticality of these behemoths makes them even more desirable as symbols of wealth and conspicuous consumption. What if they guzzle mass quantities of gas made from foreign oil? Anyone who can afford to purchase one of these adult toys can afford to fill its oversize belly, even at more than three dollars per gallon. As I drive my armored truck uptown, I say to all you lesser creatures: "Get the hell out of my way, or I will crush you like one of those monster trucks. My kids are safe inside even as I put yours at risk." Powerful stuff until the wheels fall off in a Carl's Jr. drive-through, exposing the nude emperor behind the wheel.

Contrast the Hummer with the humble jeep, which became popular with a small segment of the US public following World War II. The jeep was a low cost, no-frills, practical vehicle suitable for off-road and farm use. It was open, tough, simple to maintain, and became a workhorse on many ranches and farms. When you took your jeep to town, the only statement you were making was that you valued its toughness and practicality. The wheels of the Jeep hardly ever fell off, although they were known to take their toll on your knuckles because of those damn hubs. There were no Carl's Jrs. and no drive-throughs back in those days, and obesity had yet to become a national epidemic.

William's Whimsical Words:

We knew that the wheels were about to come off our culture; we just didn't know when.

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