4 ms·

How did they become dependent on an object that cost them a fortune and ruins cities and enviroment?

Terr_ 3y ago
If we consider restrictions and costs of housing as the cause of needing a car, it seems hard to conclusively assign blame to just the chicken or just the egg.
rurounijones 3y ago
The power of large corporations and their marketing departments.
- red-iron-pine 3y ago
  Specifically, GM, who lobbied hard about this starting in the 60s
vkou 3y ago
Because the benefit is immediate, and personal, but the cost is deferred and distributed.
JoshTriplett 3y ago
Because all of the proposed replacements entail substantial compromises, such as "not actually going directly from point A to point B", and because we no longer seem to have the ability to build infrastructure like transit for reasonable costs.
midoridensha 3y ago
It's a long story, but it involves the post-WWII economic boom, White Flight from the inner cities to the suburbs and away from the Black people in the cities (along with Redlining to keep the Black people from following them), the construction of Eisenhower's Interstate Highway system in the 50s, and many other factors I'm sure I'm missing.
- cpursley 3y ago
  Not sure why you’re getting downvoted - this is a well researched phenomenon. The interstate system opened up access (ie, subsidized) land for single family residential. And yes, one factor why white people moved there was to get away from black people - and even enacted covenants to keep out black buyers and real estate agents practiced what was called “red lining”.
  - acdha 3y ago
    This was turbocharged by court losses saying that cities had to serve all of their citizens. Many white people were okay living in the same city with brown people as long as there were white neighborhoods with schools, pools, etc. only used by white people. Once black (or on the west coast, Mexican) people were legally allowed to use them, some cities shutdown city pools and many people moved to suburbs where the infrastructure was technically open to all residents but since things like the design & covenants were created to limit who lived there, it was de facto segregated.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
wink 3y ago
Because the cost/benefit analysis makes it perfectly viable or even cheap. Even as someone living in a non-US city with supposedly good public transport, the cost of a cheap car + gas is ridiculous compared to the benefits.
goodpoint 3y ago
Because corporations brainwashed people very successfully.
arroz 3y ago
Lobby

If we consider restrictions and costs of housing as the cause of needing a car, it seems hard to conclusively assign blame to just the chicken or just the egg.

rurounijones 3y ago

The power of large corporations and their marketing departments.

red-iron-pine 3y ago
Specifically, GM, who lobbied hard about this starting in the 60s

vkou 3y ago

Because the benefit is immediate, and personal, but the cost is deferred and distributed.

JoshTriplett 3y ago

Because all of the proposed replacements entail substantial compromises, such as "not actually going directly from point A to point B", and because we no longer seem to have the ability to build infrastructure like transit for reasonable costs.

midoridensha 3y ago

It's a long story, but it involves the post-WWII economic boom, White Flight from the inner cities to the suburbs and away from the Black people in the cities (along with Redlining to keep the Black people from following them), the construction of Eisenhower's Interstate Highway system in the 50s, and many other factors I'm sure I'm missing.

cpursley 3y ago
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted - this is a well researched phenomenon. The interstate system opened up access (ie, subsidized) land for single family residential. And yes, one factor why white people moved there was to get away from black people - and even enacted covenants to keep out black buyers and real estate agents practiced what was called “red lining”.
- acdha 3y ago
  This was turbocharged by court losses saying that cities had to serve all of their citizens. Many white people were okay living in the same city with brown people as long as there were white neighborhoods with schools, pools, etc. only used by white people. Once black (or on the west coast, Mexican) people were legally allowed to use them, some cities shutdown city pools and many people moved to suburbs where the infrastructure was technically open to all residents but since things like the design & covenants were created to limit who lived there, it was de facto segregated.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

wink 3y ago

Because the cost/benefit analysis makes it perfectly viable or even cheap. Even as someone living in a non-US city with supposedly good public transport, the cost of a cheap car + gas is ridiculous compared to the benefits.

goodpoint 3y ago

Because corporations brainwashed people very successfully.

arroz 3y ago

Lobby