And I Thought Cars Were Supposed to be Fun: A Short Critique of Auto Mania

Well, I finally finished Tom McCarthy's book, and I must say it became a very different read than anything I'd initially anticipated. I would, however, echo Bianca's commentary as to the relevant section of McCarthy's introduction. Indeed, it is not an angry book, and presents the development of automobile industry and culture, along with the environmental challenges the advent of cars has brought along with it, without bias or animus. That said, I think it is still fair to be critical -- albeit in a separate arena -- in that many parts of the book tend to be very dry and technical. True enough, at times the very nature of the matter at hand (such as the passage of new environmental legislation, or the advent of the catalytic converter) demands a rather clinical tone. Nonetheless, I don't think Jack Kerouac's On the Road has anything to worry about in the way of competition just yet.

I must say that I was fascinated by how early on the scientific community were concerned about subjects appertaining to the appearance of automobiles on the scene as diverse as smog and air pollution, and the continued availability of "fossil" fuels (I place the relevant word in quotations since more modern scientific theory has hypothesized about crude oil actually being "abiotic," or perpetually produced by chemical reactions taking place at the earth's core, rather than as the product of ancient plant, animal, and other biological matter). It was also interesting -- though far from surprising -- to learn how rapidly governmental bodies imposed speed limits, driver's licenses, license plates, and traffic tickets in response to the exuberant indiscretions of early motorists like William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. One of the places where things did really start to get fun was when McCarthy revealed the central role the Cadillac played in the 1950s auto market -- in no small part because of Elvis Presley's much-publicized purchase of a pink one (later to become a rock and roll pop culture cliche'). It was also a definitive sign of the times that Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Clean Water Act in 1972 (after overriding a veto from Richard Nixon), both acts coming as they did at the end of the 1960s, the consummation of a long-held countercultural cause celebre.

Overall, I would've liked to see more about '57 Chevys, Cadillacs, and Elvis, and less about government legislation and scientific data. However, I realize this was not the purpose McCarthy had in mind when he wrote Auto Mania, and to the extent that the book remains true to its purpose, the author still did a fine job.

I am looking forward to some of the further reading in this seminar. As stated, my tastes tend to run towards the fun, pop culture, sporting nature of cars -- probably, not unlike the typical consumer, as McCarthy points out repeatedly. Let's hope there's some of that waiting for us in the road up ahead.