A new NYT analysis found that anyone shorter than 5-foot-6 — about half of American adults — would frequently be knocked to the ground in front of today's average vehicle.
people buy what they want to buy. auto-makers respond to demand. the sales numbers over the last few decade show people overwhelmingly prefer SUVs and trucks to traditional passenger sedans or vans.
folks have decided they prefer larger and more expensive vehicles, and systematically do not purchase smaller or cheaper vehicles.
I’m the only person I know who owns a small sedan. everyone else has mid-large SUVs and trucks. they endlessly complain the cars are too large, and too expensive to drive… but to consider anything smaller or cheaper. if you point out you can get a loaded civic for 30K that does 40mpg+, and costs $30-40 to fill up, or similar, they basically start telling you how ‘tiny’ those cars are and they couldn’t possible ever drive one because it’s ‘not safe’ and ‘doesn’t have enough space’.
nobody is forcing anyone to purchase these cars. they choose to do it.
They can’t force people to buy SUVs, but when it’s much more profitable for car companies from the USA to make SUVs, thanks to that EPA loophole, then they are going to do everything to make sure everyone “wants” SUVs.
nobody is forcing anyone to purchase these cars. they choose to do it.
Decades of propaganda advertisements telling people they need to buy an SUV, plus the (real or not) perceived danger of having a smaller car… that might not technically count as “manufactured consent”, but imho it’s not too far off.
People don’t buy what they want to buy, they buy what the constant barrage of advertising tells them to buy. Starting with those most susceptible, then peer pressure gets added to the adverts, add in government lobbying and a list of other underhanded tricks, and bosh, job done.
E-cigs, wank tanks, social media, “designer products”, the list goes on.
people buy what they want to buy. auto-makers respond to demand. the sales numbers over the last few decade show people overwhelmingly prefer SUVs and trucks to traditional passenger sedans or vans.
folks have decided they prefer larger and more expensive vehicles, and systematically do not purchase smaller or cheaper vehicles.
I’m the only person I know who owns a small sedan. everyone else has mid-large SUVs and trucks. they endlessly complain the cars are too large, and too expensive to drive… but to consider anything smaller or cheaper. if you point out you can get a loaded civic for 30K that does 40mpg+, and costs $30-40 to fill up, or similar, they basically start telling you how ‘tiny’ those cars are and they couldn’t possible ever drive one because it’s ‘not safe’ and ‘doesn’t have enough space’.
nobody is forcing anyone to purchase these cars. they choose to do it.
They can’t force people to buy SUVs, but when it’s much more profitable for car companies from the USA to make SUVs, thanks to that EPA loophole, then they are going to do everything to make sure everyone “wants” SUVs.
Decades of
propagandaadvertisements telling people they need to buy an SUV, plus the (real or not) perceived danger of having a smaller car… that might not technically count as “manufactured consent”, but imho it’s not too far off.People don’t buy what they want to buy, they buy what the constant barrage of advertising tells them to buy. Starting with those most susceptible, then peer pressure gets added to the adverts, add in government lobbying and a list of other underhanded tricks, and bosh, job done.
E-cigs, wank tanks, social media, “designer products”, the list goes on.