This doesn't apply to everyone, not on such a deep emotional level (I liked cars but I was never naming and hugging and kissing them) but when a car is a necessity, and you spend large swaths of your life in one, you definitely form a certain attachment, if not to the specific car, then to the general vibe and lifestyle. For say, a trans person in the american south... a car could be a lifeline, frequently the only thing between you and homelessness, etc.

I'm thankful to not need a car anymore, and I've developed a similar but different attachment to/fondness for transit, but cars still hold a certain comfort as someone who grew up in the sticks originally, and whose first real dose of independence and refuge from the world was getting a drivers license and access to a car. And while that shouldn't be allowed to block reforms to the urban landscape that make cars less necessary and less viable, it's worth being more empathetic to those with a strong connection to the car as that process progresses.

Maybe this isn't even a good video to explain what I imply in the title but I hope it makes sense, and it did get me thinking about the topic

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[–] LaBellaLotta@hexbear.net 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I found that really touching and sweet. Car culture is writ large full of chuds and toxic masculinity and that’s why we all write it off. But there’s always another side to that story. The humble sedan is a universal symbol of the American proletariat whether they understand that way or not.

[–] YearOfTheCommieDesktop@hexbear.net 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The humble sedan is a universal symbol of the American proletariat whether they understand that way or not.

very true