Cars And The Sexual Revolution Essay, Research Paper
The invention of the car during the 20th century had a tremendous impact not onlyon means of transportation but on society as a whole. Trade became advanced with thecreation of trucks. Overall business took huge steps of advancements. The automobilemade meetings, which were usually a nuisance or impossible, simple tasks. The highwaysand roads which came soon after the widespread production of automobiles have changedthe landscape of America and other industrialized nations. The automobile industry is atremendous and profitable business because now a days it is extremely hard andimpractical to live a normal life without a car. It is no surprise that the size of a country seconomy is usually parallel to the size of that countries auto mobile industry. The jobswhich are supplied by huge companies like Ford and Honda each year are incomparable toany other industry. Unfortunately with all the positive aspects of the creation of theautomobile there have come many negative aspects. Global air pollution, noise pollution,and automobile accidents which rank among the leading cause of death and injuries eachyear.. For better or worse the 1900 s can be called the age of the automobile and cars willno doubt continue to shape our culture as we enter the future. Besides for the obvious advantages and disadvantages which have been the resultof the coming of the automobile, there are many not so obvious results . Before thepowerful machine was created in the early 19oo s and earlier, most people worked ontheir own land growing crops to feed their families. People relied on horse and carriages totravel. The family was a closely knit group of people because they spent so much timetogether, unlike the families of our day and age.. Life was centered around work and family and little else. Sex was an act of G-d and was to only be done with your husband orwife. The word sex was rarely spoken out loud and sexual feelings of any kind werepraised only if they were oppressed. Dates between teenagers were very different than thekind we know of today. Teenage boys would walk down the road for a few minutes or afew hours to the girls doorstep where he would be greeted by a stern look on his datesfathers face. Before he would even lay eyes on the girl, the frightened boy was told to sitdown and the father would lay down the laws. He would usually confine the two lovebirds
to the sofa in the lining room where he and mother could keep an eyes out for anysuspicious trouble Then the car was invented. Everything was turned upside down to the dismay ofthe over protective, strict parents of the pre 1915 era. Young men who could afford tospend 345 dollars could buy themselves a brand new shiny Ford. Not only would theseyoung men be able to get from point a to point b but they could do it in style. Thus thestatus symbol of the automobile was created. If you had a car you stood out. You werespecial especially in the eyes of young ladies. It showed you were cool and you had a fewdimes to throw away on ice cream soda and the Sunday matinee. Sad but true we all nowthat if you have some money to shell out its much easier to get woman. When you roll upin that cherry red 57 Mustang its only natural that heads will turn and eyes would stare.The smoothly shaped metal frame , the butter soft leather seats, and the radio it was anastonishing piece of art. Now instead of going to your dates house and sitting there andplaying scrabble with her mom and her younger brother, you could go as far as the tendollars of gas money pops gave you could travel. With a little persuasion and sweettalking your date could even stay out past 12. Now more than ever was it possible forteenagers to explore and experience sexual relationships. Back seats of Chevrolets becamebeds with wheels. You could take your date out to eat and then drive up to that hill that sin every old movie and every episode of The Wonder Years and you would be in aromantically inclined peaceful parent free area. The car triggered a whole chain of sexualevents. It allowed kids to have premarital sex easily , condoms were not in such high useduring theses times therefore many women became pregnant from men they did plan onmarrying. Thus the need for abortion arose. It also made woman more independent frommales than before because if a woman did not choose to marry her child s father, shewould become a single mother which requires a great deal of energy. Sex and cars two of America s and the worlds favorite thing, it should be nosuprise that they have ties.It is obvious the tremendous impact the car has had on our livesand the world we live in. Whether you believe it is for better or for worse that theautomobile was created it will no doubt continue to have a great impact on travel and anarray of other characteristics of our lives. As for sex , well all things aside we need it toreproduce.
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