Automobile on American Leisure One

¶ … Automobile on American Leisure

One of the defining paradigms of American culture since at least the 1920s has been the automobile. In a sense, at least to American sensibilities, the Automobile was created by an American (Henry Ford), perfected by an American (Ford as well), and designed for the wide open spaces in the United States. To most Americans, the automobile symbolized something far more than transportation or movement from point A to B. The automobile, in fact, symbolized freedom -- freedom of movement from place to place, freedom to live in a different area than where one works, freedom from relying on public transportation, freedom to define oneself through the choice of automobile, and most of all, the freedom to make decisions about leisure time based on nothing more than the ability to get to a certain location with a car or truck. Ancillary to this was, particularly after the creation of the country's Interstate Highway System in 1956, were the various industries that crept up surrounding the "American Car Culture" (Hinckley, 2005). Locally, the drive-in restaurant, the drive-in theater, more recently drive up banking, fast food, even pharmacies. And, could one imagine a coffee culture without the drive up barista? Thus, the very idea of the personal automobile was one of those that author Malcolm Gladwell calling "The Tipping Point." Tipping Points are events that drastically change society in either a macro or micro manner -- sometimes with unexpected results. The events that follow make a difference in society -- they are the "wow" moment -- analogous to network theory. In other words, the more complex the event and number of individuals involved, the greater the effect (Gladwell, 2002).

History of the Automobile- As early as 1770, after the development of the steam engine, attempts were made to propel road vehicles. While mostly unsuccessful, in 1801 a British inventor names Richard Trevithick road tested a stem powered vehicle that carried several passengers. However, these early attempts were neither reliable nor inexpensive enough for the average person. In 1890, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach formed a company that would eventually become Mercedes Benz. This company continued to introduce new innovations which spread through the inventing world until 1896, when Henry Ford produced his first car. An important factor in the automobile history in the U.S. was the patent for the internal combustion engine, applied for in 1879 by George Baldwin Selden, a lawyer from New York. Several leading companies gained licenses under the patent, while others, such as Ford, refused to do so. When the Selden patent ended in 1915 there were 600,000 automobiles in the United States; most were driven by gasoline, some by steam, and some by electricity. Off patent, the internal combustion engine seemed the most cost effective and companies were formed, including one conceived by Henry Ford, to meet this new demand. Ford further enhanced auto production by developing a system to efficiently produce a basic car (the Model T) at a rapid rate, thus more affordable to the regular American citizen. This idea greatly influenced the average person's ability to purchase a car, as well as increase demand for ancillary services and support mechanisms (Corbett, 2005).

Leisure Tim in America- Leisure time, or what individuals do when not working, is a relatively modern concept. For much of history, regular people spent most of their waking hours working to survive. After the Industrial Revolution, however, and the growth of the middle, or leisure class, people had more time for sporting events, cultural events, and entertainment. However, these events were limited to either a distance that someone could reasonably travel using public transportation or special events that required planning and expense. For example, the rise of baseball as an American leisure activity was limited to trains, trolleys or other transportation systems that could get fans to and from the game in a reasonable amount of time. This limited the number of people that could attend the event, as well as the universe from which to pull for revenues. With the advent of the automobile, however, people who enjoyed baseball could travel on their own schedule a few hours in each direction to attend a favorite game, concert, or other leisure event. This freedom was essential in the changing focus of American leisure time, particularly since not every city has an adequate public transportation system (Cross, 2004).

The Automobile and American Culture -- The 1920s through the War Years- The pioneer motion picture director Cecil B. De Mille commented that automobiles and movies shared cultural origins, rose to popularity together, and became part of American culture because they both "reflected the love of motion and speed, the restless urge toward improvement and expansion, the kinetic energy of a young, vigorous nation." As both industries developed during the 1920s, they continued to find a cultural interconnection: location shooting forced crews to travel and Henry Ford established his own film unit, emphasizing rural and simple leisure activities, of course reached with a Model T. Combined with the costly and custom-built automobiles ordered for the newly wealthy movie stars, automobiles and movies revolutionized leisure time. Automobiles, in fact, changed the sense of what leisure time should be since free time with a care meant movement, travel, and activity rather than down time at home (Lewis and Goldstein, 1983, 183).

The automobile certainly changed the way the public viewed their place in society, with each other, and what kind of freedom and opportunity they had. For most this was a change from an inward view of culture to an external one -- from individualism to participation in something that was larger than life. The white elite used the driving experience to trek further and faster, even experiencing hardship and danger -- all during leisure time. The middle and working class believed that automobiles would provide them with the freedom previously offered only to the rich -- specifically to masculinze their own degree of consumer identity. This was reflected in the way new models were introduced -- far from the utilitarianism of the Model T. For America's second class citizens of the time; women, immigrants, and ethnic minorities, automobiles offered the ability to prove one's equality and independence. Having access to an automobile meant that they were no longer trapped (Seiler, 2008, 40-42).

No one knew, though, that in October 1929 the U.S. would be hit with a stock market crash and the resulting decade of Depression. This did not stop automakers from continuing to improve their models, and certainly the mobility provided by cars allowed more people to move from area to area in search of work or a better life. This was epitomized by the movie version of The Grapes of Wrath in 1940 when the Joads moved to California via automobile, and although the machine was in constant need of repair, symbolized the benefit of the automobile as a providor of freedom (The 1930s - Cars Chugged Along Despite the Great Depression, 2009).

After the War -- An Era of Goodfeeling (1946-1975)- Culture was in for some rather large changes after World War II. American's suffered through almost two decades of shortages and economic hardship, retooling of factories, and a change in lifestyle expectations. The GI Bill sent thousands to college and helped a number of returning soldiers purchase quality homes. The catch -- those homes were often in outlying areas, away from the downtown core -- the suburbs were born. American suburbia would not have been possible, however, without the car culture -- one had to get to and from work, to the market, and with growing families, to all the events surrounding the new sense of prosperity and leisure time. American automakers were more than happy to retool the wartime factories for a huge push on automobiles, and the lessons learned during the war were put to good use with more technology, V-8 engines, and large back seats and cargo areas for vacationing. "See the U.S.A. In your Chevrolet," for example, was one of the catchwords of the era. As the infrastructure around the suburbs grew, the demand for a more sophisticated highway system grew as well. Exploding metropolis cities in the Midwest and West Coast regions caused an additional reliance on autoculture. One study in 1957 indicated that in America's 25 largest cities, 60% of the workers communted in from the suburbs via their personal car (Flink, 1975). Indicative of the era was also the shopping mall, again usually located in the suburnan area, the drive-in movie entertainment in the car, cross-country or regional road trips, and the pioneering opening of leisuretime theme parks like Disneyland, Six Flags, and a new focus on America's national park systems. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, television brought "appropriate family life" into America's living rooms, showing the car as an essential part of American leisure. America was hooked, and the automobile was just one way individuals could experience leisure. The idea of "cruising" -- that is driving up and down certain areas of the city, typically by teens, even became part of popular culture, and the design and customization of the car (Danesi, 2008, 105-11).

It was also during this time that more and more families were living in mobile home parks so, with their car, they could relocate at a much shorter notice. Harper's Magazine said of many of the new auto culture workers that their sense of community had been eroded somewhat by suburbia. When asked where their home was, some replied, "Do you mean where I was born, where I live now, where I lived a couple of years ago, where my folks live, or where I last voted?" (Schorr, 1958)

Greed and the Gas Pump (1976-1992) -- Automobiles changed with the time, the 1960s brought more and more imports from Europe and Japan, with the Volkswagon "Bug" even starring in its own movie series. As the Vietnam War ended, the Hippie generation faded, America faced a new, dual challenge with the automobile: imports were becoming even better and gas was getting more expensive. During th 1970s, motor vehicle registration increased by almost 50 million, but manner of fuel consuption changed. Gasoline shortages resulted in a 1974 speed limit of 55 miles per hour on all U.S. highways and the establishment of a new fuel economy standards. Politicians were critical of imported oil, and suddenly the idea of the car as the pinnacle of leisure activity became expensive. America was, however, too ingrained in the auto culture, too hooked on commuting, and even with the changes made during the Regan revolution, never again felt the freedom to use their cars the way they had in the 1950s and 1960s (Jakle and Sculle, 2002, 70-9).

Fuel Effeciency and Advanced Technology (1993-presnet) -- The automobile was no longer an American institution, even for Americans. Multi-giant car makers in Japan had a substantial portion of the market (Toyota, Acura, Honda, Lexus) and some of the newer and less expensive models in Hyndai and Kia; Europe continued to export Volkswagon, Audi, and Mercedes Benz -- all seemingly more in tune with the American personality that the Big 5 in Detroit. The trend became, especially for men, that the type of car, the customization, and even the brand, became a personality extension. This was complicated by a resurgence in ecological thinking and the green revolution, in which alternative fuels, hybrid or electric cars, were actively being marketed. Thus, we now have a leisure class who purchases a car to tell the world that they are politically correct (Subaru, Toyota Prius), active (SUV), a soccer Mom personality (Vans), financially secure (BMW, Mercedes, Lexus), or part of the "cool generation" (usually smaller Japanese sportscars tricked out including massive stereo systems) (Carducci, 2009, 13-15).