Originally posted by republic
I dunno, I've always felt that a car, at least as an American, is the defining symbol of freedom. At 16 we are given this freedom, we can travel anywhere in our nation without paperwork, permission...or anything.
You get up one morning and want to go see the Alamo? Then go. You want to see where a random dirt road leads...you go.
I'm sure it's probably a cultural difference, I suspect in China they have more mass transit alternatives than we have here. I imagine if everyone in China owned 2 vehicles, as is common in America, they would have nothing but gridlock.
One of my favorite things in life, is to hop in my old Nissan, and see where a road goes. Really, imo....that's freedom incarnate.
Well freedom incarnate is a rather limited freedom:
1. You're stuck with going where the roads do, which means relying essentially on the government.
For example: you can't go anywhere on my island, because they are no roads; so hopping into your old Nissan would mean you're going absolutely nowhere out here -- ditch the car and you can walk though. So in my case a car would hugely limit my freedom.
2. Even with a huge network of government built and maintained roads (going on reality rather than the hypothetical -- and private firms charge money for you to travel, further impeding freedom) there are still great limitations to freedom they offer: you're still stuck in the US - and not even all of the US (try driving to Alaska or Hawaii without paperwork, permission...or anything). You get up one morning and want to see Honolulu? In a car, you're stuffed.
3. Owning a car is also rather limited as a freedom as you need cash to buy it and run it: paying the government tax, paying for the fuel etc etc. Hardly an inalienable right.
All in all, the car isn't the thing offering you freedom. In fact it may enslave and imprison more than it frees -- how long do you spend a week in your car? How much room do you have inside your car? Sure the car moves, but for the entire journey, you're stuck in a seat, and maybe even strapped in place. In fact it sounds a lot like some dreadful prison in a way: is the car not a bit of a gilded cage?
I like trains best as a mode of land travel because you meet lots of people, can wander about whenever you like and have fun & drinks. It's like a big bar on wheels. Ships are nice too. Cars, buses and aeroplanes are uniformly awful and boring ways to travel.
