Americans entitled to cheap gas -- right?

[Kadie]

Americans entitled to cheap gas -- right?

Joan Ryan
Thursday, May 20, 2004

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Over the years, Americans have taken a lot of vicious abuse for being selfish and irresponsible. We are often portrayed as a nation that wants to have its cake and eat it too, which, as any American knows, is patently untrue. We also want our ice cream and maybe some Cool Whip.

I bring this up because, once again, we are the targets of international ridicule, this time for our anger over rising gas prices. Gas is up now to about $2 a gallon around the nation. It is averaging $2.31 in California. These prices are outrageous, as indicated by the newspaper and TV-news stories quoting motorists as saying, "These prices are outrageous.''

The rest of the world, however, is not sympathetic. They think that because gas is $5.22 a gallon in England, $4.24 a gallon in Tokyo and $4.92 a gallon in France, we are being piggy for complaining about per-gallon gas prices that, even with the recent spike, are still cheaper than a Starbucks Frappuccino.

Apparently the rest of the world doesn't understand the underlying sociological reasons we react as we do to increases in gas prices. Unlike them, we drive cars the size of Paris apartments. They obviously don't realize how much gas cars like these consume! It apparently has come as something of a surprise to many of us, too.

more... http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/20/BAGEJ6O54F1.DTL

[phantom power]

1. reminds me of "Bowling for Columbine"

something of a tangent, but I saw Bowling for Columbine for the first time the other night, and I was struck by Moore's conclusion: that he can't really quite explain why we Americans have such a problem with gun violence.

I can't either, but it all ended up smelling like an emergent-behavior to me. Look for any one, easily-isolated cause, and you come up dry. It's something more subtle than that.

Anyway, this essay kind of had the same flavor. Why *do* we have such a bloated consumer culture? I expect that no single factor pans out as an answer.

[Pillowbiter]

6. Sorry to take this off topic

but that Moore couldn't come to any conclusion after doing so well in bringing many disparate tangents together, annoyed me.

We have a problem with gun violence because we are afraid. Yes we are cowards. We are afraid that someone is going to attack us at any moment and if we don't have a gun, we will die.

This fear keeps people voting republican, hence and idiot like Bush can get appointed without a bloody revolution. They fear black people, they fear gays, they fear liberals, commies, saddam, osama, smart people, gun grabbing people who obiously are out to get them or why would they want to take away their guns...

Ennyways, I hope I have clarified without sounding condescending.

PB

[Ganja Ninja]

2. In a way I'll be happy to see gas go to $4.00 a gallon.

There's insanity on the roads and I long for the days when we had a gas crunch and people had to think a little about how much they were using. If it slows them down a little and forces them to conserve by taking fewer trips it won't be all bad. Also seeing the SUV craze die out would be great too. I think it would be wonderful to see all the SUV's replaced by cars like the Mini Cooper.

[quispquake]

3. I agree!

Although I hope that if gas prices do get that high, it's because of taxes that are helping us in other ways like funding our schools etc. and not going into the already full pockets of oil executives. I've been saying for a long time that if we had gas prices like the rest of the world, this blight of SUV's would finally pass...

[Dissenting_Prole]

4. America's entitlement

America's entitlement to cheap gas will be the worst part of the peak oil scenario. It's not the End of Oil that will be the problem, it's the lack of cheap fossil fuels that will cause economic, social and political unrest.

http://www.endofsuburbia.com/

[tandot]

5. My car get 34 miles per gallon. I don't buy Starbucks Frappuccino

or bottled water. I've actually never had any Starbucks coffee of any kind. I prepare my lunch at home and take it to work in a lunch box to save money. I don't know how long it has been since I've bought a new dress.

I selected my car because of the fuel efficiency and reliability.

Gas prices hurt me because I don't have any other way to get to work (50 miles one-way, no mass-transit). I know that in Europe it is much more expensive. Should I be glad that I pay only $2?

While we are paying high gas prices, the Oil Industry is reporting record profits.

While people are getting tax breaks for buying those ultra heavy SUVs, I am getting sh*t.

[aneerkoinos]

7. Understanding

"Apparently the rest of the world doesn't understand the underlying sociological reasons we react as we do to increases in gas prices. Unlike them, we drive cars the size of Paris apartments. They obviously don't realize how much gas cars like these consume! It apparently has come as something of a surprise to many of us, too."

Quite a lot people abroad do understand the huge misinvestment of (originally racially driven) building suburbian lifestyle and energy dependent agriculture and industry. We are just appalled and really really frustrated by what we understand.