This is moreso an unpopular opinion within my (younger) generation, but i LOVE cars. Specifically Classic American Muscle. I love they way they sound, look, and feel when you are driving one. I love the moving components and the mechanics of a well tuned V8 engine. Now im not one of those people thats “ I AM ONE WITH MY MACHINE I PUT THE STICK SHIFT IN MY ASS ID FUCK MY CAR IF I COULD!”
In regards to why i think this is an unpopular opinion is because my generation really does not like cars m, especially within far leftist circles (anarchist, socialist , communist circles, also see /c/fuckcars.) I myself am a anarchist-socialist. Despite my love of cars I completely understand why the frustration and hatred of cars is growing. The USA auto market in particular continues its awful trends of oversized SUVS and pickup trucks. I hold a massive appreciation for the “small” pickup trucks such as the toyota hilux and kei truck which funny enough are not legal to own in the usa without jumpjng through hoops. (proof that you dont need a massive truck to haul most things and that massive oversized truck drivers really are just compensating for something.)
The car and oil industry are massively exploitive, evil, and greedy capitalist machines that need to be destroyed. We as people need to cut back on emissions, we need better public transport infrastructure everywhere, we need to cut down on production of newer cars (We dont need a new version every year of whatever shit car is being produced by big corporations), we need to quit or extremely cut back our reliance on fossil fuel, the obvious massive damage to the environment done by the automobile and oil industry, theres so many downsides to the automobile specifically in the USA. Infrastructure is completely and totally shit, the highway system is awful, Insurance is fuckin completely insane as a concept, the way people drive is horrendous and dangerous, and not to mention the price of upkeep on a vehicle.
Aside from the obvious cons to the car, the car culture itself can be really shit sometimes because especially in the classic muscle scence is mostly comprised of bigoted old crusty dudes that are always bitching about the “good times.” Theres also the same problem among the jdm car scence of general toxic masculinity but thankfully its getting better thanks to a younger more inclusive crowd of car enthusiasts.
(I also think pretty much all “exotic” super cars are pretty stupid and are more of a status symbol for elite rich assholes, then a genuine love or passion for automobiles)
Now for the reason I LOVE cars. I grew up with hot wheels and hot wheels media which greatly impacted my psyche as a kid and made me fall in love with the American muscle car. (Thanks capitalist corporate propaganda) Specifically a kick ass hot wheels movie called highway 35, which by the way has an awesome soundtrack with a song by smash mouth which went unbelievably hard as a kid and still kinda does lol. It made me grow to love cars and racing. What was nice about this particular piece of corporate propaganda media made to sell childrens toys, was that it was surprisingly inclusive with multiple races and featuring women drivers which was huge at the time for media targeted mostly at boys which I unironically think helped me have an more inclusive views growing up as a kid. I come from a line of car enthusiasts who all owned various kickass muscle cars back in the hey day of the american v8 muscle car.
I dont know if you would call it indoctrination but it greatly formed who i would become as a person. Thankfully i also grew up with Thomas the train engine so i would also always love trains and public infrastructure thankfully.
I own a classic American muscle car that i purchased with money that i worked for since i was a pre-teen and it has been a joy to work on it myself. The feeling of being on a wide open road and being able to open it is fantastic. With the windows rolled down, wind in my hair, music blasting, and the loud roar of the engine has produced some of the most euphoric and beautiful moments of serenity in my life. Im not kidding when i say it brought me to tears but im a sensitive guy. Working on it and repairing has also greatly deepened my appreciation for the automobile as a utilitarian and blue collar machine.
It breaks my heart but yet I completely understand why the younger generations really dont care for or despise the automobile. For most of the younger generation Its a symbol of a begone age and of the oppressive captalistic system in place. For me the automobile doesnt represent wealth or status, but a true representation of rebellion, freedom, the working class, ingenuity, character, and more.
It will ultimately be a fantastic day when the car is not the primary mode of transportation globally. However a part of me will always weep the death of the automobile and will always hold out hope that there will always be at least a small place for it whether it be country backroads or private race tracks.