Freewrite: Taming the Iron Bull

Besides my response to the questions posed by the 8TSOC, I will offer up my own opinions on problems connected to our oil production. I will cover a variety of subjects, each which has some connection to the growth and decline of oil.

With all the talk of buying fuel to prepare for a shortage, it is important for us to realize and evaluate where all that fuel is going. Through rational analysis, perhaps we might realize how our fuel might be better spent, and where it is being used efficiently. I will start with the simplest target of evaluation, the mighty SUV. Despite pushing for cleaner fuels with one hand, companies like Ford or GM push large vehicles with another. I am not coming down as hard on trucks or jeeps for a reason; some people actually do need the space to carry around large materials or to travel over rough terrain due to the demands of their job or lifestyle. With such trucks out there, I see little need for things like Hummers.

Why are people so compelled to buy such vehicles, even though they might easily be aware of problems with fuel? Why feel the need to use such vehicles in a fuel shortage like the one we are having now? Perhaps we might turn to the media for a response.

A number of ads are already out on the market touting Ford's newest "super-duty" trucks or the new Silverado from Chevy (just examples, not endorsements). The images associated with such vehicles are those of ruggedness or power. Hell, Ford's latest slogan for their F-Series is "Built Tough". I sincerely doubt women are going to be the ones lining up to buy their trucks.

This is but one example of such advertising. The general concept to take from this is how advertising tries to associate a certain product (trucks) with a certain image (classic manliness). For another example, consider what you think about when you see a person driving a BMW. Most of you might think that the person who owns it is rich, or at least likes the finer things in life. For SUVs, it might indicate the person likes things big. That, or they feel inadequate in more ways than one.

Ego jokes aside, it is important to realize how advertising and the marketing of certain images to a given audience can affect the way consumers think. With advertising budgets at a high and the GDP on the rise, I see no reason that this will stop anytime soon. The fuel shortage will continue regardless, but at least we can make things a little easier by putting the "iron bull" in its pen and letting our own opinions take root instead of what s pushed by advertising. The less SUVs using less fuel, the more there is for the practical people who drive cleaner cars, and the truckers who actually make use of big vehicles for something other than showing off.