Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Big SUV - big bird

For a long time now Agent J and I have been letting out various exclamations every time we spot a Hummer on the road. Not that you ever see one "off road" - heaven forbid it might get dirty! Agent J is also known to flip them a "Loser!" L-sign - raise right hand in front of you, point thumb horizontally and index finger vertically (its backwards to you, but not from the front).

So it was with more than a little delight that we discovered, thanks to Chicken Or Beef, that there is a entire website devoted to such "gut reactions" caused by the obscenity of seeing a Hummer being proudly driven as a street vehicle.

Yes it's somewhat childish, but deep down it satisfies me to know that I'm not the only one sickened by its wretched excess and the knowledge that a massive tax credit would make this symbol of consumerism gone wild sell like hot cakes, and meanwhile its also exempt of CAFE fuel consumption standards that apply to other SUVs.

Having read much of the hate mail at the FUH2 website I have the feeling many Hummer drivers or wannabe drivers feel like the act of driving one is exactly a "F**k you!" to all us "tree huggin' liberals". In that case I think flipping the bird at a Hummer is a completely appropriate response since one's right to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness does not extend to actions that infringe on everyone elses rights to do the same. The United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars to defend foreign oil supplies, and thousands of people have died in wars that would never have been fought if the countries concerned hadn't been a part of the axis of oil. So on reflection flipping the bird at a Hummer actually seems more like a gross under reaction to me.

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