Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2001. [Vol. 7.] Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 27)
Studies - Sándor Végh: Adoption or Adaptation?: Interpretations of the Automobile
riders wherever they personally pleased. If one was driving a bus or a huge truck trailer —as historian F. L. Allen pointed out —he felt even more kingly since he felt responsible for the wielding of a sizeable concentration of force. According to him, this phenomenon was especially noticeable in the South where black people had been oppressed to the greatest extent by racial status. Whites began to complain about "uppity niggers" on the highways where "there was no Jim Crow" (Big Change 130). Hence, the instant demand of the upper class for more luxurious vehicles that only they could afford, in order to partially restore their weakened position on the road. From the beginning, the automobile has been an ultimate status symbol. Mowry believes that "people are giving less thought to the home and more to the car as an indicator of social position [see ACS J. The house stands still; only a chosen few can see the inside. But the car goes about; everybody sees it, and many observers know what it cost" (46). At the turn of the century, the automobile meant a decent social status. In the era of mass production and the Flivver, the unique, better-looking, more stylish, and more expensive models meant social appreciation. In the 1950's, the emphasis shifted to the size of the car; later the number of cars one owned was the main indicator of affluence. Today, since most families can afford a car (nine out of ten in 1994)"\ the more expensive, the more luxurious, or the more equipped the car is, the more likely that the owner maintains a high social standing. Moreover, the possession of a remarkably expensive car is a social expectation for the upper layer of the society. By the end of the 20th-century, rather the lack of the car became a social indicator, thus, "the car ... has become a measure of failure as well as a symbol a success" (Sanford 142). In fact, an interesting analogy can be discovered between the political and social events of the 1920's, and the .progress of automobility in the popular consciousness. The 1920's seemed to have been an extravagant and careless decade with its sensational news, criminal trials, horrifying murders, heroic achievements, and famous 1 In 1994, 89.3 percent of the American households owned a motor vehicle. In details, 33.1 million households owned one motor vehicle (35.3 % of the total), and 50.8 million (54.0%) owned two. or more. (Source: Statistical Abstracts of the United States, 1994) 85
