Old 04-30-12, 11:43 PM
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bragi
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Originally Posted by gerv
North America and Europe seemed to be pretty good at selling automobiles and the car lifestyle to the rest of the world.

That's probably why China, as we speak, is choking in automobile fumes with unbearable traffic.

Perhaps we owe it to the world to sell a different lifestyle, where people can move around without strangling the cities they live in. I guess the Dutch and Danes are doing this right now.

But how could the North Americans help?

I keep thinking Hollywood is one answer... perhaps a movie about a cool carfree dude... perhaps starring Ed Begley.

Or what about making the hipster, single-speed lifestyle an integral part of the rock and roll we export to so many countries.

Would this work? Could we do it? How?
Let's not be hypocrites. Before we export the car-free lifestyle to the rest of the world, perhaps we should try to get even a tiny fraction of our own people out of their cars for longer than it takes to refuel or buy a double-bacon cheeseburger. The last time I checked, the percentage of bicycle/walking commuters in the US was in the very low single digits.
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