America’s Driving Mandate: Don’t Call It “Freedom”

Read the full post at - America’s Driving Mandate: Don’t Call It “Freedom” In the beginning, there was public right of way – the freedom of movement between & amongst property. And then, America decided to mandate a specific vehicle for the public right of way above all else -> America’s Driving Mandate: Don’t Call It “Freedom” There is a story Americans like to tell about ourselves: that we love our cars, our cul-de-sacs, our three-car garages and two-car commutes. That we “chose” this. That suburban sprawl is the natural expression of an American preference for space, privacy, and the open road, and that anyone who suggests otherwise is a coastal scold trying to force us into a crowded apartment over a noisy bar. It’s a great story. It is also, in the most literal sense, advertising — sold to us for nearly a century by the auto industry, the oil industry, and others whose business models depend on robust car and oil sales. And the proof that it’s advertising, rather than reporting,…