Like most other Americans and many other societies around the world I cannot imagine life with out cars. Cars have established convenience and immediacy to me personally and to many other individuals, but how do cars affect other aspects such as cultures and societies around the world? To understand the entire perspective one must first, remove the blinders placed upon them by personal experience and observe the situations from a wider viewpoint. This is what C. Wright Mills called sociological imagination. Mills described sociological imagination as “… the capacity to shift from one perspective to another—from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; …show more content…
From 1886 when German inventor Carl Benz invented the modern automobile, cars have both evolved to fit society’s needs and molded many societies in the process (“127 years of modern automobile evolution”). In 2015 cars have become more than a mobile that carries its own engine and transports a passenger. Many cars contain features such Internet capability and Bluetooth. Many cars are either fuel efficient or run on an alternative energy source. These features are a result of car producers adhering to the needs of an internet connect, social media dependable and environmentally aware society. Society is accountable for more then just these simple features. Our culture and society shapes everything from the design and capability of every car to how the producers advertise it. According to a study by Dag Balkmar called “On Men and Cars” Dag recognizes the association that is traditionally between “mobile machine” and masculinity and “immobile machinery” with femininity or “soft masculinity” Saying “Both car travel and the ideas of freedom and movement associated with the car are thus persistently linked with a masculine domain and masculine identity.” Culture’s association of masculinity with mobile machinery did not only impact the design of the modern car but also shape the advertisement used by car producers to sell their product, often …show more content…
From the start cars continue to have a large impact on the economy of any society. The use of the assembly lines to produce cars changed the motor industry by increasing the use of non-skilled labor to perform simple tasks (Jamie Page Deaton). According to “What in the F---‘s name is name is Fordism” written by Simon Clarke this change allowed for the industrialization of the American work force, the strengthening of capitalism and increased of immigrant worker in the work force. Clarke explained that U.S.A employers were able “… to exploit the mass influx of immigrant workers, and the very sharp sectional and racist divisions within the trades union movement…”(Clarke). This industrialization of America caused the unequal geographic distribution of jobs, wealth and the development of cities in areas where the industry was operating. The industrialization and capitalism of the States instilled the idea of the “American Dream” where unskilled labors can work up the socioeconomic ladder. This “American Dream” idea contributed to a mentality that shaped our culture and society and lead to increased immigration to the United