Old, rich, self-centred and fat- that’s the city 4-wheel-driver
I was reading this article in my local newspaper today about 4W Drivers. The Husband will tell you that I have this thing about 4WDs. I hate the aggressive "better than you" ( see HarrangueMan's Blog on this) attitude of the people who drive them, but if asked what type of car I would buy if I could have anything- it's a 4WD - in particular, a Hummer.
Left: Inkling's dream car (with jacked up suspension)So you can imagine how disheartened when I read this article. Based on a report from The Australian Institute, issued by Clive Hamilton and Claire Barbato which looked into city drivers of large 4-wheel drives.
It states that “They might think of themselves as rugged individualists, but a report has found city owners of large four-wheel drives to be old, well-off, morally conservative, rich, self-centred and fat.”
This is what it has to say about the typical City 4-wheel driver:
- Typical driver is male
- 40s-50s
- Full time worker
- Higher than average income (duh, that’s how they can afford the expensive 4WD)
- Obese (2/3 of drivers were obese or overweight)
- Morally conservative
- Less community orientated
- More likely to dislike homosexuals
- Lower regard for indigenous culture
- Less sympathetic towards supporting disadvantaged people
- Drink beer- but not imported stuff
These people who I will to call ‘Rednecks’ are also less concerned about the impact of their decisions on others.
Left: A Redneck
Left: A redneck in his carApparently owners of ‘Luxury’ 4WDs are different- younger, wealthier, keener to look good and more likely to be women. These drivers are said to be more materialistic (one in three agreed they were ‘born to shop’), less likely to be obese- but worriede about their weight and more likely to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner.
Ahh, now this is more like me.....
posted by Capital Mum @ 9:15 AM
3 Comments:
Ah delicious irony. You blogged on this too.
Yours is a far better take on it though :)
Awww shucks.
Hope you would not think less of me if I fianlly reallised my dream of owning a 4WD- guess after this report it would have to be a 'luxury' one.
As an urban rider of a singlespeed I would have to agree with the top part of your blog. My bicycle weighs substantially less than the average Toorak truck, traverses the city faster (in peak hour). In addition the only fuel that my singlespeed requires is sweat, coffee, and the odd (imported) beer.
Conservative self centred monster truck drivers hate all of the above and usually winge loudly about how cyclists have no right to use the road as they pay no taxes. They forget that six bikes can occupy the space of a single monster truck, my overbuilt 12kg bike causes no potholes, and cyclists don't contribute to the air polution problem (except for beer farts).
Keep pedaling oRo
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