THE GREY haired gent got close and whispered to me,
worried. “Read your blog. We aren’t going to run out of oil,” he stated
flatly.
“Are we?” he pleaded.
Of all the generations, the Baby Boomers are the most
fearful, the most likely to deny that we will someday run out of oil. The thought of no petrol, and not being able
to drive, seems to fill them with dread.
Their entire lives, over 60 years, have been fuelled by petrol,
with family cars as a constant presence.
They are the first generation who grew up with the assumption they would
have a car. Always.
 |
| The Cheverlot looks anthropomorphic - must be a family member |
Their intense relationship with their cars is more than a
relationship. Cars give us our sense of
self. That includes a sense of belonging,
self-esteem, and status.
In the field of self-esteem, driving skill has become an
essential part of our ego. So many of us
think we are great drivers, and we need to believe that.
Many older men fear being told they have to give up driving,
ending probably the longest relationship of their lives.
My own father only stopped driving weeks before he
died. He could not even walk to his mail
box, due to the emphysema, heart disease, osteoporosis, and the effects of his
stroke, but he kept nipping down to the shops.
The dent in the rear of the car, he breezily confessed, was
from when he backed into someone at the shops.
 |
| From a time when everything was better. Apparently. |
Harder to extract from him was the admittance that he
managed to crash into his neighbours’ car.
He reversed out of his garage, across the street and hit the car parked
in their driveway.
When he was negotiating his (second) divorce settlement, I
insisted he throw in his car to the package, hoping he would now finally cease
driving. He agreed, but as soon as the
settlement was paid, he equally insisted on getting a new car.
I sat next to him the first time he drove it, and he wasn’t
behind the wheel 60 seconds before he slammed into a speed bump he did not
see. “You can have a drive now,” he said
shakily as he quickly pulled over.
My father was deeply convinced of his driving ability, and
only death separated him from his car.
Of all his fears when visiting the doctor, his greatest was the doctor
telling him he could not drive anymore.
The prospect of “no car” means more than the end of a deep relationship
for the ageing Baby Boomers. It may mean
a loss of part of themselves.
 |
| The Whitings were a Ford family. Sorry. |
For all generations, cars establish an identity. While many Australians will scratch their
heads when asked what religion they are, many will unhesitatingly place
themselves in one of two groups - Holden or Ford.
People become members of a tribe according to car preference. They identify themselves as tribal men
through Holden or Ford clothing. On the
walls of their homes, you can see the posters and artwork blaring Holden or
Ford.
For some, this relationship moves beyond a car giving sense
of self. The car gives them an identity.
The grey haired gent wanted to be assured I wasn’t going to take
away his petrol and render his car into a dust-gathering ornament. Like my Dad, that would diminish his manhood.
Fear not, Baby Boomers.
We won’t run out of petrol yet.
There will be just enough to last out your lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment