discussion section

Read.

and Discuss the article in the comments below as to its implications on American society and the current trends of government and civic duty in the social sphere. Do you agree that the car is in many ways responsible for making America a nation of pushy, individualistic monsters and does that really have an effect on the way we act outwardly as human beings? Or do you disagree and take the side of the drivers?

Incidentally, this reminds me of a point brought up at the end of Children of Dune (a point not brought up in the TV movie, to my disappointment), that humankind is a colony animal- in other words, we are meant to work as a smooth social unit in order to create peace amongst ourselves. Frighteningly, in the book this concept is presented as meaning a smothering of artistic and individualistic thinking- the utopian "dream" of peace under submission. Leto seems to think that this peace is a punishment for humanity's past trangressions against itself. But I personally think we could develop this idea- the idea of a colony- into something more flexible and useful. If you set up ancient tribal and prehistoric culture as a sort of golden age of humanity, you could in a sense see our weakening of mutual beneficial culture into more autocratic societies as the reason for our discontents as a species.

Toying around with ideas here- to see where they lead me. Your turn!