For instance, I have a friend, a grad student, who is forced to cross almost ALL of the city of Champaign, IL to get from her condo to the UIUC biology lab where she works. Champaign is riddled with hazardous obstacles such as construction projects, stop lights, other motorists, and pedestrians. Without her trusty SUV, she would not be able to plow through, drive over, and otherwise utterly crush these dangerous and potentially deadly obstructions.
SUV's are an important part of the US and Middle-Eastern economy, and hopefully everyone in the entire world will soon see the logic of owning such a powerful workhorse in these unforgiving and uncivilized times.
Example: A friend of mine slid into some trees, the chassis shifted and every single window exploded from the pressure.
I would just like to say here that I am not trying to say that SUV's are great, that they are not a threat to the environment, that they are the safest things on the road, etc. I'm just trying to point out the stupidity of most of the complaints.
So why do you hate SUV's? If you take a look at the fact that no one complains about pickups, which are more common on the roads and have the same downsides as SUV's, it seems pretty clear to me that people just hate the fad. If you hate SUV's because you think they're a fad, that's fine, but don't make up a buch of BS trying to justify it. And if you're really concerned about the environment, then there are a lot more useful things you could do than whine about SUV's (which, if you think about it, does nothing to help the problem). And if you want to complain about the reasons people buy SUV's, fine, but you need to complain about your fellow human beings, not the vehicle.
Oh, if anyone is wondering about the fact that there are more pickups on the road than SUV's, look up the facts. The Ford F-Series pickup has been the best selling vehicle for like 20 years running. Last year Ford sold more F-Series trucks than SUV's by about a 2:1 margin.
Clearly, you are entitled to any opinion you want, as long as it is factually sound. Similarly, it is your choice whether you buy an SUV or not. I am simply going to offer a few quick counterpoints.
Obviously, I could be wrong. Maybe in the US, it's common to pick the kids up from school in a pickup truck. I don't know. If anyone else does though, feel free to /msg me corrections, or add a writeup of your own.
I have often come across very depressed SUVs. These off road vehicles are built like tanks and are probably the only cars that can survive the kinds of roads found in the developing world. Yet, these Olympic beasts, the WWF wrestlers of the automotive world, are enslaved by the rich. I remember one Range Rover in particular. I was walking in an affluent neighborhood in Vancouver when we met. It looked at me sadly, an invisible tear held back in the darkened headlight. The paint job was immaculate, the leather interior was spotless, and the fake diamonds which studded the automatic (automatic!) stick shift, glistened in the moonlight. It was beautiful and it had everything that a car could ever dream of. Yet, it was unhappy. In fact it was miserable. I placed my hand on the hood and whispered that one day I would find a solution. It understood me and silenced its own alarm as I ran down the alley and hid from the police.
There are Range Rovers and other SUVs like this one throughout the western world. They are used to take the kiddies to ballet class, to drop off the dry cleaning and for errands at the shopping mall. The most adventure one will ever see is the short journey to the nearest ski resort. Meanwhile, while living in the lap of luxury, these vehicles muse every moment of their dull lives of adventure. They fantasize about dirt tracks and potholes, about near vertical climbs and the danger of the jungle, the desert, the mountains. These cars, my friends, need to be shown a different life than that of the smooth paved one of the world's metropolises.
And herein, lies my solution. The SUVs of the world must be emancipated and sent to where they belong. Show a Range Rover a piece of the road in Cambodia or Africa and watch as a slight tremor passes through its metallic body, a mechanic metaphor for a wagging tail.
This is your mission. Go out and save those SUVs. The people of the poorer nations deserve SUVs and SUVs deserve to work alongside the people of the developing world.
Some might say that I am condoning auto theft. I say I am trying to make this world a better place for all.
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