The Culture from Above and Below

The discussion we had on Wednesday was definitely intriguing and I would
also like include some thoughts on the discussion of the above and
bellow cultures. I am not entirely sure environmentalism is a culture
but in my opinion it qualifies as a culture from below. I would say it
is a culture from below since we have had the technology, knowledge and
ability to sustain ourselves without oil since World War II. And of
course, the culture from above would be its counter… the oil and auto
companies.
The talks about sustainable energy and protecting the environment were
going on in the 70’s and we had the electric car in the late 90’s, so
how did that change our perceptions? Not significantly enough. But
improvement in our views is changing since we are pressed against the
wall and there’s nothing left to do but alter our direction. In the
recent year or so (since the gas price hit $5 a gallon a year and a half
ago) it’s becoming a very “cool” craze to be “eco friendly” or “green
oriented” and I’m glad that our generation is taking the steps to
achieve and make it a dominant culture. We have all the resources and
means to make it happen and it is definitely the “new wave”. Our
predecessors organized each other and brought environmental stewardship
in the form of “Woodstock” which was an incredible success and small
non-governmental organizations have been struggling against all odds.
And it is refreshing to see our government taking some initiative to
improve the “Car Nation”. We are slowly turning into a more eco friendly
culture and that can only enrich us.
The culture from above… well living in our cars is a culture, I am
positive about this one. I wonder how many of you have extra pairs of
shoes, or a clean shirt on the back seat of your car, or keep the extra
key to your apartment. First of all it is a culture from above because
it was spread around from the top-down. In Los Angeles during the 50’s
and 60’s there was an amazing transportation system, there were trams
called “Red Cars” that ran all over town. They went from the Valley to
Santa Monica and Westwood and Downtown L.A. Then came the oil and auto
companies and saw potential; potential to make profit. Los Angeles is
perfect place to build an empire and know for the next fifty or hundred
years you will be collecting the sweet fruits of creating the “Car
Nation”. Los Angeles is a culture just by itself and it is the above
culture nevertheless. We are obsessed with our cars and living without
them even for a week would be unimaginable. Our lives revolve around
vehicles and that is the truth. In some parts of Los Angeles the more
expensive the car the more popular you would be in school or in your
job. We live in a materialistic world and I am not a bit surprised the
car became so popular. Even our parents bribe us with cars… “Get
straight A’s this semester; you have a BMW waiting for you!”
Some cultures are destructive and harm our society but we should not let
them define us.