How not having a car became Hollywood shorthand for loser. - By Tom Vanderbilt - Slate Magazine

In this article in Slate Magazine,

How not having a car became Hollywood shorthand for loser. - By Tom Vanderbilt - Slate Magazine

Tom Vanderbilt writes about one of the unspoken assumptions of life here in the good ole US of A. We are programmed to equate freedom and much more with car ownership in a society where every adult over the legal driving age is expected to own a car. In fact what we are doing is limiting freedom - especially for our youngest and oldest citizens. Our young are hauled from one programmed event to another (also creating hardship for those who do the hauling) and our elderly, instead of being able to live independently with dignity are forced into regimented "retirement" communities. And finally, the cost of car ownership, could be transferred to other areas of our life where we would derive much greater benefits.