If you’re reading this, chances are you want to know what this insert is doing in the middle of our beloved Campus Times. The answer is that this insert (along with a second one scheduled to drop on May 11) is the project I designed and took on in order to graduate with a degree in journalism come the end of May. If you’re wondering why I decided to do a newspaper insert dealing with most things automotive, I have to assume you don’t know me…at all.
Yes, the words below that mug shot tell you my name is Tom Anderson. What it doesn’t tell you is that I live for cars. I also enjoy writing, so writing about cars should be a natural extension of those two passions, right? Right. That’s why I chose to do this for my senior project. But I also did it because I want to share and maybe, just maybe, pass some of my enthusiasm on to you.
Now I know there are those of you out there who proudly blame cars for causing everything global warming, to urban poverty, world hunger, the military-industrial complex and Don Imus’ ignorance. Okay, maybe not that last one. But the point is there are plenty of haters out there. For all I know you might be one of them. But I do know that no single invention has had as profound and far-reaching social and physical impacts on human civilization as the automobile has.
It has made it possible for people to travel hundreds of miles in a day instead of a few dozen.
It has been the inspiration behind countless songs, books, movies and TV shows.
It has created new opportunities for us to express our personalities and tastes (or lack thereof).
But most of all, the automobile has given humankind the sort of freedom and mobility that sets the spirit free and the feeling of sheer exuberance that comes with having the ability to go where you want to, when you want to.
Furthermore, many of us make cars extensions of ourselves, and sometimes give them human qualities. Losing a car, whether through theft, crash or sale, can be as traumatic as losing a close family member or loved one. Those who have owned many cars over the years may view their various rides as metaphors or land-marks for stages in our lives. And no one looks back with nostalgia on the various brands and models of refrigerator or television they’ve owned!
My passion for cars dates back to well before I can remember, and it only seems to grow stronger with time. By making these inserts available to you, I hope to make at least a few of the skeptics out there realize that, for better or for worse, cars are here to stay as an indispensable part of our civilization, and that they can and should be enjoyed as machines that are not only vital to our everyday lives, but also as blank canvases on which we can paint portraits of who we are and what we believe in. The cars we drive and how we equip them are as much a part of who we are as how we dress. That’s part of the appeal. I hope you come to see that to even a fraction of the extent I have.
Drive safely, and thanks for reading.
