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TheSocialIdeologyoftheMotorcar
byMikaelColvilleAndersen July3,2013 original

ThisessaybyAndrGorz,theFrenchphilosopherwhopioneeredideasofpoliticalecology,wasfirstpublishedin1973inLeSauvage.Muchofitisstill applicabletodayandwellwortharead. TheSocialIdeologyoftheMotorcar byAndrGorz Theworstthingaboutcarsisthattheyarelikecastlesorvillasbythesea:luxurygoodsinventedfortheexclusivepleasureofaveryrichminority,and whichinconceptionandnaturewereneverintendedforthepeople.Unlikethevacuumcleaner,theradio,orthebicycle,whichretaintheirusevaluewhen everyonehasone,thecar,likeavillabythesea,isonlydesirableandusefulinsofarasthemassesdon'thaveone.Thatishowinbothconceptionand originalpurposethecarisaluxurygood.Andtheessenceofluxuryisthatitcannotbedemocratised.Ifeveryonecanhaveluxury,noonegetsany advantagesfromit.Onthecontrary,everyonediddles,cheats,andfrustrateseveryoneelse,andisdiddled,cheated,andfrustratedinreturn. Thisisprettymuchcommonknowledgeinthecaseoftheseasidevillas.Nopoliticohasyetdaredtoclaimthattodemocratisetherighttovacation wouldmeanavillawithprivatebeachforeveryfamily.Everyoneunderstandsthatifeachof13or14millionfamiliesweretouseonly10metersofthe coast,itwouldtake140,000kmofbeachinorderforallofthemtohavetheirshare!Togiveeveryonehisorhersharewouldbetocutupthebeachesin suchlittlestripsortosqueezethevillassotightlytogetherthattheirusevaluewouldbenilandtheiradvantageoverahotelcomplexwoulddisappear. Inshort,democratisationofaccesstothebeachespointtoonlyonesolutionthecollectivistone.Andthissolutionisnecessarilyatwarwiththeluxury oftheprivatebeach,whichisaprivilegethatasmallminoritytakesastheirrightattheexpenseofall. Now,whyisitthatwhatisperfectlyobviousinthecaseofthebeachesisnotgenerallyacknowledgedtobethecasefortransportation?Likethebeach house,doesn'tacaroccupyscarcespace?Doesn'titdeprivetheotherswhousetheroads(pedestrians,cyclists,streetcarandbusdrivers)?Doesn'titlose itsusevaluewheneveryoneuseshisorherown?Andyetthereareplentyofpoliticianswhoinsistthateveryfamilyhastherighttoatleastonecarand thatit'suptothe"government"tomakeitpossibleforeveryonetoparkconveniently,driveeasilyinthecity,andgoonholidayatthesametimeas everyoneelse,going70mphontheroadstovacationspots. Themonstrousnessofthisdemagogicnonsenseisimmediatelyapparent,andyeteventheleftdoesn'tdisdainresortingtoit.Whyisthecartreatedlikea sacredcow?Why,unlikeother"privative"goods,isn'titrecognisedasanantisocialluxury?Theanswershouldbesoughtinthefollowingtwoaspects ofdriving: 1.Massmotoringeffectsanabsolutetriumphofbourgeoisideologyonthelevelofdailylife.Itgivesandsupportsineveryonetheillusionthateach individualcanseekhisorherownbenefitattheexpenseofeveryoneelse.Takethecruelandaggressiveselfishnessofthedriverwhoatanymomentis figurativelykillingthe"others,"whoappearmerelyasphysicalobstaclestohisorherownspeed.Thisaggressiveandcompetitiveselfishnessmarksthe arrivalofuniversallybourgeoisbehaviour,andhascomeintobeingsincedrivinghasbecomecommonplace.("You'llneverhavesocialismwiththat kindofpeople,"anEastGermanfriendtoldme,upsetbythespectacleofParistraffic). 2.Theautomobileistheparadoxicalexampleofaluxuryobjectthathasbeendevaluedbyitsownspread.Butthispracticaldevaluationhasnotyetbeen followedbyanideologicaldevaluation.Themythofthepleasureandbenefitofthecarpersists,thoughifmasstransportationwerewidespreadits superioritywouldbestriking.Thepersistenceofthismythiseasilyexplained.Thespreadoftheprivatecarhasdisplacedmasstransportationand alteredcityplanningandhousinginsuchawaythatittransferstothecarfunctionswhichitsownspreadhasmadenecessary.Anideological ("cultural")revolutionwouldbeneededtobreakthiscircle.Obviouslythisisnottobeexpectedfromtherulingclass(eitherrightorleft). Letuslookmorecloselynowatthesetwopoints. Whenthecarwasinvented,itwastoprovideafewoftheveryrichwithacompletelyunprecedentedprivilege:thatoftravellingmuchfasterthan everyoneelse.Nooneuptothenhadeverdreamtofit.Thespeedofallcoacheswasessentiallythesame,whetheryouwererichorpoor.Thecarriagesof therichdidn'tgoanyfasterthanthecartsofthepeasants,andtrainscarriedeveryoneatthesamespeed(theydidn'tbegintohavedifferentspeedsuntil theybegantocompetewiththeautomobileandtheaeroplane).Thus,untiltheturnofthecentury,theelitedidnottravelatadifferentspeedfromthe people.Themotorcarwasgoingtochangeallthat.Forthefirsttimeclassdifferencesweretobeextendedtospeedandtothemeansoftransportation. Thismeansoftransportationatfirstseemedunattainabletothemassesitwassodifferentfromordinarymeans.Therewasnocomparisonbetween themotorcarandtheothers:thecart,thetrain,thebicycle,orthehorsecar.Exceptionalbeingswentoutinselfpropelledvehiclesthatweighedatleast atonandwhoseextremelycomplicatedmechanicalorganswereasmysteriousastheywerehiddenfromview.Foroneimportantaspectofthe automobilemythisthatforthefirsttimepeoplewereridinginprivatevehicleswhoseoperatingmechanismswerecompletelyunknowntothemand whosemaintenanceandfeedingtheyhadtoentrusttospecialists.Hereistheparadoxoftheautomobile:itappearstoconferonitsownerslimitless freedom,allowingthemtotravelwhenandwheretheychooseataspeedequaltoorgreaterthanthatofthetrain.Butactually,thisseeming independencehasforitsundersidearadicaldependency. Unlikethehorserider,thewagondriver,orthecyclist,themotoristwasgoingtodependforthefuelsupply,aswellasforthesmallestkindofrepair,on dealersandspecialistsinengines,lubrication,andignition,andontheinterchangeabilityofparts.Unlikeallpreviousownersofameansof locomotion,themotorist'srelationshiptohisorhervehiclewastobethatofuserandconsumerandnotownerandmaster.Thisvehicle,inotherwords,

wouldobligetheownertoconsumeanduseahostofcommercialservicesandindustrialproductsthatcouldonlybeprovidedbysomethirdparty.The apparentindependenceoftheautomobileownerwasonlyconcealingtheactualradicaldependency. Theoilmagnateswerethefirsttoperceivetheprizethatcouldbeextractedfromthewidedistributionofthemotorcar.Ifpeoplecouldbeinducedto travelincars,theycouldbesoldthefuelnecessarytomovethem.Forthefirsttimeinhistory,peoplewouldbecomedependentfortheirlocomotionona commercialsourceofenergy.Therewouldbeasmanycustomersfortheoilindustryasthereweremotoristsandsincetherewouldbeasmany motoristsastherewerefamilies,theentirepopulationwouldbecometheoilmerchants'customers.Thedreamofeverycapitalistwasabouttocome true.Everyonewasgoingtodependfortheirdailyneedsonacommoditythatasingleindustryheldasamonopoly. Allthatwasleftwastogetthepopulationtodrivecars.Littlepersuasionwouldbeneeded.Itwouldbeenoughtogetthepriceofacardownbyusing massproductionandtheassemblyline.Peoplewouldfallalloverthemselvestobuyit.Theyfelloverthemselvesallright,withoutnoticingtheywere beingledbythenose.What,infact,didtheautomobileindustryofferthem?Justthis:"Fromnowon,likethenobilityandthebourgeoisie,youtoowill havetheprivilegeofdrivingfasterthaneverybodyelse.Inamotorcarsocietytheprivilegeoftheeliteismadeavailabletoyou." Peoplerushedtobuycarsuntil,astheworkingclassbegantobuythemaswell,defraudedmotoristsrealisedtheyhadbeenhad.Theyhadbeenpromised abourgeoisprivilege,theyhadgoneintodebttoacquireit,andnowtheysawthateveryoneelsecouldalsogetone.Whatgoodisaprivilegeifeveryone canhaveit?It'safool'sgame.Worse,itpitseveryoneagainsteveryoneelse.Generalparalysisisbroughtonbyageneralclash.Forwheneveryone claimstherighttodriveattheprivilegedspeedofthebourgeoisie,everythingcomestoahalt,andthespeedofcitytrafficplummetsinBostonasin Paris,Rome,orLondontobelowthatofthehorsecar;atrushhourstheaveragespeedontheopenroadfallsbelowthespeedofabicyclist. Nothinghelps.Allthesolutionshavebeentried.Theyallendupmakingthingsworse.Nomatteriftheyincreasethenumberofcityexpressways, beltways,elevatedcrossways,16lanehighways,andtollroads,theresultisalwaysthesame.Themoreroadsthereareinservice,themorecarsclog them,andcitytrafficbecomesmoreparalysinglycongested.Aslongastherearecities,theproblemwillremainunsolved.Nomatterhowwideandfast asuperhighwayis,thespeedatwhichvehiclescancomeoffittoenterthecitycannotbegreaterthantheaveragespeedonthecitystreets.Aslongasthe averagespeedinParisis10to20kmh,dependingonthetimeofday,noonewillbeabletogetoffthebeltwaysandautoroutesaroundandintothe capitalatmorethan10to20kmh. Thesameistrueforallcities.Itisimpossibletodriveatmorethananaverageof20kmhinthetanglednetworkofstreets,avenues,andboulevardsthat characterisethetraditionalcities.Theintroductionoffastervehiclesinevitablydisruptscitytraffic,causingbottlenecksandfinallycompleteparalysis. Ifthecaristoprevail,there'sstillonesolution:getridofthecities.Thatis,stringthemoutforhundredsofmilesalongenormousroads,makingthem intohighwaysuburbs.That'swhat'sbeendoneintheUnitedStates.IvanIllichsumsuptheeffectinthesestartlingfigures:"ThetypicalAmerican devotesmorethan1500hoursayear(whichis30hoursaweek,or4hoursaday,includingSundays)tohis[orher]car.Thisincludesthetimespent behindthewheel,bothinmotionandstopped,thehoursofworktopayforitandtopayforgas,tires,tolls,insurance,tickets,andtaxes.Thusittakes thisAmerican1500hourstogo6000miles(inthecourseofayear).Threeandahalfmilestakehim(orher)onehour.Incountriesthatdonothavea transportationindustry,peopletravelatexactlythisspeedonfoot,withtheaddedadvantagethattheycangowherevertheywantandaren'trestrictedto asphaltroads." Itistrue,Illichpointsout,thatinnonindustrialisedcountriestravelusesonly3to8%ofpeople'sfreetime(whichcomestoabouttwotosixhoursa week).Thusapersononfootcoversasmanymilesinanhourdevotedtotravelasapersoninacar,butdevotes5to10timeslesstimeintravel. Moral:Themorewidespreadfastvehiclesarewithinasociety,themoretimebeyondacertainpointpeoplewillspendandloseontravel.It'sa mathematicalfact. Thereason?We'vejustseenit:Thecitiesandtownshavebeenbrokenupintoendlesshighwaysuburbs,forthatwastheonlywaytoavoidtraffic congestioninresidentialcentres.Buttheundersideofthissolutionisobvious:ultimatelypeoplecan'tgetaroundconvenientlybecausetheyarefaraway fromeverything.Tomakeroomforthecars,distanceshaveincreased.Peoplelivefarfromtheirwork,farfromschool,farfromthesupermarket whichthenrequiresasecondcarsotheshoppingcanbedoneandthechildrendriventoschool.Outings?Outofthequestion.Friends?Therearethe neighbours...andthat'sit.Inthefinalanalysis,thecarwastesmoretimethanitsavesandcreatesmoredistancethanitovercomes.Ofcourse,youcan getyourselftoworkdoing60mph,butthat'sbecauseyoulive30milesfromyourjobandarewillingtogivehalfanhourtothelast6miles.Tosumit allup:"Agoodpartofeachday'sworkgoestopayforthetravelnecessarytogettowork."(IvanIllich). Maybeyouaresaying,"Butatleastinthiswayyoucanescapethehellofthecityoncetheworkdayisover."Thereweare,nowweknow:"thecity,"the greatcitywhichforgenerationswasconsideredamarvel,theonlyplaceworthliving,isnowconsideredtobea"hell."Everyonewantstoescapefromit, toliveinthecountry.Whythisreversal?Foronlyonereason.Thecarhasmadethebigcityuninhabitable.Ithasmadeitstinking,noisy,suffocating, dusty,socongestedthatnobodywantstogooutintheeveninganymore.Thus,sincecarshavekilledthecity,weneedfastercarstoescapeon superhighwaystosuburbsthatareevenfartheraway.Whatanimpeccablecircularargument:giveusmorecarssothatwecanescapethedestruction causedbycars. Frombeingaluxuryitemandasignofprivilege,thecarhasthusbecomeavitalnecessity.Youhavetohaveonesoastoescapefromtheurbanhellof thecars.Capitalistindustryhasthuswonthegame:thesuperfluoushasbecomenecessary.There'snolongeranyneedtopersuadepeoplethattheywant acar;it'snecessityisafactoflife.Itistruethatonemayhaveone'sdoubtswhenwatchingthemotorisedescapealongtheexodusroads.Between8and 9:30a.m.,between5:30and7p.m.,andonweekendsforfiveandsixhourstheescaperoutesstretchoutintobumpertobumperprocessionsgoing(at best)thespeedofabicyclistandinadensecloudofgasolinefumes.Whatremainsofthecar'sadvantages?Whatisleftwhen,inevitably,thetopspeedon theroadsislimitedtoexactlythespeedoftheslowestcar? Fairenough.Afterkillingthecity,thecariskillingthecar.Havingpromisedeveryonetheywouldbeabletogofaster,theautomobileindustryendsup withtheunrelentinglypredictableresultthateveryonehastogoasslowlyastheveryslowest,ataspeeddeterminedbythesimplelawsoffluid dynamics.Worse:havingbeeninventedtoallowitsownertogowhereheorshewishes,atthetimeandspeedheorshewishes,thecarbecomes,ofall vehicles,themostslavish,risky,undependableanduncomfortable.Evenifyouleaveyourselfanextravagantamountoftime,youneverknowwhenthe bottleneckswillletyougetthere.Youareboundtotheroadasinexorablyasthetraintoitsrails.Nomorethantherailwaytravellercanyoustopon impulse,andlikethetrainyoumustgoataspeeddecidedbysomeoneelse.Summingup,thecarhasnoneoftheadvantagesofthetrainandallofits disadvantages,plussomeofitsown:vibration,crampedspace,thedangerofaccidents,theeffortnecessarytodriveit.

Andyet,youmaysay,peopledon'ttakethetrain.Ofcourse!Howcouldthey?HaveyouevertriedtogofromBostontoNewYorkbytrain?OrfromIvry toTreport?OrfromGarchestoFountainebleau?OrColombestol'IsleAdam?HaveyoutriedonasummerSaturdayorSunday?Well,then,tryitand goodlucktoyou!You'llobservethatautomobilecapitalismhasthoughtofeverything.Justwhenthecariskillingthecar,itarrangesforthe alternativestodisappear,thusmakingthecarcompulsory.Sofirstthecapitaliststateallowedtherailconnectionsbetweenthecitiesandthe surroundingcountrysidetofalltopieces,andthenitdidawaywiththem.Theonlyonesthathavebeensparedarethehighspeedintercityconnections thatcompetewiththeairlinesforabourgeoisclientele.There'sprogressforyou! Thetruthis,noonereallyhasanychoice.Youaren'tfreetohaveacarornotbecausethesuburbanworldisdesignedtobeafunctionofthecarand, moreandmore,soisthecityworld.Thatiswhytheidealrevolutionarysolution,whichistodoawaywiththecarinfavourofthebicycle,thestreetcar, thebus,andthedriverlesstaxi,isnotevenapplicableanylongerinthebigcommutercitieslikeLosAngeles,Detroit,Houston,Trappes,oreven Brussels,whicharebuiltbyandfortheautomobile.Thesesplinteredcitiesarestrungoutalongemptystreetslinedwithidenticaldevelopments;and theirurbanlandscape(adesert)says,"Thesestreetsaremadefordrivingasquicklyaspossiblefromworktohomeandviceversa.Yougothroughhere, youdon'tlivehere.Attheendoftheworkdayeveryoneoughttostayathome,andanyonefoundonthestreetafternightfallshouldbeconsideredsuspect ofplottingevil."InsomeAmericancitiestheactofstrollinginthestreetsatnightisgroundsforsuspicionofacrime. So,thejigisup?No,butthealternativetothecarwillhavetobecomprehensive.Forinorderforpeopletobeabletogiveuptheircars,itwon'tbe enoughtoofferthemmorecomfortablemasstransportation.Theywillhavetobeabletodowithouttransportationaltogetherbecausethey'llfeelat homeintheirneighbourhoods,theircommunity.theirhumansizedcities,andtheywilltakepleasureinwalkingfromworktohomeonfoot,orifneed bebybicycle.Nomeansoffasttransportationandescapewillevercompensateforthevexationoflivinginanuninhabitablecityinwhichnoonefeelsat homeortheirritationofonlygoingintothecitytoworkor,ontheotherhand,tobealoneandsleep. "People,"writesIllich,"willbreakthechainsofoverpoweringtransportationwhentheycomeonceagaintoloveastheirownterritorytheirown particularbeat,andtodreadgettingtoofarawayfromit."Butinordertolove"one'sterritory"itmustfirstofallbemadeliveable,andnottrafficable. Theneighbourhoodorcommunitymustonceagainbecomeamicrocosmshapedbyandforallhumanactivities,wherepeoplecanwork,live,relax, learn,communicate,andknockabout,andwhichtheymanagetogetherastheplaceoftheirlifeincommon.Whensomeoneaskedhimhowpeople wouldspendtheirtimeaftertherevolution,whencapitalistwastefulnesshadbeendoneawaywith,Marcuseanswered,"Wewillteardownthebigcities andbuildnewones.Thatwillkeepusbusyforawhile." Thesenewcitiesmightbefederationsofcommunities(orneighbourhoods)surroundedbygreenbeltswhosecitizensandespeciallytheschoolchildren willspendseveralhoursaweekgrowingthefreshproducetheyneed.Togetaroundeverydaytheywouldbeabletouseallkindsoftransportation adaptedtoamediumsizedtown:municipalbicycles,trolleysortrolleybuses,electrictaxiswithoutdrivers.Forlongertripsintothecountry,aswellas forguests,apoolofcommunalautomobileswouldbeavailableinneighbourhoodgarages.Thecarwouldnolongerbeanecessity.Everythingwillhave changed:theworld,life,people.Andthiswillnothavecomeaboutallbyitself. Meanwhile,whatistobedonetogetthere?Aboveall,nevermaketransportationanissuebyitself.Alwaysconnectittotheproblemofthecity,ofthe socialdivisionoflabour,andtothewaythiscompartmentalisesthemanydimensionsoflife.Oneplaceforwork,anotherfor"living,"athirdfor shopping,afourthforlearning,afifthforentertainment.Thewayourspaceisarrangedcarriesonthedisintegrationofpeoplethatbeginswiththe divisionoflabourinthefactory.Itcutsapersonintoslices,itcutsourtime,ourlife,intoseparateslicessothatineachoneyouareapassiveconsumer atthemercyofthemerchants,sothatitneveroccurstoyouthatwork,culture,communication,pleasure,satisfactionofneeds,andpersonallifecanand shouldbeoneandthesamething:aunifiedlife,sustainedbythesocialfabricofthecommunity. LeSauvageSeptemberOctober1973

OriginalURL: http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/11/socialideologyofmotorcar.html