The One Where Cars Are Indicative of Culture
All of my observations of Southern California in my first year on the coast can be summed up by using driving examples. When I moved out here, everyone said that Southern Californians had their own time tables, were very laidback and are very shallow.
Well, of course they have their own timetables. The average person in Los Angeles spends more than 12 hours a week commuting to and from work. And that includes the people like me who have 15 minutes commutes. And those commutes aren't spent driving. Nope, sitting in our cars. I live 8 miles from work and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get there. We have to have our own timetables or we'd be leaving two hours earlier than we need to be anywhere.
And everyone is very laidback, though they are on their own timetables. In the rush to beat the traffic, three people make it through the light after it turns red. I don't even slow down at yellow lights anymore. But no one honks. People may cut you off since they're already an hour late for work after their two-hour commute, but you get rare honks. In the Midwest, if you go somewhere like Chicago, people are constantly honking at each other. I can't have a 10-minute conversation with Mindy without hearing her honk at three people. When I lived in Dallas, I would lay on the horn if someone didn't start moving when the light turns green. Here, no one honks because everyone waits when the light turns green. After all, three more cars still have to get through the light going the other way. It's funny.
The shallow thing is also apparent in the way people treat their cars. It's all about looks out here. I have a friend out here who's from Iowa, and he and I have both noticed how often people wash their cars. If you have a dirty car, you're ostrasized. Believe me, I have a dirty car!! Everyone I work with washes their car at least once a week. I'm a once a year kind of girl, once a month now that I have a white car. If the inside of your car is dirty, no one will ride with you at lunch. They don't put stickers on their cars because they think it makes them uncool. I had one girl tell me, "It's so not L.A." Look around and you'll notice, very few people have dirty cars. It's unbelieveable. These people could not live in the country!!
So I guess all of the L.A. stereotypes are true to some degree. Just take a ride in traffic one afternoon, and you can tell all you need to know.
Well, of course they have their own timetables. The average person in Los Angeles spends more than 12 hours a week commuting to and from work. And that includes the people like me who have 15 minutes commutes. And those commutes aren't spent driving. Nope, sitting in our cars. I live 8 miles from work and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get there. We have to have our own timetables or we'd be leaving two hours earlier than we need to be anywhere.
And everyone is very laidback, though they are on their own timetables. In the rush to beat the traffic, three people make it through the light after it turns red. I don't even slow down at yellow lights anymore. But no one honks. People may cut you off since they're already an hour late for work after their two-hour commute, but you get rare honks. In the Midwest, if you go somewhere like Chicago, people are constantly honking at each other. I can't have a 10-minute conversation with Mindy without hearing her honk at three people. When I lived in Dallas, I would lay on the horn if someone didn't start moving when the light turns green. Here, no one honks because everyone waits when the light turns green. After all, three more cars still have to get through the light going the other way. It's funny.
The shallow thing is also apparent in the way people treat their cars. It's all about looks out here. I have a friend out here who's from Iowa, and he and I have both noticed how often people wash their cars. If you have a dirty car, you're ostrasized. Believe me, I have a dirty car!! Everyone I work with washes their car at least once a week. I'm a once a year kind of girl, once a month now that I have a white car. If the inside of your car is dirty, no one will ride with you at lunch. They don't put stickers on their cars because they think it makes them uncool. I had one girl tell me, "It's so not L.A." Look around and you'll notice, very few people have dirty cars. It's unbelieveable. These people could not live in the country!!
So I guess all of the L.A. stereotypes are true to some degree. Just take a ride in traffic one afternoon, and you can tell all you need to know.
posted by Rachel at
8:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home