My Dentist Wants To Know

I got back from the dentist a little while ago. It was my semi-annual appointment and no problems (thank goodness because I do not need a root canal, bridgework, crown or tooth extraction in my life right now. Reading certain blogs provides me with enough pain, thank you for very much!).

I mention this not because I think my dental health is especially noteworthy but because I had an interesting conversation with my dentist. Well actually I should say she had the conversation with me, a way to pass the time I guess as she poked and prodded the inside of my mouth with various lethal instruments.

Anyway, we discussed two topics of note. First, she informed me that gas is $7 a gallon in Atlanta, according to some friends of hers who live there. And she wanted to know if I thought people would stop buying SUVs as a result.

Now my dentist grew up in Kenya. She's only a few years younger than I am but she didn't move to the USA until sometime after the 1970s. So she wasn't here for the gas lines and all that. She doesn't know that Americans only started buying fuel efficient automobiles back then for one simple reason. And that is because they could, because there was a choice, namely Japanese imports, such as the Honda Civics, the Toyota Corrollas, etc. And American car manufuacturers had to start turning out similar products just to compete.

There is no real alternative today (and yes, I know, Toyota is putting out some kind of hybrid that gets 100 MPG or something but it costs a gazillion bucks). Every car manufacturer in the world is fully engaged in making the same kinds of cars that its competitors make. And they all very cleverly sell the SUVS and the like to PARENTS as the automotive equivalent of bulletproof vests. Big, strong, safe. Gives you a fighting chance when that 18 wheeler starts sliding out of control across the freeway at you. Or so they think. Or hope anyway. The security of one's progeny has to be worth the $200 a day it takes to keep the family wheels on the road. After all, we're talking parental responsibility here.

So, no I don't think Americans will stop buying SUVS or Ford Pickups or Mini-vans.

And while I didn't actually say all of this, I was able to mumble a fair bit of it and I think she understood.