Blog Assignment #2: American Icons

My final choice for a potential American icon piece is the Ford motor company. Founded back in 1903, this company has gone on to become one of the biggest vehicle development companies in the world. Without them, the modern car would probably be very different, or possibly wouldn’t even exist at all.

Our friends over there in Texas are maybe fifty percent of the reason that Ford is as big as it is, and as racist, stereotypical or judgmental as that may sound, I believe it to be true. In Texas and other states to the south, your wealth isn’t just measured by the size of your house or the amount of plasma in your screen, and it certainly isn’t measured by the price and shine of your Lamborghini. Oh no, your wealth and status is measured by the type of Ford truck you drive. F-150? Yeah right. F-250? You’re getting there. But the real upper echelon of Texan society drives the good old Hemi-dooly-combo F-350 double super extra tall edition. Oh yeah. And it gets five whole miles to the gallon. Now, why don’t you go home and wax that million-dollar car for the third time?

As a proud and licensed driver (one who unfortunately does not own that million-dollar car we were discussing earlier), I now find myself saying “Oh my, I’d really like to be driving THAT car instead of this ten-year-old hunk of green metal.” But there’s a certain satisfaction I get when my tiny little 2000 Ford Focus races in front of the huge F-350 on the freeway and can still get that 25 miles per gallon payout. My Ford has definitely grown on me in my two months of semi-ownership. It’s served me well whenever I call upon its Ford Focus superpowers, so I guess I can’t really complain.