Judging People By Their Cars- What Does Your Car Say About You?

Judgmental cars

Have you ever taken a look at someone’s car and thought you could imagine what the driver must be like. Just by examining their vehicle you could tell their gender, race, or maybe even their social standing. I don't mean to alarm you but your car is talking. It is saying a lot about your attitude and your personality. Yes, we are what we drive. There are many various stereotypes relating cars to their drivers. Who would have ever imagined you could be categorized because of an engine sitting on four wheels. Society also puts a lot of significance in what kind of car the media thinks we should possess. You see advertisements in the media all the time trying to make it appear like this car was manufactured strictly to fit you and your lifestyle. In the materialistic world we live in people are often judged by their inanimate possessions, however, the fact still remains that your vehicle can determine a lot about who you are.

Try watching television without being subjected to countless car advertisements trying to lure you into their dealership. Car advertisements are everywhere in the media and decide what car fits your persona. They coerce you into believing you are not whole until you have the car of your dreams. Car manufacturers like Cadillac and Mercedes make people of wealth think they need to spend excessive amounts of money for a luxurious vehicle just to establish themselves and show their wealth. A business executive might buy a Beamer so he appears more successful to his clients, after all cars are the ultimate American status symbol. In the media there are shows like MTV cribs where they frequently show you their exclusive car collections and because of the way these individuals are portrayed as ric...

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...rove a Mercedes Bens would be considered refined or sophisticated however, if a teenager is driving a nice car they are automatically labeled as spoiled even if they earned the car on their own. If you drive a Cadillac then you must be black. These are all examples of racial stereotypes amongst people and their cars. That doesn’t necessarily make them fact amongst society as a whole. Some members of society may stereotypically determine your social class based on what type of vehicle you drive. If this were true by driving a Ford pickup you would be categorized as blue collar working class, however by driving a Mercedes Benz you would be considered upper class.

Whether you like it or not vehicles says much about their driver. What you drive can determine class, gender, and can even tell a complete stranger a little bit about what kind of person you are.