I love old cars, especially those big swoopy dreamboats with fins from the late 50s. And what I think I like the most about them are the big greenhouses, the acres of glass --almost as much as on George Jetson's car.
Compare that to the narrow slits that pass for windows in modern cars. It seems like car windows have gotten narrower and smaller since about 2000. And I wonder if that has something to do with the general level of fear that has pervaded our society since then. The small windows you see on most new cars today evoke the small openings and gunslits on military vehicles. On those vehicles, they're a way to protect the occupants from gunfire and explosives. Are small car windows a reflection of a general need to protect ourselves from some unknown danger? Are we hiding from harm behind them? Are they indicative of a pessimistic view that can't see beyond today to a brigher future?
Maybe.
Compare today's car designs with those of the 1950s -- the postwar era when prosperity seemed to be growing, anything seemed possible and optimism abounded. Cars of that era looked like they could fly and the windows were so big and open that you could practically see into the future from the driver's seat.
Living in fear isn't living at all. Peering through gunslits is no way to drive. I'm going to eBay motors to see if I can find a nice old car with acres of glass. Maybe something from the magical era in which I came of age. A nice AMC Pacer? Hey, just stayin' alive.
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