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Originally Posted by suspectnumber961
Studying the Energy Trap | Energy Trap
How do Americans cope with high gas prices? What are the keys to driving costs down? The Energy Trap did scores of interviews, scrutinized historical spending data, and surveyed 2,000 households. The stories on this site share what we've learned.
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I agree with Ryland. My eye's popped-out at the realization he spends each month or two what I spend each year to operate and maintain my 1998 Civic. It seems amazingly irrational for someone to be willing to spend so much...
So this is where a cultural analysis of economic choices becomes important. Several things about his choices exceed "normal" lines: car payment is damned large, daily commute is twice the US average, miserable gas mileage of maybe 14 MPG (pickup?). The way he tells the interviewer these things often suggests he's aware his choices are unusual. Since many economic decisions are actually made on emotional/social assumptions based in biographical and cultural histories rather than "economic" grounds, I would want to explore how he got into this situation with discussions of which decisions came in what order, why he made those he made when he made them, how he felt about the situations. Would reveal a lot. But at the center, I think we would find local variations of the American dream, of manliness, of community history--all run through the meat grinder of infrastructure planning that emphasizes sprawl.
I think the street interview tactic of the camera, white board, and market is smart. Sets up great testimonies and establishes contact with interesting people.
BTW, part of examining it and helping the guy too would have to be unequal power and how it enforced some of these choices. What were the job requirements for him in terms of vehicles? Does he need the truck to keep the job? Had it better be a reliable (read "new") truck?