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In recent years, we have witnessed a growing debate surrounding the gasoline car and its impact on the environment. This “war” against oil is defended from an innocent and idealistic environmentalist point of view, but in reality, it is a perverse ideological and political war that masks an attack on individual freedom, especially in the United States.
Since its inception, the automobile has been a symbol of individual freedom. In the United States, a country characterized by its vast territory and dispersed population, the automobile provided immense freedom to its inhabitants, allowing them to travel long distances and connect—and trade—with other points of interest quickly and efficiently. This relationship between the car and the individual is almost comparable to the bond between humans and horses during the conquest of the West.
However, in recent years, the fight against the gasoline car has intensified. Although the environmental impact is used as an excuse, the underlying issue is none other than one of the left’s old desires: to undermine individual freedom. Examples of this coordinated attack can be found in current urban planning policies, such as the “15-minute cities” and oil restrictions under the pretext of climate change.
The 15-minute cities initiative claims to want to create urban spaces in which citizens can access all services and basic needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. Although they try to sell this idea as attractive and environmentally responsible, it should be interpreted as a measure that limits the use of automobiles and, consequently, reduces the freedom of movement they provide.
Oil restrictions are evidently collectivist measures, but so is the other side of the coin, that is, the promotion of electric vehicles, which relies on state subsidies for an extremely expensive, inefficient energy source that is far from “clean” when considering its entire production cycle.
The left’s eagerness to put an end to the gasoline car is also an attack on the country they hate the most, as in the United States, the automobile is an essential part of American culture and lifestyle.
It’s as if they want to silence the roar of freedom from the gasoline engine by replacing it with the silence of ideological control.
Ignacio Manuel García Medina, Business Management teacher. Artist and lecturer specialized in Popular Culture for various platforms. Presenter of the program "Pop Libertario" for the Juan de Mariana Institute. Lives in the Canary Islands, Spain // Ignacio M. García Medina es profesor de Gestión de Empresas. Es miembro del Instituto Juan de Mariana y conferenciante especializado en Cultura Popular e ideas de la Libertad.
Social Networks: @ignaciomgm