Cars are still a necessity for many Americans and, therefore, the culture of cars is likely to survive for a while. The long-term health of our culture is at risk for various external reasons and one big one: People acting like jerks.
Cars are awesome. I love cars. I devote most of my day to writing about, driving, or thinking about cars. Some of my best memories are in cars. When people online or in person explain their dissatisfaction with cars I am quick to defend vehicles not only as a form of transportation but also as a focal point for community building amongst often diverse groups.
Car culture is good for democracy. It is good for society. I interface with people I might otherwise not because of cars and, in doing so, have the kind of interactions that are necessary for a functioning polity.
Unfortunately, there’s a group of folks, best represented by the r/fuckcars subreddit, that see cars only as a societal evil. To them, cars are a historical mistake caused by greedy 20th-century capitalism that led to us remaking our cities for cars and, by doing, so clogged our air with noxious fumes and sent everyone out to the suburbs.
It would be easier to laugh off the group if there weren’t constant reminders that our hobby is at risk of being outlawed in different ways. And being a jackass really hurts all of us.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3mL-qZuha1/?img_index=1
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C08zN2WuesS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
This has come up recently because of this gentleman, Miles Hudson, aka SRT.Miles, aka aka the “Belltown Hellcat.” He has a Hellcat Dodge Charger with a modified exhaust and his joy seems to be in driving as loudly as possible late at night in Seattle.
In watching a lot of these videos it’s not clear if Hudson’s goal is to represent car culture or just be an annoying influencer, but to the average resident nearby it’s a “car thing” and nothing else.
You can really get the sense of how this is about cars from a recent write up in Fox 13 Seattle:
Hudson’s Hellcat — a Dodge Charger modified with racing-grade software and an ensemble of aftermarket parts — wears a price tag close to $100,000. While some automotive mod companies linked to Hudson on his Instagram page relish his patronage, others are slamming the brakes on any association with the reckless driver’s exploits.
The city’s patience wore thin last week as Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison took legal action, demanding a default judgment against the daredevil driver. Hudson could be on the hook for not only his towering fines but also the taxpayer dollars squandered as a result of his failure to answer the city’s pleas.
Residents have lodged numerous complaints and police have issued warnings, tickets and reports to no avail. Hudson’s mother emailed the city in mid-May, insisting that steps were being taken to bring the car into compliance and under new ownership. Yet, a recent video on Hudson’s Instagram page contradicts these claims, showcasing masked antics that only fan the flames of local frustration.
The “racing grade” software bit is kinda hilarious and this is an extreme example, but it’s certainly not the only one. If it’s not Hellcats in Seattle it’s people in trucks “rolling coal” on electric cars:
If you’re not aware, rolling coal is using a (usually modified) diesel truck to spew as much particulate matter into the air. This is typically done by tweaking the engine to dump as much diesel into the cylinders as possible and, without enough air for proper combustion, the exhaust releases a big smokey plume that’s terrible for everyone. A kid in Texas tried to do it to a bunch of cyclists, accidentally collided with them, and sent two of them to the hospital.
The Hardigree Principle
Not to get too Andy Rooney on your ass, but when someone acts like a dummy in a Nissan Altima that’s easy to write off as a person being a dummy in a Nissan Altima, but when someone acts foolish in a modified car or a sports car it’s suddenly more ammo for those trying to declare all cars evil.
Now, Matt Hardigree is only human, don’t think I haven’t been through the same predicament. I get the appeal of being dumb in a car and I have, of course, been dumb in a car. But I’ve very specifically tried to do dumb shit in a way where, if I really screw up, I’m only annoying/hurting/inconveniencing myself. I’ve also tried to do it stealthily. If I’m in a bright orange Veyron I’m not going to go bombing down Broadway.
Weirdly, this seems to be the exact opposite of how people act. The more conspicuous the car the more conscious the activity.
This is why I’m proposing The Hardigree Principle, which states that the louder and flashier your car the harder you need to try to not be a jackass in public.
If you’ve got a heavily modified Pontiac Aztek with a bright purple zebra wrap and a bangin’ sound system then it’s on you to not blast Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open” outside the Children’s Hospital at 4:00 AM. If you’re a Creed Festival then or a race track or whatever, sure, have at it.
If your daily is a brand new 911 GT3 then, cool, good for you. Great car. Maybe try not to hoon it on city roads in the middle of a weekday, it’ll only end badly.
This isn’t to say that if you have a stock Dodge Neon you’re allowed to drive however you want. Always be safe, but the odd front-wheel-drive tire chirp from a spotlight isn’t going to grab the attention of the national news or doom car culture.
This Is What SLAB Culture Gets Right
Growing up in Houston I sort of grew up with SLAB cars. For those who don’t know, SLAB means Slow, Loud, and Bangin’ and refers to any car (though often older American cars) lowered and covered with bright candy paint, a huge subwoofer (with which to bang), and swangas (wheels with the giant elbows out).
Out of any context, they are about as obnoxious as any car could possibly be. But the “slow” in SLAB is important. While I regularly experienced SLAB cars in the wild and, on occasion, heard a few pop off with some Lil’ Keke in the middle of the HEB parking lot, I rarely had any issues.
Part of the reason is that so much money is put into these cars that it would be risky to drive fast with these wheels. Unfortunately, as pointed out in the film above, clout chasing has resulted in some street racing and other less-ideal behavior for social media.
To get a little more Andy Rooney, I do think social media has made this behavior worse by making it possible to grab a huge audience and make money by being more obnoxious with your car.
Ultimately, I think car culture is a good thing and for every one jackass annoying their neighbors for lols there are dozens of other helpful, well-meaning people who just like cars. It’s on the rest of us to do better personally and also to discourage our friends from being chodes so we don’t wind up with more car shows that think they need to ban whole classes of cars to survive.
To paraphrase Ben Franklin: It’s a nice car culture, if we can keep it.
“this gentleman, Miles Hudson, aka SRT.Miles, aka aka the “Belltown Hellcat.” He has a Hellcat Dodge Charger with a modified exhaust and his joy seems to be in driving as loudly as possible late at night in Seattle”
Anyone got the phone # for a special agent of the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General?
“this gentleman, Miles Hudson, aka SRT.Miles, aka aka the “Belltown Hellcat.” He has a Hellcat Dodge Charger with a modified exhaust and his joy seems to be in driving as loudly as possible late at night in Seattle”
Anyone got the phone # for a special agent of the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General?
Suburban Long Island NY here. There is a group of youngsters somewhere within a few mile radius who have modified their cars to make the loudest backfires known to man, and they cruise around at all hours of the day and night letting everyone know they’ve done so. I live a block from the Long Island Expressway and that’s not where the noise is coming from. They are obviously cruising up and down the side roads and back roads throughout the neighborhoods, trying to call attention to themselves in any way they can.
I love the sound of a classic V8, but these anti-lag a$$holes have made me wish harder for the takeover of the EV master race.
Suburban Long Island NY here. There is a group of youngsters somewhere within a few mile radius who have modified their cars to make the loudest backfires known to man, and they cruise around at all hours of the day and night letting everyone know they’ve done so. I live a block from the Long Island Expressway and that’s not where the noise is coming from. They are obviously cruising up and down the side roads and back roads throughout the neighborhoods, trying to call attention to themselves in any way they can.
I love the sound of a classic V8, but these anti-lag a$$holes have made me wish harder for the takeover of the EV master race.
A counterpoint to this article if I may.
I live near a local mpls inner ring suburban high school and they have their graduation at their outdoor football stadium.
The ceremony was earlier this week and amidst the typical “pomp & circumstance” blaring out of the loudspeaker and crowd cheers I kept hearing some extremely loud engines revving.
The car guy in me’s curiosity got the better of me and I hopped on my bike to go take a look.
When I rolled past the stadium it was pretty clear to see what was happening.
Two or three cars, the two I could make out a hellcat and an AMG63 were parked alongside the stadium and when I assume some of their friends or relatives names were called they hit the fun pedal and the beasts roared. The crowd went nuts. Sure it was wasteful and created some pollution both particulate and noise but damn if it didn’t bring a tear to my eye.
So while I’m sure some old codgers were sitting in their rocking chairs swearing at these pesky kids interrupting their wheel of fortune and shaking their fist, I was pumping my fist and celebrating the promise of these young kids and the promise of our great country.
Shit I wish I had a bombpop and a sparkler right now…god damn. MERICA!
The TL:DR of this is yes don’t be an asshole car guy or put anyone in danger but also – let’s give these folks some space to still have fun.
A counterpoint to this article if I may.
I live near a local mpls inner ring suburban high school and they have their graduation at their outdoor football stadium.
The ceremony was earlier this week and amidst the typical “pomp & circumstance” blaring out of the loudspeaker and crowd cheers I kept hearing some extremely loud engines revving.
The car guy in me’s curiosity got the better of me and I hopped on my bike to go take a look.
When I rolled past the stadium it was pretty clear to see what was happening.
Two or three cars, the two I could make out a hellcat and an AMG63 were parked alongside the stadium and when I assume some of their friends or relatives names were called they hit the fun pedal and the beasts roared. The crowd went nuts. Sure it was wasteful and created some pollution both particulate and noise but damn if it didn’t bring a tear to my eye.
So while I’m sure some old codgers were sitting in their rocking chairs swearing at these pesky kids interrupting their wheel of fortune and shaking their fist, I was pumping my fist and celebrating the promise of these young kids and the promise of our great country.
Shit I wish I had a bombpop and a sparkler right now…god damn. MERICA!
The TL:DR of this is yes don’t be an asshole car guy or put anyone in danger but also – let’s give these folks some space to still have fun.
As is usual, the folks who most need to heed this are the least likely to do so.
As is usual, the folks who most need to heed this are the least likely to do so.
These types do not care about cars, they care about attention and have found an easy way to get it. This type of article just makes them more well known. If anything, block out the names and such to reduce the attention they receive. Whether good or bad that’s all they want.
This is something I agree with, though unlikely people here will flock to the insta-cats and raise their prestige.
These types do not care about cars, they care about attention and have found an easy way to get it. This type of article just makes them more well known. If anything, block out the names and such to reduce the attention they receive. Whether good or bad that’s all they want.
This is something I agree with, though unlikely people here will flock to the insta-cats and raise their prestige.
I read the automotive news article about this guy yesterday. He sounds like an absolute jerk. I hope they impound the car and crush it into a cube.
I read the automotive news article about this guy yesterday. He sounds like an absolute jerk. I hope they impound the car and crush it into a cube.
I think we need an Autopian-logo shirt with “The Hardigree Principal” on the front and the definition on the back.
I think we need an Autopian-logo shirt with “The Hardigree Principal” on the front and the definition on the back.
Wait a second, it’s spelled “chode”?? I always thought it was “choad”. Now I’m questioning everything.
Wait a second, it’s spelled “chode”?? I always thought it was “choad”. Now I’m questioning everything.
No one should ever blast Creed, ever, anywhere.
No one should ever blast Creed, ever, anywhere.
“Don’t drive like my brother.” Although I don’t think either of those two were talking about hooning.
“Don’t drive like my brother.” Although I don’t think either of those two were talking about hooning.
The problem is, IMHO, wide spread among all cultures, not only cars. People tend to believe that theirs is betters than the others, so they must prevail, can be a matter opnion or taste.
Like when a vegan tries to convince someone else that meat is wrong, or when someone tries to convert people from other religion to theirs.
I believe that everyone has the right to believe in whatever they want, but they need to respect everyone else space. Is not a problem owning a loud and flashy hellcat, just know how to drive to avoid disturbing other people.
The problem is, IMHO, wide spread among all cultures, not only cars. People tend to believe that theirs is betters than the others, so they must prevail, can be a matter opnion or taste.
Like when a vegan tries to convince someone else that meat is wrong, or when someone tries to convert people from other religion to theirs.
I believe that everyone has the right to believe in whatever they want, but they need to respect everyone else space. Is not a problem owning a loud and flashy hellcat, just know how to drive to avoid disturbing other people.
Miles Hudson also has a protection order filed against him and a woman has accused him of distributing revenge porn. So yeah, this asshole is sociopathic toxic sludge. I live in Seattle, and we are all waiting for the day when he faces actual consequences for being a shitty human.
Miles Hudson also has a protection order filed against him and a woman has accused him of distributing revenge porn. So yeah, this asshole is sociopathic toxic sludge. I live in Seattle, and we are all waiting for the day when he faces actual consequences for being a shitty human.
I live in a small historic neighborhood on a scenic canyon road above Denver. I’m a huge car nut, as are most of the people in the neighborhood (Jeeps, off road Nissans, rotary Mazda, boosted BMW, supercharged Buicks, Ferrari, and Mercedes to name the more interesting cars parked in the driveways of the mere dozen or so homes that constitute the neighborhood). The sheer volume of asshats blasting through at incredible speeds (the speed limit is 35, and the sheriff’s department has clocked people well over 100 on multiple occasions), and incredible volumes (machine gun tunes, “track mode” exhausts, etc.) is absolutely maddening. I’d love if a more considerate culture were to take over personally, but the threat to all of us and our sources of joy is very real. I hope this takes off.