Jaeda

Cars & Racing in American Culture


How has racing and car culture reflected the changes in American society? As soon as you leave your house, you see more cars than you can count. You’ll see a variety of Teslas, Porches, Lamborghinis, Mazdas, Toyotas, and more than 40 different automobile brands selling within the United States. Throughout history, there have been over 3,000 different automobile companies that have existed in the United States since the late 1800s. Cars have become a daily use within our society and have become a core American value. Cars express and represent themes and shifting ideals of American society that citizens cannot put into words. Just as writing, painting, photography, and other art forms are used to represent the emotions of people, the car and its resulting activities and sports represent American ideals without saying a single word. But just as America has changed, car culture has adapted and changed since its origin in order to be of better use to American society. The impact of cars on culture and of American culture on the car is a cycle of never-ending impacts on each other.  By looking at car and racing cultures' impacts on minorities within America, film, different U.S regions,  racing enterprises, and on daily life, the impact of racing and car culture on American society is undeniably substantial. Racing and car culture intertwined themselves with every aspect of the United States, making it inherently American by acting as a representation of African American, female, Chicano, and male demographics through sports, media, and the American lifestyle. Racing culture and car culture act as a catalyst for societal change by continuously representing new American ideals through motor sports, media, minorities, and different regions of the United States, and provide a tool for citizens to make indirect statements about American culture.

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