While reading an article in the
Guardian today about Bush and high oil prices I was struck by a comment from a "man on the street".
What am I gonna do? I have to get to work. I drive in from Gettysburg every day, near enough a 100-mile round trip, and there ain't no other way I'm going to get here. But the price of gas is ridiculous. It must be a dollar more than it was this time last year. You see these people round here, these yuppies in their big old SUVs cutting you up when they go round corners, I can see the case for making them conserve fuel. But they won't. They can afford it. Even if gas goes up to $5 a gallon, they'll complain about it, but they'll still pay for it.
Charlie Cody, 51, a builder from Gettysburg
The gentleman poses an interesting question. In our market economy supply is rationed by price. That is, if there is limited supply, thoses willing to pay the most get it.
So we now have a situation of limited supply. It would be quite easy for some enterprising politician or respected opinion leader to "blame" the SUV drivers and their gas guzzling ways for the limited supply (and rightly so in many ways). Since the SUV drivers are generally also the ones most able to pay the high gas prices, there is a very stark contrast to make, a very clear "frame" as it is. One one hand we have the "poor" but smart compact car driving, minimal energy using, responsible citizen being made to pay higher gas prices by the "rich" but stupid energy wasting, SUV driving, irresponsible citizen.
If the frame takes hold, how long until it becomes a physical liability to be driving an SUV - in that the drivers will be "shamed" in the parking lots, offices etc.
Now I know a ton of folks drive SUVs (every foreigner going to the US can't help but be amazed), but it would not take much for the "attitude" to take hold that high gas prices are the fault of the SUV drivers. If it does, then you are darn close to class warfare.
P.S. Making SUV driving a "crime against America" would be a good first step on the path to a more realistic energy policy.