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Re:The end of the manual transmission is near? by woodruffw on Thursday August 25, 2022 @09:10AM (#32593233)
I think that's making too fine of a point. There are numerous aesthetic choices associated with political positions; variants of "military chic" amongst conservatives is one example.

I happen to think that most modern trucks look incredibly stupid, but that's because their design language isn't intended for me. It's intended for people who have different fashion tastes, tastes that approximate political positions that I don't hold. In other words: the truck itself isn't a direct political statement, ordinarily; it's an efficient means for signaling politics through fashion.

Re:The end of the manual transmission is near? by randomdata on Thursday August 25, 2022 @11:59AM (#32595601)
> It's intended for people who have different fashion tastes, tastes that approximate political positions that I don't hold.

As a Canadian living in the heart of supply management (i.e. state ownership of the means of production) country, where supplies are provided by the so named and literal Co-op (i.e. community ownership of the means of production), trucks are very popular. In part because they are useful tools in carrying out the business within that socialist system, but also because outsiders emulate to try and convey similar social standing.

If there is a political statement to be found in there, which may be a stretch, to me it would be that trucks = socialism. But when I look beyond my bubble, I'm left with the impression that trucks are, if anything, especially stateside, a statement at the compete opposite end of the spectrum.

What approximate political position do you believe is inbuilt into the design of modern trucks?