Check out this article from the June 2, 1980 Time. I was sorting a pile of local history for cataloging here at the library, and couldn't resist leafing through this magazine with a cover story about Mt. St. Helens (The Big Blowup). You could literally change the price of gas from $1.20 to $4.00 and re-run this article today. The only real difference is that we are now on the downslope of the 'peak,' so things won't ease up as they did in the mid 80's...
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It's sort of ridiculous that we've had 30 years to deal with our energy habits and they are still about where they were in 1978, if not worse. Outside of legislation, The only way to change patterns is $. That is what forced changes in 1980. That's what's happening now, gradually. Good. It's gotta change eventually, might as well be now. Unfortunately some folks will be hit hard by the adjustment to reality.
I like the article's reference to "auto-erotic" L.A. car culture. How did that get by the copy editors?
I'd say we're definitely worse, but this time there is no choice but to make real changes. As someone who recently went from a job where I could take the bus to one where I have to drive 16 miles one way, I feel like I've gone the wrong way. That said, I'm proud that as a family we have gone with one car for almost 7 years now...
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