Isn’t it amazing how we tend to segment people and associate traits based on a hairstyle, clothing, body type, tattoos, cars…in other words on a first impression. I really try to not be judgmental and to appreciate the differences in people. However I am sometimes stunned when I jump to a conclusion…that turns out to be totally incorrect.
As the owner of a hybrid automobile, I attributed certain characteristics to other hybrid car owners…that they care about polluting the environment, that they likely live healthy lifestyles, that they are concerned about keeping the air around us clean, and that they are natural food, healthy shoppers. That’s why I was surprised to see not just one but two Toyota Prius drivers today smoking cigarettes in their cars. I didn’t expect that from the driver of a Prius, the first wildly popular, readily available, and affordable hybrid car in the U.S. The other surprising thing was that both smokers/drivers were young women.
The contradiction for me was that they care enough to drive a hybrid automobile – although perhaps they chose it for the gas mileage and not for its contribution to lessening environmental pollution--but they didn’t care about polluting their own bodies. Seems like one cancels out the other.
Just like my daughter presumes that a BMW convertible driving acquaintance is wealthy, I presumed a Prius driver would be a non-smoker. It's a good reminder that a car (or one's appearance or accent or possessions) is not necessarily an accurate reflection of a person's values, habits, priorities, or lifestyle.
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10 years ago
2 comments:
The other possibility is that they bought the Prius as a status symbol. That's alarmingly common out here in LA.
You are absolutely right -- maybe I should have checked out the brand each person was smoking, too.
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