When a Car Isn’t Just a Car

I don’t exactly disagree with Charlie’s view on cars as political statements (and who doesn’t enjoy a knock on Adam Schiff?), but there’s another layer or shade to the matter of whether what you drive or buy implicates you in, or aligns you with, some sort of belief or message.

When I was growing up, my parents bought one broken-down used car after another. Our favorite was the enormous white convertible (an Impala, maybe?) with a ruby-red interior. But there was one sort of car my parents wouldn’t have driven even if given to them for free. They had arrived in this country as Jewish refugees from Nazi-annexed Austria. They would never have bought a German car.

About the Author

Jessica Hornik

Jessica Hornik is the managing editor of National Review magazine and the author of the poetry collection A Door on the River.

I don’t exactly disagree with Charlie’s view on cars as political statements (and who doesn’t enjoy a knock on Adam Schiff?), but there’s another layer or shade to the matter of whether what you drive or buy implicates you in, or aligns you with, some sort of belief or message.

When I was growing up, my parents bought one broken-down used car after another. Our favorite was the enormous white convertible (an Impala, maybe?) with a ruby-red interior. But there was one sort of car my parents wouldn’t have driven even if given to them for free. They had arrived in this country as Jewish refugees from Nazi-annexed Austria. They would never have bought a German car.