I’ve Seen All Good People (in Teslas)

So satisfied I’m on my way.

In heavy traffic, yesterday, raining, and I noticed the Tesla moving up on my right. The well-coiffed dude was scrolling Insta or TikTok on his phone. Wait, that’s the benefit of a self-driving car? So you can check your social media feeds on the way to work?

Planes, trains, and automobiles. Of these three we are most revealed by the cars we spend so much time in. Is your car messy or clean? Is the back full of sports gear of some sort? Or something else?

What does our car say about us and our priorities in life? If we’re driving a purple Mazerrati SUV we don’t give a fk what you think. And we’ve clearly got more money than taste. If it’s a beater with a cracked windshield and one spare donut tire on your front right, that a different story. But if your highest use of a self-driving car is just more of the same, scrolling your phone in any situation, well, Mr. Musk is not doing us any favors.

I used to commute on a train in Boston from Welsley. It was quite relaxing, the forty-five-minute train ride. There was solid wifi, fair coffee, and plenty of people to watch. Reading the newspaper or a book on the train is a luxury. Or, maybe, it’s just me. I’m a little biased toward readers. And I’m a little biased against TikTok enthusiasts.

I’m not sure what I was hoping to see as the Tesla drove itself next to me, but not scrolling on a phone. Not that. I was unimpressed with our Jetson’s moment being sublimated by our phone addiction.

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