From the promises of the automobile to the Model T, no one could predict how the car would change the world in which we live. Dependence on automobiles is rapidly changing from This is not just an American problem, but a global problem. As Rudi Volti describes the beginnings of the automobile, we also see America's curiosity about new technologies and how they could change our world for the better (2006). Volti describes how the automobile was not an American invention, but quickly became the American ideal; no one has developed and modified the automobile as much as America (2006). From its beginnings, the automobile promised a freedom we had never known before, it profoundly changed our landscape and our culture. Amy Best describes the culture of San Jose's Latino youth: "For them, the car is a central means by which they participate in cultural and economic life, navigating today's consumer culture" (2006). It's easy to understand how this could happen to the youth of San Jose, when it's something that affects all Americans. The automobile promises freedom, but at a price. Although this cost varies by person, place and time; no one escapes the consequences of a self-dependent society. Amy Best continues in Fast Cars, Cool Rides, “Freedom most often comes with significant social and financial costs” (2006). This concept of freedom at a price is present everywhere in our society; this can be seen as a false promise or blatant denial of freedom. I will watch how both are constantly present and leave no one indifferent. The best examples of both are present in American holidays. What used to be a privilege for the rich; American holidays have become a staple of our culture. In Are we there yet? : the...... middle of paper ......nter: the suburbanization of the United States. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, USA. Kay H., J. (1998). Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Conquered America and How We Can Take It Back. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Pr. Mills, K. (2006). The story of the road and the rebel: moving through cinema, fiction and television. Sessions Pr. Univ of Southern Illinois, S. (2010). Are we there yet? : the golden age of family vacations in the United States. Kansas City, Kansas: University of Kansas Pr. Tragos, P. (2009). Monster Masculinity: Honey, I'll be in the garage reaffirming my manhood. The Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553. Vanderbilt, T. (2009). Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do (And What It Says About Us). New York, New York: Vintage. Volti, R. (2006). Cars and culture: the life story of a technology. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University.