Don’t be afraid of your child, or your car…

"RacersJunkyard" (RacersJunkyard) 12/19/2014 at 17:40 • Filed to: None

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If you listen to NPR, then you're probably aware that 'all things considered' is doing a show about men and what it means to be a man. Back in August they ran an episode about fathers and sons bonding over cars. You can listen to the broadcast !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! if you have a free five minutes. It's worth a listen if you like NPR but here's the problem, It's total bullshit. The report makes the assumption that unlike 50 years ago, today's cars are too complicated to be worked on by a father and son team. While it's true that modern vehicles are VASTLY more complex than their ancestors, they are still very wrenchable. Just look at this bad boy worked up by Bisimoto!

That's a minivan that can turn heads and smoke tires! While the build itself was not a father son project it is an example of how, with work and knowledge, you can build something truly unique and cool out of a modern vehicle. While we're talking about work lets go ahead and kick that whole 'too complicated' thing right in the ass. IF you enjoy working on cars, it shouldn't matter that the latest models to roll off the production line have more and more computer controlled components. If you really enjoy cars, you just have to knuckle up and learn! That's why learning about cars is so much fun! Studying all the different components can lead to some amazing discoveries about more than just your car's ECU. As you learn more and more, you come to understand that all the devices that occupy the space around you aren't so intimidating. As you learn to inspect and modify your car's fuel pump(s) or it's suspension. You come to the understanding that, replacing things like a garbage disposal really isn't so tough. So the next time someone tells you modern cars are too complex, you tell them they're lazy.

"Sorry, my daughter and engines built after 1990 frighten me..."

Now let's consider the second part of the NPR report. That working on cars is a way for emotionally unavailable men to connect with their sons. While I agree that this model may be acceptable for some men, it should by no means be the only way that you connect with your children (and also not just with your sons). I understand that mature emotional development is something that was denied to a great many young men because of a perverse societal structure that was created in the aftermath of a war. That's a pedantic way of saying we're trying too hard to act like we think our grandparents did. I honestly think it's a terrible idea to aspire backwards, it's like walking backwards towards a tornado.

That's not to say we have nothing to learn from the past. Examining old cars and their failings is why we have things like turbochargers and the Tesla Model S. But if we hold the past as some golden ideal we run the risk of picking up the wrong parts of it, like the idea that new cars are scary. So if we make the assumption that working on cars is too hard with today's vehicles and should only be done with young men, guess what happens? You fuck shit up.

As a young male car enthusiast, I can honestly say i'm excited about the future. When my wife and I eventually do decide to have children, I owe it to them not to limit their future careers based on their gender. If I have a daughter and she shows an interest in classic american iron, then guess where i'll be? Right under the hood with her. If she loves barbies and tea parties, I'll be sipping imaginary air tea.

Pictured: Kicking tradition in the neck.

My point is this, looking back at the past and saying that young men and their fathers are incapable of bonding due to the increased complexity of modern vehicles is a total cop out. If you're so emotionally stunted that you can bond only with your son, and only during engine maintenance of a pre 1974 american sedan, you probably have serious problems in your life and should reconsider having more children.

However, if you value a good work ethic and want your children to grow up to be smart, well adjusted adults, do your best to encourage their interests not just your own regardless of their gender! Even if your minivan looks too complex, you get to experience learning about it together. And when you do make a mistake the shared process between you and your child will be that much sweeter when you learn how to fix it.

On twitter @racersjunkyard

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