Read and discuss
- What does the article, “The Case Against American Truck Bloat,” evaluate exactly? What is not working, dangerous, or ineffective, and why?
- What point of Cooper’s argument do the statistics about pedestrian fatalities support in paragraph 5? How does the author’s focus on pedestrian safety relate to the overall evaluation argument about truck and SUV design and safety?
- How does Cooper’s discussion of the popularity of trucks and SUVs in paragraph 8 contribute to the overall evaluation argument? How important is it that Cooper focus on the consumer choices and habits that contribute to the popularity of truck and SUV sales?
- How does the evaluation of industrial design trends in the concluding paragraphs contribute to the overall argument? What does Cooper argue about design and marketing, and how does this affect your understanding of the issue as an art or design student?
Answer preview
In the article, Cooper (2020) talks about the evolution of American trucks as family vehicles over the years. He avers that those American trucks were quite affordable in the past, and they were structured for utility compared to the modern truck, which focuses on luxury and size. On aggregate, pickup vehicles in the United States have gained almost 1,300 kilograms. The most powerful automobiles on the marketplace currently weigh over 7,000 kilograms (Grieco, Murry & Yurukoglu, 2020). These cars have an insatiable hunger for volume, which is becoming more incompatible with the manner communities are constructed. The latest fashion trends are nearly as frightening. The front ends of pickup trucks have been twisted into smirking brickwork advertisements for externally directed anger.
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