Essays in Idleness

All the cars I have ever owned were die-cast; most of them were made by Messrs Dinky. This made me perhaps not the most expert automotive correspondent, even three-score years ago, when my information was more current. But in outline my prejudices are unchanged. Though I admire some cars as aesthetic objects (Morris Quads and Land Rovers for instance), and some can be useful, I am radically opposed to unnecessary speed. I prefer a vehicle that may be used as a tractor, and will go almost anywhere off-road; with parts that can not only be repaired by hand, but recreated in a workshop. Electric, “sparky cars” are too dangerous and flammable, but if we continue to use petrol my question is: can we substitute banana oil when it runs out? Or any of the seed oils that should never be used in cooking?

This is because we must do away with roads. They are the cause of many of our fiscal problems, both public and private, and are used by the state to justify aggressive and ruinous policies. Worse, the proliferation of paved roads and highways has made possible the suburbanization of our lives, and the wasteful and unpleasant use of land. I should think the traditional maximum speed — that of a horse, at a three-beat canter — should be restored, but should not have to be enforced, except perhaps on railways. Traffic lights should also be retired.

Thanks to the universal movement towards “artificial intelligence,” we have built, and are still building an environment that is suitable exclusively for sophisticated machines. Not only do these enslave their human assistants directly, but indirectly by outmoding their skills.