BookBeast:

On the gas matter, I agree with you that cars are kind of necessary in a lot of places in America in order to get from anywhere to anywhere else in a reasonable amount of time. But I suspect that the car and widespread car ownership is partly responsible for that, not just geography. After all, we couldn't have extensive suburbs without cars, could we?

In some cases, though, people don't need to drive as much as they do. They could walk a mile, bike three miles, take a bus or a train, and they don't. Or they could carpool, which would save a lot of gas and some space on the roads, but they don't. I hope high gas prices will get people to rethink their cars, and perhaps reflect that convenience - or at least perceived convenience - does not necessarily equal quality of life.

I don't think you can separate one thing from the other. Our spread out geography produced a car culture, car culture produced roads and infrastructure (including suburbs) not suited to walkers or bikers and and further created a social order wherein our cars are the most visible and easily interpretable sign of our relative wealth and status.

But these things are changing. As fuel prices rise, they'll have to, won't they?

I must say, while I recognize the mistakes that many Americans have made in their profligate habits, these habits are born of the peculiar circumstances in which we have found ourselves and I do at times resent the implication commonly made that Americans are environmental monsters who just don't care as much as the rest of the world. I don't think that's really the case. I think people care when it's demonstrated to them that it's in their best interests to care, and that applies worldwide.