SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—According to many hybrid car owners, the thrill of owning a hybrid car is beginning to pale and other avenues are being sought in order to resuscitate the feeling of being about 30% better than other people.
Hybrid cars have been sold in the hundreds of thousands, particularly the Toyota Prius, and industry analysts believe that the desire to “feel good” about oneself and the environment is a primary buying decision for many people. Or, to put it in common parlance, “feeling smug.”
However, as more and more people buy hybrid cars and the novelty wears off, many owners are beginning to sense an uncomfortable dimming of that feeling of round-the-clock superiority.
“Once you get in the habit of looking down on other people, it’s hard to do without,” said Jake Rossmore, a hybrid car owner who lives in Berkeley, California. “It’s intoxicating. And now that I’m feeling less and less self-satisfied about my hybrid car, I’m finding myself in a bit of a life transition.”
Other hybrid owners share Rossmore’s fears. In fact, several online communities have sprung up in which individuals exchange ideas about what could replace the hybrid as a mark of their collective arrogance.
“Ideas are tossed around such as carefully disposing of cooking oil or advocating for neighborhood speed bumps,” says Edgar Sweeney, one of the forum webmasters. “But then the dialogue quickly degenerates into arguing and name calling. The fact of the matter is, I suspect that most hybrid owners don’t have much in common other than their cars. If you remove that element they don’t seem to like each other very much.”
One thing that everyone agrees on is that the problem isn’t going away. According to some industry analysts, smugness levels have decreased by as much as 65% and continue to drop at a precipitous rate. This has led to a feeling of desperation in the community.
“Maybe we could all sell our cars at once, wait a month or two, and then buy them again,” Rossmore suggested. “That might be way to bring back the good old days. I’m going to go online right now and post that suggestion.”
ooh! and i was so close to buying one of those things. but if the smug factor is going to wane that quickly i’m going to have to pass.
That’s because they’re taking halfway measures. I traded my car for a bike a year ago, and the smugness hasn’t diminished one bit. For some gratuitous extra smugness, I’m getting a fixed gear. That’s a whole surge in smugness right there.
Either you wrote this before reading about Al Gore III’s little mishap, or this is masterfully subtle comedy.
You can always assume it’s the non-masterful subtle comedy option. What did Gore do?
He got pulled over in his marijuana-aderall-vicodin-valium-xanex-filled Prius.
Brilliant....
HA! I saw the Times article online this morning and had the same reaction. Very nice.
Oh still masterfully hilarious, of course, I just like the timing.
Hmm, maybe we can figure out a way to convert the gas half of the hybrids to biodiesel. Or better yet, convert that biodiesel half to run only on sebum, commonly known as face oil. How’s that for green?
I still feel completely smug based on the fact that I fuel my flying saucer with little people on hamster wheels.
You can really tell that you live in the Bay Area from this post. I am sorry.
Re: Gore the Younger
Who knew you could go 125mph in a flippin Prius?!
I’d find plenty to be smug about if that’s true.
1. I swear I read this in The Onion.
2. I don’t need a Prius, I ride a scooter. 105 mi/gallon, bitch. And, it still goes seventy mph. Plus, I don’t need insurance.
If you are really dedicated to the 7-point eco-pledge, you are on a wait list (like I happen to be) to have bamboo-constructed wings surgically implanted in your collarbone. After a brief healing/training period you will be able travel emissions-free while at the same time drop greenhouse sprouted acorns and rye seeds to reforest brown space. It’s just the right thing to do.
I agree that just buying a bike is the next step for smug Prius owners.
Poor Al Gore IV.
well, hell-oooo iPhone!
If you could secretly buy a “Prius” at half the cost, that looked exactly like the hybrid, but actually emitted twice the pollution, it would be the number one seller.
It’s the new morality.
A little money can buy salvation- but no longer enough recognition, apparently.