More on Junior Theme

I have been making progress on my Junior Theme. Again, my "why" question is: why do Americans use their cars as vehicles of self-expression? I have found probably around 10 articles and have already selected 3 books.

One element of my research is why many Americans use bumper stickers. A possible interview candidate is a professor from the University of Missouri who wrote a long article on bumper stickers. Another interesting fact I learned was that the more bumper stickers you have, the higher the probability that you'll resort to violence. I will hopefully try to find out more about the psychological reasons for having bumper stickers.

Another element of my research is examining why certain Americans buy certain cars. I think I will be reading a book on pick-up trucks, as well as mini-vans, to try and find out why certain cars appeal to certain people. In many cases, people buy certain cars because of their cultural values. For example, Mrs. Gressel told me that her sister, who lives in the Deep South, bought a pick-up truck, because that is sort of the "Southern culture".

I am reading my main book right now, and that is about car culture in America. It is basically describing the key roles that automobiles have played in American history.

What do you think?