¶ … Street Racing on Today's Youth
Street racing has existed for generations. Actually, one could say that it goes back to before the invention of the automobile when horse and buggy racing was popular among the rebels of society, such as in the movie, 'Friendly Persuasion' when Gary Cooper rebelled against his Quaker roots and took pleasure in a Sunday race on the way to church. However, it was most likely James Dean in 'Rebel Without a Cause' that spurred the American youth to the streets for nighttime drag racing, creating a cult that lives on among today's youth. Street racing is found in every city and town across the country and the consequences prove fatal for many youths.
It's been nearly half a century since James Dean sat behind the wheel of his car revving his engine for a 'chicken' race and asked the other driver, "Why do we do this?" To which the other replied, "You have to do something" (Lopez Pp). Although there seems to be many more options available for today's youth to do, such as multiplex theaters with a selection of dozens of movies, cable television with hundreds of channels, more video games than one can count and shopping malls within a few minutes drive, YMCAs that are more like spas, not to mention extra-curricular activities such as sports, karate, yoga, good old fashion board games, today's teenagers still race. And the police still chase them, and parents still complain, and laws are still enacted (Lopez Pp). But teenagers still street race just as they did generations ago.
Reporter Steve Lopez described a night in Southern California's San Fernando Valley for 'Time' magazine. One thing that has changed since the days of James Dean is that girls are now racing. One girl claimed she wanted to be a professional driver and loved the thrill of 'smokin' some guy who thought she couldn't do it (Lopez Pp). Shortly after midnight the parking lot of a McDonald's is filled with twenty or so Japanese and American cars, all "modified to blow off the doors and...
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