Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2009, Page 66

64
DREAMS OF CARS ON ANISLAND
drive a car trip'. It is a way to get social
communication. You drive back andfortb,
and you do it many many times, let's say
almost every night. And you say hello to
people you know. People who are ‘inte-
resting', let's say girls, walk down the
streets. Then they wave their hand to you,
and you stop the car, and then they come
into the car..." (in Fock, 1984)
This special drive, 'to drive a car trip', is
something every Faroese youth is familiar
with. The drive implies something quite
similar to when people go to a party, a night
club or somewhere else, where people gather
informally (Best, 2006). One goal is indeed to
meet people that you haven't met before.
The car can also represent an escapade
from boredom in daily life. It is nicer to be
together in the car than to be bored alone at
home. The car is often the arena where
stories are told, rumours are spread and
plans for the coming weekend are made. The
car is actually the framework for a variety of
social activities among young people. The
chronic thirst for liberty that young people
try to quench has the car as main drinking
cup. Behind the wheel boys and girls can
decide where and when to go. Especially in
small 'empty’ villages young people feel
socially isolated without access to a car
(Gaini, 2009). They need, from time to time,
to escape to find the parties that people go
to, to have secret meetings with young
people from neighbouring villages at night.
Today, people, with the help of cars, expect
to find the open gateway to all modern
lifestyles, whether they live in the centre or
periphery of society.
Modern culture and media
The car is a 'natural' part of Faroese culture
nowadays. Since the last decades of the 20th
century motoring has influenced all aspects
of life in the modern world (Dennis and Urry,
2009). Contemporary cultural interpreta-
tions of gender diflíerences are also directed
by the societal weight of motor vehicles. The
driver's licence is the passport needed to
enter adult society. Car ownership is, espe-
cially among men, the ultimate childhood
dream that will bring other future dreams to
fruition; visions of new (social, cultural and
sexual) relations, new experiences and new
wisdom (Ingmarsson, 2004). The speed,
danger and fantasy associated to cars are
part of the dreams of boys (Wollen and Kerr,
2002). Like a wild animal the car has to be
tamed by its master. The ferocious nature
and (horse) power of the car, making it
provocative, is mastered by young proud car-
owners.
Movies full of speed and action, with the
path-breaking 'Fast and Furious' movies as
the lads' favourite, as well as new sophisti-
cated computer games, are instructing the
youth in senseless driving missions. The lad’s
car manifests a spectacular show on the
road, displaying four prized qualities: speed,
potency, elegance and wildness (Caini,
2009). This macabre dance on wheels,
involving life-threatening risks, is part of the
notorious car culture of some youth groups
in the Faroe Islands. Risk taking on the roads
is, among many youths, a reflective intentio-
nal action, expressing reckless attitudes,
cultural resistance and emotional thrill. The
hazardous atmosphere, with planned life-
gambling, can also be linked to popular
media's glamorous representation of death