Oh hey, ‘Powerful Rangers’ has a Christmas special. I haven’t seen the show since I was a kid, but…hey, it’s Christmas. It’s a time for watching things, sometimes things that you wouldn’t usually, and also reconnecting with the past. I actually remember the last episode I watched; it was one about driving a car responsibly, and why you should always turn off the engine when waiting for someone, and not leaving the water running while you’re brushing your teeth.Wait…that may have been another episode. Seriously though, what happened to all those shows in the 90s that were all about saving the environment, or just…teaching you things? I went to get my annual car check up with a mechanic open in Bentleigh the other day, and I suddenly had a strong flashback to my thoughts on cars when I was a kid. And I HATED cars. Like, with a passion. I think it was an old episode of ‘Colonel Planetarium’, the one that was really on the nose about not polluting and proper recycling techniques. Thing is, they had a militant undertone that went over the top in basically every single episode. Like, they couldn’t just say that cars should be used sparingly and ride a bike every now and then…it had to be ‘CARS ARE EVIL AND HUMANS ARE TERRIBLE FOR DRIVING THEM’. To a young, impressionable mind such as mine, that was powerful stuff, especially coming from the mouth of Colonel Planetarium himself. So for years I only grudgingly got into cars, walked and biked as much as I could, and…I guess just started thinking for myself when I was a teenager. Or rather, I bowed to peer pressure and got a car like everyone else. And now I just drive to a garage in Bentleigh for auto electrical like it’s nothing.
Good to know that aggressive propaganda didn’t turn me against automotive services forever. Although those park rangers with powerful quads got the balance right: cars are fine, but walking is fun as well.
-Jose