I think Wesley has a point above. I'm not a US citizen but looking in from the outside, it does seem that there is a strong cultural identification between cars and guns and the 'idea' of Freedom and Liberty which is of course the great mantra of the US.

Whether it's true or not, that US citizens are the most free on earth is another matter, what's important is that the purchasing and possessing of such objects, tends - or so it appears - to be identified with the *belief* that one is free.

Dystopian future visions often (always?) include a narrative of anarchy versus oppression; freedom fighters liberating themselves from some invasion, or other form of tyranny. I suspect the guns and cars are by virtue of that association - and more particularly from a classically masculine perspective - are possibly intrinsically linked to such a vision, hence their bafflingly anachronistic (to me) ominpresence in such productions.

I say 'classically masculine', as I also think Ebbie may have something here concerning masculine and feminine 'perspectives' say - and though I don't want to get into a discussion about gender - the most apt contrast to the 'guns and cars' meme is one of my favourite books: Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale about how women freedom fighters in an oppressive dystopian future, utilise psychological weapons such as intelligence, sex and secrecy, in the stead of guns and cars.

Any thoughts?