A hideous fruit, disgracing itself.
Allo-Aro
im reading a collection of old Gasoline Alley strips bc i find them really interesting-- they're from 1918, so they're early enough that 'being into cars' could still be a personality trait. and the thing is, hobbyists have always been the same forever, so its really interesting!
for example, i sent this strip to my friend @positronicwoman and she responded with 'average linux usergroup,' a read that is devastatingly accurate:
Whoa had to adjust to the hundred year old slang for a minute: "a regular wagon" doesn't mean "a normal many-seater vehicle" but "a reliable car" (because they're all wagons in this timeframe, the term "wagen" meaning simply "car" lasted longer in German, hence Volkswagen "people's car")
Honestly "regular" weakening from "strictly rule following, unquestionably reliable" to "standard-issue, middling quality, hit or miss" over the course of the World Wars is kinda funny. Capitalism even ruined militaries tbh. (Or the draft did, I suppose.)
