Academic

If Saab does meet its demise (I hope it doesn't) and now that Volvo seems to be thinking outside the box (wink) and marketing itself to Republicans, what will academics drive?  Here are some of the candidates with a thumbnail analysis of implications for parking one in the faculty lot:

1.  Volkswagen: verboten.

2.  Prius: Check plus on assauging social guilt, check minus on panache. 

3.  Subaru: A strong candidate except doesn't exactly scream "I'm a European Social Democrat stuck in the U.S."

4.  Jaguar: Screams "I'm a Tory, and you don't even know what that means."

5.  Land Rover: The toxic connotation combination of yuppiedom and colonialism.

6.  Mercedes/BMW: makes it hard for the driver to make social justice arguments in faculty meetings on the parking situation.

7.  Mazda/Honda and everything else: a little too lower case "d" democratic.

I guess that leaves us with ... Audi. Just don't check its corporate structure or you'll be back at square 1.