SUV

It stands for Sport Utility Vehicle but all you really need to know is that they are large, low gas-mileage vehicles with a large consumer base in middle-class America. What is not known is that it also represents a manifestation of the American psyche following the 9/11 terrorist attacks for a desire of safety against the unknown. Since America is based on capitalism the only way Americans knew how to deal with this was to buy something. If you look shit up you can see that gas prices didn't go up as SUVs got more popular but that SUVs got more popular as gas prices went up. Also these events happened at the same time as George Bush began his infamous "War on Terror" which to this day has not achieved its primary goal, the death or capture of Osama Bin Laden. The War on Terror is simply another example of the need for the feeling of safety that arose after 9/11 but on a national scale As gas prices soared into an absurdly high price per barrel and a few years had passed since 9/11 the American psyche was on its way to being less concerned with safety and more so on economic (2008-2009 recession) and social problems (global warming and the usual shit like shit in Africa) which led to a reduction in the purchase of SUVs. The need for the feeling of safety created by 9/11 simply jump started the SUV industry but in no way sustained it. Presently many people still buy SUVs because of the social aspects and the limited practical values.