The Free Ride Blog
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: The Disappearance of Convertibles
It appears the golden age of the convertible is over…for now, at least, according to new car sales & registration data. But why are convertibles disappearing?
Their decline’s actually been pretty constant since the 2000s convertible boom, when it seemed like everyone wanted to feel the fresh air in their crimped hair. But now, less than 100,000 convertibles are sold annually in the US. That’s just 0.6% of all new car registrations (compared to 2% in the mid-2000s). We’ve also lost some of the most iconic models. Of the eight most popular convertibles in 2001, four have been discontinued, leaving only the Ford Mustang, Mazda Miata, Chevy Corvette, and Mercedes-Benz SL. And only the Corvette’s sales have increased; the other three have sold less than half of what managed 20 years ago. But even the 2000s boom can’t compare to the true convertible heyday: the 1960s. The ’60s was when convertibles became more than just cars…they were symbols. Just look at movies from the ’60s & ’70s…if a director put a pair of sunglasses on a character & had them cruise around in a convertible, that was all it took to successfully convey a sense of freedom & adventure.
So, why is it that convertibles have fallen out of fashion? Well, the simple answer is…people just stopped buying them. And there are two primary theories as to why that is: economic hardships caused by the 2008 financial crisis; and car trends changes among wealthy people, with affluent car owners now more likely driving ultra-efficient (and potentially electric) vehicles. But our cars’ reputations have also changed among us average Americans, as well. While convertibles were once seen as “sporty”, trucks & SUVs have taken over that niche within the last ten years, thanks to their ruggedness & roominess. For proof: go back to 2014 & 38.6% of new cars were SUVs. But by 2023, that percentage had jumped to 59.7%.
Experts say that the fall of the convertible is about more than just finances or fashion, however. It’s actually part of a larger overall mindset shift, one in which our personal vehicles have become places for us to hide away instead of experience the world. But much like clothing, car trends do tend to be cyclical. And just as the 2000s convertible craze was a resurgence of a ‘60s trend, there’s always a chance that convertibles will be making their way back onto the roads in the future. Just gotta give ‘em time.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BPG USA
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Does “Crickets” Imply Silence?
With all due respect to Simon & Garfunkel, when you consider the sound of silence, you’ve probably thought “crickets”, the noisy insects that have somehow become synonymous with no sound at all. But how did crickets come to symbolize silence?
Well, this sense of the word “crickets” is so recent that it has yet to make it into the Oxford English Dictionary, though it does get plenty of coverage from Merriam-Webster, which added it to the dictionary in September 2023 with the definition being “a conspicuous lack of response”. The term likely evolved from your senses indicating a rural setting (which is way less noisy than the city) to any place or stretch of time that’s quiet enough that, in theory, only the sound of crickets could be heard. From there, crickets became a term for silence itself. Even screenwriters use it as cinematic shorthand for quiet country locations.
But we also use crickets to describe non-rural settings. When a standup comedian’s joke bombs? Crickets. When a teacher asks students a tough question? Crickets. When a band plays an unknown song instead of one of your favorite bangers? Crickets. Crickets equals a total non-reaction. Crickets are the patron critters of silent awkwardness.
But “crickets” is somewhat of a paradoxical term, though, isn’t it? The way we primarily use it nowadays implies silence. Yet it does so by literally referencing one of the noisiest little creatures around! (Did you know that a cricket’s chirp can be as loud as 100 decibels? That’s about as loud as a snowmobile!). Even the word “cricket”, itself, imitates the noise the insect makes. There are even some older, mostly obscure expressions that used to reference crickets’ over-exuberance: “lively as a cricket”, for instance, or “merry as a cricket”…both were Old English phrases that were used in the early 1500s. But fast-forward to 1815, and writer J. Mathers was describing one particularly happy & satisfied fellow by saying: “I slept sound, ate & drank heartily, grew as merry as a cricket & as fat as a porker.” So, from the 1600s on, “crickets” had taken on a different sense of the word, meaning “merry or lively persons”. And, oddly enough, that usage can still occasionally be found in various publications even today.
So, give the simple cricket its due: it can signify merriment & noise…or awkwardness & silence. And that ain’t too shabby for such a humble little insect.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BPG USA
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Do We Cross Our Fingers For Good Luck?
With the heat wave currently hitting us, you’ve probably to someone (or several someones), “Fingers crossed it doesn’t get any hotter!” But why do we do that? Why do we cross our fingers for luck?
Crossing fingers, whether to achieve your own good luck or in hopeful solidarity that things go well for someone else, is a gesture that’s recognized far & wide. And not only does it have a long history, but it originally was not a solo act.
There are two main theories as to why we cross our fingers for good luck. The first comes from a pre-Christian pagan belief in the powerful symbolism of a cross. The cross’s intersection was thought to mark a concentration of good spirits & served to anchor a wish until it could come true. The practice of wishing upon a cross in early European cultures evolved to a tradition in which a person crossed their index finger over someone else’s to express hope that a wish would come true. Eventually, wish-makers realized they could go it alone & get the same benefit by just crossing their own fingers to support their own wishes without the participation of another person. At first, people would cross their index fingers from each hand. But eventually, it morphed into the one-handed practice we still use today.
But there’s also another alternate explanation, which also just so happens to stem from the early days of Christianity. As early Christians were frequently persecuted for their beliefs, they developed a series of hand gestures as a means of recognizing other fellow Christians. And one of those hand gestures was the formation of the “ichthys”, or “fish symbol”, made by touching your thumbs & crossing your index fingers. The ichthys represents an acrostic in which the Greek letters i, ch, th, y, and s are also the first letters in the Greek phrase that, when translated into English, meant “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” Now…that theory doesn’t really explain how luck became associated with the hand gesture, but it does suggest that crossing your fingers was intended to wish hope or luck to yourself or others.
So, as you cross your fingers that this heat wave doesn’t last much longer or get any more oppressive, at least now you know why you’re crossing your fingers in the first place.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BPG USA
Andy Webb, a 27-year Radio entertainer & content creator, is WFRE’s Program Director & host of “The Free Country Free Ride” weekday afternoons from 3pm-7pm.
From his very first job in 1995 in his hometown of Meridian, MS, Radio has been the only occupation Andy’s ever known; from the age of reel-to-reel tape to today’s digital audio, he worked his way up through late-night air shifts all the way up to morning drive. Andy’s been featured across many different formats, including Country, Classic Rock, Adult Contemporary, Hot AC, Southern Gospel, and even Urban AC.
As testament to his talents & commitment to fun-yet-informative Radio, Andy was awarded the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters’ “Radio Personality of the Year” award 4-out-of-5 years, from 2006 to 2011. And he’s been named one of the “Best Program Directors in Country Radio” by Radio Ink magazine in both 2022 & 2023.
Andy attended The University of Southern Mississippi on an Opera Performance scholarship, but he always followed the path Radio set before him, a path which has taken him from his hometown to Hattiesburg, MS, to Charleston, SC, and now Frederick, MD.
Andy is devoted to his wife, Emma (WFRE’s Midday host), and daughter, Isabel, and loves spending his infrequent free time golfing, wood-working, motorcycle riding, and horseback riding.
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