FAQ the Auto Show!

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General

	What are the dates of the Auto Show for 2008?
	Sorry, the Chicago Auto Show has been cancelled. However, the SHUTDOWN Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008.

Why has the Auto Show been shut down?

Because the automobile and oil industries put on the Auto Show to glorify automobiles. Because we believe that our children deserve to live in a world where 43,000 Americans and a million people worldwide are not killed by cars every year, and where congestion, smog, global warming, and urban sprawl do not threaten their health and their economy. Our city, our nation, and our planet deserve better. Because we remember Maya.

But I need my car! This is a free country! Do you expect everyone to just give up their cars and stop driving?

No. But wouldn't it be nice to have some options? The Auto Show is all about glorifying cars, and selling cars, and keeping everyone in cars. And the fact that you "need" your car is not an accident: the automobile industry works very hard to foster automobile dependence. True freedom comes from having real choices, not just Ford vs. Chevy. Nobody is trying to take your car away. But somebody is working very hard to take away all your other options.

	Is this some kind of a joke?
	Well, this website is a parody. And the SHUTDOWN Festival is a lot of fun. But the issues here are deadly serious. Automobile crashes are the number one killer of children and young adults in the United States.

	Don't you have anything better to do?
	Besides what, paying our good money to look at even more automobile advertising? Absolutely! What cause is more important than saving the lives of our children?

	But aren't cars getting safer?
	Maybe they are. But car crashes continue to kill over 40,000 Americans every year. And they continue to be the number one killer of children in the U.S. This is unacceptable.

What about "green" cars? Aren't cars at least getting cleaner?

Not significantly. So-called "zero emission" vehicles are a misnomer, as they simply shift the source of the pollution to a power plant. Read about the myth of the clean car. If you really want to help out the environment, leave the car at home. Walk, take public transit, or ride a bike. If you don't have those options where you live, move to a place where you do. The answers to the problems of environmental degradation, poor air quality, and global warming won't be found at the Auto Show.