Is that distant rumble thunder? Are the vibrations felt through your body tremors in the earth’s crust? Well, the former is a good possibility, as we all discovered on the first day of classes. But no, this is no act of nature. It is the straining subwoofer in the car driving past that threatens to rattle the vehicle to pieces.

You glance over and your eyes are immediately blinded by the flash of chrome as gigantic 22-inch rims roll past. And finally, as if there wasn’t enough sound coming from the car stereo already, the exhaust plays its note: a burble, hum or whine. Sometimes I’m not sure if this is a college campus or a year-long custom car show.

But you know what? That doesn’t bother me. Well, it would be nice if people turned their stereos down just a bit so that I could hear something other than my brain rattling, but I understand why they do that. It has to do with Americans and their connection to automobiles.

America’s relationship with cars has always been significantly different than most other nations. While other countries have mostly moved to smaller and more economical designs, we have had about the same demands for nearly 50 years now: power, size and presence. After all, the basic formula for a true American sedan is evident in its size and amenities. But the presence factor is the most key.

Plain and simple, we want something that is either bigger, faster, smaller, newer, shinier or just “better” than the person next to us on the road. It is a desire common to all humans, expressed in many ways.

In many ways, part of someone’s identity can be viewed through their car. The recent increase in aftermarket customizing has made this even easier to see. But it’s also evident just through the type of car someone chooses to drive, even if not the car of their dreams.

We all know the different types. There are the ones I mentioned earlier: big rims, big sound. The next most prominent on this campus is the small sporty cars, like Mitsubishi Eclipses and Lancers, and Honda Civics. Then there’s my particular favorite, the old school Camaros and Mustangs with V-8’s and power to the rear wheels where it belongs — yes, I belong to that group.

There are also the tree-huggers — who I think I understand a little better ever day — that own four cylinder vehicles with great gas mileage. And finally, there are those who would completely not care what I am talking about; the people who see their cars as just a means of transportation. Well, whether they know it or not, by picking their bland, less-than-inspiring cars, they are showing us that part of their identity.

Now if you would look at all the owners of these different types of cars, you’d find certain characteristics that are generally shared among each group. But the defining characteristic common to all is that the vehicle is their own. And to them that makes it special. It gives them freedom. Freedom to go where they want when they want, and to express themselves. And this is this same freedom shared so strongly and inseparably with the American spirit.

So turn up the bass, “pimp” your ride, enjoy guzzling — or sipping — gasoline, get lost in those good vibrations, whether from the radio or exhaust, and relish the opportunity to express yourself and enjoy someone else’s own self expression in the process.

Matt Wier is an opinion columnist for the Northern Star.