Comments | shacker: Fake Ticket

shacker

Fake Ticket

Sep 04, 2002 20:46

My post Live Larger, Drive Smaller from a few days ago has drawn some very thoughtful responses. An anonymous interlocutor charges me with inexcusable vandalism for advocating the bumper sticker idea, and I answer flippantly that SUV ownership is a far more destructive form of vandalism; the stickers are easily justified. However, s/he has a point ( Read more... )

Comments 18

yakko September 4 2002, 22:05:00 UTC

If this place was more bicycle/pedestrian-friendly, I'd sure leave my car at home more. Nothing like being able to skip out on experiencing others' stupidity on the road, for one. :o)

Of course, on a bike, I'd be subjected to motorists' stupidity all over again. "Bicycle friendly" my backside. Being on the defense helps out, tho.

It should also be more convenient to recycle instead of just throwing everything away. When I was in Germany, they had all the different recycle bins right next to the rubbish bin... and I was in a dorm! No such file or directory in America (or at least in the midwest), so folks all around (myself admittedly included) can cop out and say they "don't have time for that."

If I had a house here, however, most subdivisions pick up recycling with the trash, so at least the convenience is back.

(The comment has been removed)

shacker September 5 2002, 00:59:42 UTC

It's a work of art. Would love to test drive one, see how it feels. Between this and the Mini, I wonder if there's a new small-chic on the way...

gattaca September 7 2002, 14:40:03 UTC

I just found out that the BMW dealership down the street from us are now selling Minis.

shacker September 8 2002, 09:50:52 UTC

Is it true there's a 100% dealer markup right now? They're selling for double listing price in some locations, just because they can.

Thread 5

epi_lj September 5 2002, 06:44:05 UTC

[Note to avoid misunderstanding: I know that you're talking about people being responsible unto themselves, and this argument is not directed at you here -- it's just me musing on some things ( ... )

shacker September 5 2002, 10:00:45 UTC

LOL - I know bag pushers like that. I usually find the "It's already in a bag" rejoinder works pretty well. Sometimes they even look up for a minute, as if thinking about it.

Sure, there can always be mitigating factors in all of these things. The first SUV sticker site I linked to even addresses this pretty carefully in their FAQ, suggesting that you not tag the smaller SUVs, that you look for signs of mud in the wheel wells, etc. But just because there is the possibility of tagging the wrong boat doesn't mean the whole campaign shouldn't happen - it's still a worthwhile pursuit, and one would be correct most of the time, with a bit of thought.

We use plastic bags for kitty poo too...

humorous, but... dhuff September 5 2002, 06:46:19 UTC

While it might be fun to cheese off an SUV owner with a bumper sticker or fake ticket, the only real result you'll get is a quick, mischievous thrill for yourself. I doubt one in a thousand SUV owners would stop and reflect thoughtfully upon discovering one of these, and the rest would just be pissed off ;->

I think Click and Clack have the right idea. Give people practical, real-world advice on how they, individually, would benefit from alternatives to an SUV. Show them how it could be cheaper, smarter and less hassle. You influence people by helping them feel smart about the choices they make, not by haranguing them (as much fun as that can be at times :)

Re: humorous, but... shacker September 5 2002, 09:56:47 UTC

You might be right (about not being able to reach many of them with a fake ticket), although I think one could better than 1 in a 1,000. And if people get cheesed off, it's mostly because they're going to defensive about their guilty pleasures, the choices they made that they know are unfair to the rest of us. Thing is, SUV ownership isn't like religion or somethign else you can embrace irrationally without being called to defend it.

Anyway, point taken. Maybe it would be good to make fake tickets with Click and Clack's points printed inside, rather than the "guilt" screed.

Motorcycles anonymous September 5 2002, 06:49:37 UTC

Didn't YOU own a motorcycle ?
What was its gas mileage ?
How many people were on it at once ?
Didn't you ride it frivolously using fossil fuel ?
What was your excuse ?
Should frivolous riding of motorcycles be frowned upon too ?
Perhaps CC's should be limited to 250's, or better yet 125's unless two people were aboard.

Re: Motorcycles shacker September 5 2002, 09:53:38 UTC

It's a fair criticism, and one I thought about frequently when riding. Motorcycles are a great compromise between bikes and cars - perfect middle ground. I got around 40mpg on the BMW, so it's not as good as a SmartCar or hybrid, but pretty darn good. The m/c is really excellent for situations where a single person does have to commute - this way they can use a vehicle without consuming all the space and gas of a standard auto. Just think of what it would be like if 50% of people drove motorcycles, as they do in, say Greece - all our traffic problems would just disappear, and we'd save SO much gas and pollution by disappearing our traffic jams.

But. I did ride it frivolously sometimes, and felt guilty about it.