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Once upon a time I heard a concept in motorcycling of the sacrificial jerk. This was when you deliberately rode behind someone who rode like an asshole. In turn
by geoelectric 9y ago
Once upon a time I heard a concept in motorcycling of the sacrificial jerk. This was when you deliberately rode behind someone who rode like an asshole. In turn they provided the upper boundary of your willingness to break the speed limit and for you to ride like an asshole, in hopes that they'd attract the ire of the police instead of you.
Leaving any motorcycle safety conversations aside, I think Uber has been the sacrificial jerk of the rideshare industry. Lyft probably would have attracted some of the same issues if there hadn't been someone more brash and more willing to flout their law breaking ahead of them.
Now Uber's explosive expansion and the resultant "they're gonna do it anyway, may as well accommodate 'em" reaction of the regulators has more or less normalized the good parts of the rideshare industry. Lyft and perhaps other competitors-to-be can benefit without taking nearly as much flak. Hopefully you're right in terms of the ability to provide a much bigger net positive in that situation.
- jbob2000 9y agoI call this the "pace car" when driving. You can do anything the pace car does because he'll get caught first - he sets the pace. Uber is the pace car and the police pulled him over, Lyft saw this and applied their brakes.
- mojomark 9y agoI've always heard it called a 'rabbit' [1], but I like 'sacrifficial jerk' and will probably use that from now on. 1. http://radartest.com/Top-5-Tips.asp http://radartest.com/Top-5-Tips.asp
- nickpsecurity 9y agoOne thing to remember is many cops will grab the car nearest to them instead. It happened to me when I was matching pace of traffic while speedometer went out. I was in the back. Cop pulled me over instead of the speeding leader.
- duck 9y agoExactly... or they can direct you to pull off the road and then get the others and you just have to wait there.
- Robotbeat 9y agoI've heard the term "bear bait." *Smokey (as in the bear) being CB slang for highway police due to the hats.
- netcan 9y agoI think you're right. The whole thing is complex, with labour law/norm implications, entrenched and concentrate interests in dozens of jurisdictions. Also uncynically ideological objectors. It was inevitably going to draw a lot of fire. I'm personally shocked at how far and wide uber have managed to spread. Leaving aside broader questions, I think we can take a guess at what happens after Uber gets pulled over. Someone will take their place. What soneca said above makes reasonable sense. OTOH, I'm not sure how useful this culture of rebuke and scolding really is. I think it's a bit extreme to wish for regular corporate collapse because of scandal. Reform needs to be an option here. Then again, maybe an occasional sacrificial lamb is good for making the other lambs ride slower. If it doesn't really matter who it is, may as well be the jerk.
- geoelectric 9y agoI will say that their management of internal culture isn't something I have any sympathy for, and I hope that doesn't end up being where boundaries are pushed. There is certainly a tendency for armchair kneejerking in today's culture wars, but Uber's personnel issues go beyond the gray area in my opinion.
- kbart 9y agoWe call such vehicle "a sponsor", because it would get fine instead of those driving behind.