4 ms·

"The empty seat problem in private cars is more of an issue with personal safety and the broad increase in crime over the past fifty years." It's more of an is

by sedachv 16y ago

"The empty seat problem in private cars is more of an issue with personal safety and the broad increase in crime over the past fifty years." It's more of an issue of the American perception of danger, and the anti-hitchhiking laws passed as a result. Lots of people still hitchhike all across the US.

hugh3 16y ago
I'd say that the danger in picking up a random stranger as a passenger isn't really about the danger that they're going to try to kill you. There's any number of other ways it can go wrong. They can smell bad. They can talk loudly or offensively. They can start going off with their theory about how the Jews run the country through the freemasons. They can be drunk and throw up. They can wind down the window and scream obscenities at nearby women. They can... well, ask any taxi driver for stories about what the worst things random strangers can do to your car. If I were going to pick up random strangers to disrupt my otherwise-peaceful me-time alone in my car, it'd have to have a big incentive, and being able to split the money I pay for gas just ain't it. Being a taxi driver is a sucky job, and I don't wanna do it in my spare time for cents per mile.
- kragen 16y ago
  Hmm, you have a good point — aside from people in the US being paranoid about crime, they're also unbelievably intolerant, to the point that they're not comfortable around teenagers talking loudly, drunk people, or people with different political views.
  - hugh3 16y ago
    I'm not sure you're in a position to be lecturing others about tolerance after a comment like that. "Tolerance" is a noble concept in some sense. It means I respect the right of others to be stupid and annoying in the abstract, not necessarily in my passenger seat.
    - kragen 16y ago
      I'm a US citizen, and I don't claim to be an exception to our general lack of tolerance; I mean, I've been unreasonably annoyed at teenagers talking loudly, or people dropping cigarettes on the sidewalk, or making racist remarks, just like most people from the US. I'm just observing a fact. As for "noble concepts", well, there's the kind of tolerance that's a "noble concept", and then there's the kind of tolerance that's an actual description of how some people behave toward other people, some of the time. Like, how Argentinians behave toward children, that people from the US don't. Or, for that matter, how Argentinians behave toward US tourists. Turns out that there are real benefits to turning down your annoyance and smarter-than-thou attitude and digging folks who don't shop at the same supermarket you do. I can't always do it, but I'm glad when I can. (By the way, when you complain about how awful it is to have to talk to someone who's stupid, you should consider how that would sound to someone who's a lot smarter than you are.)
      - hugh3 16y ago
        Well that's great, but are we still talking about how folks don't want random strangers riding in their cars? Because I still don't want random strangers riding in my car, and I don't reckon that's in any way unreasonable.
        kragen 16y ago
        I never said people from the US were unreasonable, just unbelievably intolerant. That's a matter of preference, and I don't think it makes sense to describe preferences as reasonable or unreasonable. It's like saying that it's unreasonable to have the flu or be short. Preferences aren't voluntary choices.

by sedachv 16y ago

hugh3 16y ago

I'd say that the danger in picking up a random stranger as a passenger isn't really about the danger that they're going to try to kill you. There's any number of other ways it can go wrong. They can smell bad. They can talk loudly or offensively. They can start going off with their theory about how the Jews run the country through the freemasons. They can be drunk and throw up. They can wind down the window and scream obscenities at nearby women. They can... well, ask any taxi driver for stories about what the worst things random strangers can do to your car. If I were going to pick up random strangers to disrupt my otherwise-peaceful me-time alone in my car, it'd have to have a big incentive, and being able to split the money I pay for gas just ain't it. Being a taxi driver is a sucky job, and I don't wanna do it in my spare time for cents per mile.

kragen 16y ago
Hmm, you have a good point — aside from people in the US being paranoid about crime, they're also unbelievably intolerant, to the point that they're not comfortable around teenagers talking loudly, drunk people, or people with different political views.
- hugh3 16y ago
  I'm not sure you're in a position to be lecturing others about tolerance after a comment like that. "Tolerance" is a noble concept in some sense. It means I respect the right of others to be stupid and annoying in the abstract, not necessarily in my passenger seat.
  - kragen 16y ago
    I'm a US citizen, and I don't claim to be an exception to our general lack of tolerance; I mean, I've been unreasonably annoyed at teenagers talking loudly, or people dropping cigarettes on the sidewalk, or making racist remarks, just like most people from the US. I'm just observing a fact. As for "noble concepts", well, there's the kind of tolerance that's a "noble concept", and then there's the kind of tolerance that's an actual description of how some people behave toward other people, some of the time. Like, how Argentinians behave toward children, that people from the US don't. Or, for that matter, how Argentinians behave toward US tourists. Turns out that there are real benefits to turning down your annoyance and smarter-than-thou attitude and digging folks who don't shop at the same supermarket you do. I can't always do it, but I'm glad when I can. (By the way, when you complain about how awful it is to have to talk to someone who's stupid, you should consider how that would sound to someone who's a lot smarter than you are.)
    - hugh3 16y ago
      Well that's great, but are we still talking about how folks don't want random strangers riding in their cars? Because I still don't want random strangers riding in my car, and I don't reckon that's in any way unreasonable.
      - kragen 16y ago
        I never said people from the US were unreasonable, just unbelievably intolerant. That's a matter of preference, and I don't think it makes sense to describe preferences as reasonable or unreasonable. It's like saying that it's unreasonable to have the flu or be short. Preferences aren't voluntary choices.