4 ms·
I see effort at nuance here, but the conclusion is both almost right and also not at all right. America's deeply unequal political system WILL NOT ever get us
by quadrangle 5y ago
I see effort at nuance here, but the conclusion is both almost right and also not at all right.
America's deeply unequal political system WILL NOT ever get us better equality. It's *incidental*, a symptom of the political reality that discouraging cars would be done in a way that exacerbates inequality.
Almost any policy can be done in ways that exacerbate inequality. And a more equitable political system would be needed in order to have more equitable policies.
There's nothing specific to cars about this stuff. So, there's no point in focusing on discouraging cars as inherently part of this trend. Gentrification is a real issue. But don't blame yoga for gentrification just because yoga studios are in gentrified areas. Policies that encourage healthy tree canopy also exacerbate inequality because richer areas can hire urban foresters and so on. I mean, every single worthwhile thing you can think of exacerbates inequality if the policies are set up to make the worthwhile thing go along with already-wealthier places. None of the worthwhile things are themselves the cause of inequality.
- pyuser583 5y agoI currently live in a nice wealthy suburb. The folks who run the place go through great effort to ensure we do *not* have access to public transit. Public transit attracts people who can’t afford cars. It also allows the “wrong element” to pass through our neighborhood. Politically, how do you propose forcing public transit into communities that actively campaign against it?