4 ms·

Maybe a better lesson than “confront / physically endanger the tow truck driver who is doing his job” is “don’t block traffic in an 8 house cul de sac because y

Maybe a better lesson than “confront / physically endanger the tow truck driver who is doing his job” is “don’t block traffic in an 8 house cul de sac because you wanted to get something from your room but didn’t want to actually bother finding parking.” This all reads like entitled driver behavior to me. Or dumb college antics that are best left behind. -former car owner

mjfl 4y ago
> don’t block traffic in an 8 house cul de sac Isn't the whole point of a cul de sac that there isn't much traffic through it? Doesn't the cul de sac itself block traffic?
notyourwork 4y ago
The amount of mental gymnastics I hear from people who illegally park or obstruct society for their own selfish reasons is beyond me. There are places to park, there are places to not park, they don't have an overlap.
- reustle 4y ago
  I don't agree with this. I'm from the US and have now lived in Japan for 6+ years. We have zero on street parking around the city, yet we joke that the hazard lights button is the "park anywhere" button, and you see it all the time. Because nobody strongly abuses this, it generally works fine and people go on with their lives around them. Even with the small neighborhood streets around Tokyo, you rarely see it being treated as an issue. At worst, if a truck is trying to pass, a quick honk will cause whoever is driving to rush out and move the car. I do get disillusioned sometimes though, living in a society where people have a general level of respect for each other.
  - rTX5CMRXIfFG 4y ago
    > Because nobody strongly abuses this There’s your likely reason for why the rule is strictly enforced in the US. Really, it makes no sense to me that people demand and expect law enforcement to work equally for everyone while also wanting to make an exception of themselves.
  - notyourwork 4y ago
    > I do get disillusioned sometimes though, living in a society where people have a general level of respect for each other. This might have something to do with it.
  - technothrasher 4y ago
    > the hazard lights button is the "park anywhere" button I first saw this behavior when I went to school in Rochester, NY and wondered what the hell everybody was doing. Never encountered it growing up outside of Boston.
  - PebblesHD 4y ago
    Fascinating that you arrived at such a similar phrase for this. In my group we call them ‘park anywhere lights’ I spend 3+ months a year between Fukuoka and Tokyo, but outside my group of friends this concept has never really been discussed. I also agree on the baseline level of respect and order, going back to Sydney is sometimes jarring where some things don’t ‘just work’ as they do here.
  - ginnungagap 4y ago
    This is very common behaviour (and known as the "park wherever the f you want" button among my friends) in Italy as well. But italians are not exactly the best example of drivers to imitate and learn from
  - jvidalv 4y ago
    Same in Spain, and I guess most of Europe, when you are parking temporarily ( < 5 minutes normally ) somewhere you shouldn't you put the hazard lights on. But I'm not talking about blocking the road entirely, of course that's not the case, just parking in places that is not allowed to park statically.
version_five 4y ago
You had me until "former car owner"
- lovemenot 4y ago
  Pointing out sanctimony or hypocrisy is not a valid argument against. It's is a kind of ad hominem. A person can be both right and sanctimonious
  - eduction 4y ago
    Weird to me it’s being read as sanctimony. My intent was just to convey “I was a driver for 22 years I am allowed to say we are entitled behind the wheel.” Maybe people feel guilty about owning cars so it rubbed them wrong? Some people have to, I’m lucky enough to not. I don’t think I’m better, just emotionally liberated. It’s an amazing feeling to have the privilege of not having to drive or park, get psychotically enraged at being towed, etc
    - lovemenot 4y ago
      Ad hominem, when used, is commonly done as a pure convenience for the person wielding it. I cannot say about this particular case.
    - blue039 4y ago
      For many of us, including myself, such a "luxury" is not practical: 1. I like the outdoors and they don't put bus lines 200 miles from the nearest gas station. 2. Work is often further than walking or biking distance. 3. I need to haul more than a few days worth of groceries. Or a larger item. I think what people are getting upset at is you are conflating not driving with some higher form of intellect when in reality it's a privilege really only afforded to people who live in often high cost of living areas. This implies a socioeconomic status to yourself whether you like it or not and so people feel you are talking down to them. I interpreted it as you were talking down to me too. It's not about me being "done" with road rage, or whatever, it's about the fact that my town, my life, and the country in general won't let me be "done" with it. Nor will my hobbies. For many of us a car is not a privilege it's an absolutely basal level necessity. No amount of cheerleading for the anti-car crowd will change that. I suspect it won't change in my lifetime either.
GlacierFox 4y ago
former car owner Couldn't help but get that in there could you.
rl3 4y ago
>This all reads like entitled driver behavior to me. You sure? GP: >Before the police showed up, an SUV showed up with some tow truck heavies with, no doubt, plenty of illegal weapons on them, just to spectate and make sure things went the way they wanted. Sounds more like thugs engaging in predatory behavior to me.
- rTX5CMRXIfFG 4y ago
  If the tow truck operators did not have thugs, the commenter’s friend still would have committed a violation.
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y ago
  I think in this case, both parties were wrong. Sometimes that happens - nobody is right.

mjfl 4y ago

> don’t block traffic in an 8 house cul de sac Isn't the whole point of a cul de sac that there isn't much traffic through it? Doesn't the cul de sac itself block traffic?

notyourwork 4y ago

The amount of mental gymnastics I hear from people who illegally park or obstruct society for their own selfish reasons is beyond me. There are places to park, there are places to not park, they don't have an overlap.

reustle 4y ago
I don't agree with this. I'm from the US and have now lived in Japan for 6+ years. We have zero on street parking around the city, yet we joke that the hazard lights button is the "park anywhere" button, and you see it all the time. Because nobody strongly abuses this, it generally works fine and people go on with their lives around them. Even with the small neighborhood streets around Tokyo, you rarely see it being treated as an issue. At worst, if a truck is trying to pass, a quick honk will cause whoever is driving to rush out and move the car. I do get disillusioned sometimes though, living in a society where people have a general level of respect for each other.
- rTX5CMRXIfFG 4y ago
  > Because nobody strongly abuses this There’s your likely reason for why the rule is strictly enforced in the US. Really, it makes no sense to me that people demand and expect law enforcement to work equally for everyone while also wanting to make an exception of themselves.
- notyourwork 4y ago
  > I do get disillusioned sometimes though, living in a society where people have a general level of respect for each other. This might have something to do with it.
- technothrasher 4y ago
  > the hazard lights button is the "park anywhere" button I first saw this behavior when I went to school in Rochester, NY and wondered what the hell everybody was doing. Never encountered it growing up outside of Boston.
- PebblesHD 4y ago
  Fascinating that you arrived at such a similar phrase for this. In my group we call them ‘park anywhere lights’ I spend 3+ months a year between Fukuoka and Tokyo, but outside my group of friends this concept has never really been discussed. I also agree on the baseline level of respect and order, going back to Sydney is sometimes jarring where some things don’t ‘just work’ as they do here.
- ginnungagap 4y ago
  This is very common behaviour (and known as the "park wherever the f you want" button among my friends) in Italy as well. But italians are not exactly the best example of drivers to imitate and learn from
- jvidalv 4y ago
  Same in Spain, and I guess most of Europe, when you are parking temporarily ( < 5 minutes normally ) somewhere you shouldn't you put the hazard lights on. But I'm not talking about blocking the road entirely, of course that's not the case, just parking in places that is not allowed to park statically.

version_five 4y ago

You had me until "former car owner"

lovemenot 4y ago
Pointing out sanctimony or hypocrisy is not a valid argument against. It's is a kind of ad hominem. A person can be both right and sanctimonious
- eduction 4y ago
  Weird to me it’s being read as sanctimony. My intent was just to convey “I was a driver for 22 years I am allowed to say we are entitled behind the wheel.” Maybe people feel guilty about owning cars so it rubbed them wrong? Some people have to, I’m lucky enough to not. I don’t think I’m better, just emotionally liberated. It’s an amazing feeling to have the privilege of not having to drive or park, get psychotically enraged at being towed, etc
  - lovemenot 4y ago
    Ad hominem, when used, is commonly done as a pure convenience for the person wielding it. I cannot say about this particular case.
  - blue039 4y ago
    For many of us, including myself, such a "luxury" is not practical: 1. I like the outdoors and they don't put bus lines 200 miles from the nearest gas station. 2. Work is often further than walking or biking distance. 3. I need to haul more than a few days worth of groceries. Or a larger item. I think what people are getting upset at is you are conflating not driving with some higher form of intellect when in reality it's a privilege really only afforded to people who live in often high cost of living areas. This implies a socioeconomic status to yourself whether you like it or not and so people feel you are talking down to them. I interpreted it as you were talking down to me too. It's not about me being "done" with road rage, or whatever, it's about the fact that my town, my life, and the country in general won't let me be "done" with it. Nor will my hobbies. For many of us a car is not a privilege it's an absolutely basal level necessity. No amount of cheerleading for the anti-car crowd will change that. I suspect it won't change in my lifetime either.

GlacierFox 4y ago

former car owner Couldn't help but get that in there could you.

rl3 4y ago

>This all reads like entitled driver behavior to me. You sure? GP: >Before the police showed up, an SUV showed up with some tow truck heavies with, no doubt, plenty of illegal weapons on them, just to spectate and make sure things went the way they wanted. Sounds more like thugs engaging in predatory behavior to me.

rTX5CMRXIfFG 4y ago
If the tow truck operators did not have thugs, the commenter’s friend still would have committed a violation.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y ago
I think in this case, both parties were wrong. Sometimes that happens - nobody is right.