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As a GenX American parent, it’s wild to me that kids don’t want to drive when they turn 16. I honestly struggle to comprehend how that is the case (though not

As a GenX American parent, it’s wild to me that kids don’t want to drive when they turn 16. I honestly struggle to comprehend how that is the case (though not going to judge kids…had enough of that when I was a teen). There is a word we throw around casually that has always been a part of teenage life. It does however seem to be increasing exponentially and it’s behind a lot of these trends. “anxiety” https://medium.com/swlh/american-teens-are-driving-less-and-the-reasons-are-more-than-economic-4cf6217375a1 https://medium.com/swlh/american-teens-are-driving-less-and-...

switch007 3y ago
FTA > Financial, legal, and technological changes are all part of the equation And anxiety seems like a perfectly rational response to driving a 1500kg oversized killing machine. If I had to choose between anxious drivers and the overconfident who speed and run red lights, I would take the former
- dustincoates 3y ago
  > And anxiety seems like a perfectly rational response to driving a 1500kg oversized killing machine. It's not as if cars were safer during the "Unsafe at Any Speed" era. Why anxiety now and not then?
  - switch007 3y ago
    Do you not think it's rational to be anxious? Not sure I accept the premise there was no anxiety then. But different generations think differently. Previous generations thought slavery was OK and accusing people of being witches a totally valid criticism. I can't really speak to the USA in that era as I'm neither old enough nor have I ever lived there.But I know the 60s and 70s was intensely car-focussed. Incredible amount of resources were thrown at forming a car-owning population. Maybe the marketing and widespread acceptance made people feel better about driving? Vehicular laws were more relaxed? Marketing telling people it was safe (governments hadn't caught up to counter the marketing)? Could be many reasons
globular-toast 3y ago
Why would anyone want to drive? They've probably seen how stressed out and angry it makes you.
- nervousvarun 3y ago
  Driving used to be the primary way you facilitated face to face interaction which was the primary way you facilitated sex. It’s not like anything significant has happened transportation-wise to replace driving. If kids don’t want to drive it means they care a lot less about meeting up with other kids. The point is those face to face interactions don’t seem to be happening the way they used to. Sex isn’t going to happen if people don’t interact with each other. It’s all symptoms of the same “disease” (which seems to be or be strongly associated to anxiety).
  - globular-toast 3y ago
    In Europe people are generally able to use their ambulatory appendages to achieve the proximity required for coitus. Hard to believe sex was the sole motivating factor behind learning to drive but I'm willing to believe it was a big one. It sounds to me like the two things are both a symptom of the same thing which is generally a withdrawal from society.

switch007 3y ago

FTA > Financial, legal, and technological changes are all part of the equation And anxiety seems like a perfectly rational response to driving a 1500kg oversized killing machine. If I had to choose between anxious drivers and the overconfident who speed and run red lights, I would take the former

dustincoates 3y ago
> And anxiety seems like a perfectly rational response to driving a 1500kg oversized killing machine. It's not as if cars were safer during the "Unsafe at Any Speed" era. Why anxiety now and not then?
- switch007 3y ago
  Do you not think it's rational to be anxious? Not sure I accept the premise there was no anxiety then. But different generations think differently. Previous generations thought slavery was OK and accusing people of being witches a totally valid criticism. I can't really speak to the USA in that era as I'm neither old enough nor have I ever lived there.But I know the 60s and 70s was intensely car-focussed. Incredible amount of resources were thrown at forming a car-owning population. Maybe the marketing and widespread acceptance made people feel better about driving? Vehicular laws were more relaxed? Marketing telling people it was safe (governments hadn't caught up to counter the marketing)? Could be many reasons

globular-toast 3y ago

Why would anyone want to drive? They've probably seen how stressed out and angry it makes you.

nervousvarun 3y ago
Driving used to be the primary way you facilitated face to face interaction which was the primary way you facilitated sex. It’s not like anything significant has happened transportation-wise to replace driving. If kids don’t want to drive it means they care a lot less about meeting up with other kids. The point is those face to face interactions don’t seem to be happening the way they used to. Sex isn’t going to happen if people don’t interact with each other. It’s all symptoms of the same “disease” (which seems to be or be strongly associated to anxiety).
- globular-toast 3y ago
  In Europe people are generally able to use their ambulatory appendages to achieve the proximity required for coitus. Hard to believe sex was the sole motivating factor behind learning to drive but I'm willing to believe it was a big one. It sounds to me like the two things are both a symptom of the same thing which is generally a withdrawal from society.