4 ms·

In the Atlanta area I've experienced a few times people FLYING up on me in the right hand lane while I'm cruising along at a conservative, gas sipping 55 MPH in

In the Atlanta area I've experienced a few times people FLYING up on me in the right hand lane while I'm cruising along at a conservative, gas sipping 55 MPH in my old truck, blaring their horn at me like I'm some kind of maniac. I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

cindyllm 8mo ago
[dead]
duncangh 8mo ago
Driving and living in Atlanta after living in Charleston and Raleigh felt like transitioning from a modern cooperative society to an island of cannibals. The amount of aggression needed to change lanes largely regardless of attempts to signal good faith and politeness is baffling. Driving is a fascinating ritual with vastly differing norms across regions. It would be interesting to learn if anthropologists have studied this
- rramadass 8mo ago
  > Driving is a fascinating ritual with vastly differing norms across regions. It would be interesting to learn if anthropologists have studied this And Psychologists! Reading the comments in this thread is quite amusing. As a driver in India, i can tell you anything goes as long as you don't get into an accident (which may/may-not kill you) or get caught by the police. No rules matter and the only goal is to "one-up" everybody else on the road and if they are trying to "one-up" you, then prevent it by any means possible. It is a "game of chicken" in its purest form; game theory in action. Rules are mere suggestions only followed by the meek and the weak. You have no idea how invigorating it is to drive in India.
  - its_magic 8mo ago
    I don't mind that sort of traffic, as long as I'm in Somebody Else's Car or an old junker that's already banged up. In these situations, the biggest and ugliest car/truck with the meanest driver always wins.
  - toast0 8mo ago
    > No rules matter I was only briefly in India and did not drive while there, but the one rule that everyone adhered to was: communicate what you're doing by honking. If you are stopped: honk to let people know. If you are moving: honk to let people know. If you are turning: honk to let people know. If you are proceeding straight: honk to let people know. If you are on a motorbike or in an autorickshaw: honk twice to let people know. Etc.
  - rramadass 8mo ago
    Addendum: Drive in India and you will understand mathematical concepts of Chance/Randomness/Probability/Non-determinism/Game Theory/etc. along with philosophical concepts of Fate/Destiny/Providence/etc. in so direct and visceral a manner that you will never forget the lessons. Sissified countries with rules and regulations for driving can never give you such direct knowledge. Game Theory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory Game of Chicken - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_(game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_(game) The game of chicken models two drivers, both headed for a single-lane bridge from opposite directions. The first to swerve away yields the bridge to the other. If neither player swerves, the result is a costly deadlock in the middle of the bridge or a potentially fatal head-on collision. It is presumed that the best thing for each driver is to stay straight while the other swerves (since the other is the "chicken" while a crash is avoided). Additionally, a crash is presumed to be the worst outcome for both players. This yields a situation where each player, in attempting to secure their best outcome, risks the worst. How to learn One-upmanship/Gamesmanship: The British author Stephen Potter actually wrote a manual on the practice of such games titled The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship (or the Art of Winning Games without Actually Cheating) which sissies can study to become strong - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamesmanship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamesmanship For the even more sissified sissies who do not want to read a book, there is a documentary titled School for Scoundrels Or How to Win without Actually Cheating) which is very instructive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_for_Scoundrels_(1960_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_for_Scoundrels_(1960_fi... Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the consequences if the above emboldens you to act in such a manner in your specific context.
    - bluGill 8mo ago
      India is working to fix that. It is slow going, but things have improved over time, and police are enforcing driving laws (at least in some areas)
      - rramadass 8mo ago
        Yes, of course. As an Indian, i was just expressing my frustrations in a jokey manner.
ssl-3 8mo ago
That's easy to deal with: They're behind you. Ignore them. Setting the side mirrors based on the AAA method works for a lot of reasons, and it helps with this too. So does flipping the center mirror over to the dark side. Out of sight, out of mind. They can be elect to stay back there behaving however they want, or they can go around be however they need to be somewhere else. If you just can't stand it anymore, then just hop off the highway. It can be a good opportunity to stop for some coffee or a soda. Or, you know: Just to get out of the car, stretch out the ol' legs, and taste that acrid city air, think about something or someone in the world that is beautiful for you, and chill down a second. Or just go up one exit ramp and down the entrance ramp on the other side of the crossroad, if the intersection design allows this move to be made safely and conveniently. They almost certainly won't follow. They'll instead be disappearing down the highway at warp speed the whole time you're doing this, and you'll probably never across them again in your entire life. It only costs a few minutes. They may seem interminable, but they're few. The benefit is relief from the mounting agony of dealing with this aggressive driver that might otherwise stick with you the rest of the day and that's good for your brain health. (And if they do follow after you give them every opportunity to not do that? It's not Hollywood or the national news and this actually doesn't happen much in the real world on an individual level, but: Call the police at 911 or 999 or 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3 or whatever it is, and get some help.)
- its_magic 8mo ago
  It's all fun and games until one gets rear-ended by one of these mental patients. The solution is just to stay out of Atlanta, or drive faster. I'm OK with that. Not really sure where you were going with all this. Sounds like pretty extreme, weird behavior that you are advocating.
  - Dylan16807 8mo ago
    > Sounds like pretty extreme, weird behavior that you are advocating. Advice for when someone is following closely in anger that summarizes to "try getting off the highway for a minute and if that fails call the cops." is suggesting you perform "extreme, weird behavior"? I don't understand your reaction at all.

cindyllm 8mo ago

[dead]

duncangh 8mo ago

Driving and living in Atlanta after living in Charleston and Raleigh felt like transitioning from a modern cooperative society to an island of cannibals. The amount of aggression needed to change lanes largely regardless of attempts to signal good faith and politeness is baffling. Driving is a fascinating ritual with vastly differing norms across regions. It would be interesting to learn if anthropologists have studied this

rramadass 8mo ago
> Driving is a fascinating ritual with vastly differing norms across regions. It would be interesting to learn if anthropologists have studied this And Psychologists! Reading the comments in this thread is quite amusing. As a driver in India, i can tell you anything goes as long as you don't get into an accident (which may/may-not kill you) or get caught by the police. No rules matter and the only goal is to "one-up" everybody else on the road and if they are trying to "one-up" you, then prevent it by any means possible. It is a "game of chicken" in its purest form; game theory in action. Rules are mere suggestions only followed by the meek and the weak. You have no idea how invigorating it is to drive in India.
- its_magic 8mo ago
  I don't mind that sort of traffic, as long as I'm in Somebody Else's Car or an old junker that's already banged up. In these situations, the biggest and ugliest car/truck with the meanest driver always wins.
- toast0 8mo ago
  > No rules matter I was only briefly in India and did not drive while there, but the one rule that everyone adhered to was: communicate what you're doing by honking. If you are stopped: honk to let people know. If you are moving: honk to let people know. If you are turning: honk to let people know. If you are proceeding straight: honk to let people know. If you are on a motorbike or in an autorickshaw: honk twice to let people know. Etc.
- rramadass 8mo ago
  Addendum: Drive in India and you will understand mathematical concepts of Chance/Randomness/Probability/Non-determinism/Game Theory/etc. along with philosophical concepts of Fate/Destiny/Providence/etc. in so direct and visceral a manner that you will never forget the lessons. Sissified countries with rules and regulations for driving can never give you such direct knowledge. Game Theory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory Game of Chicken - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_(game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_(game) The game of chicken models two drivers, both headed for a single-lane bridge from opposite directions. The first to swerve away yields the bridge to the other. If neither player swerves, the result is a costly deadlock in the middle of the bridge or a potentially fatal head-on collision. It is presumed that the best thing for each driver is to stay straight while the other swerves (since the other is the "chicken" while a crash is avoided). Additionally, a crash is presumed to be the worst outcome for both players. This yields a situation where each player, in attempting to secure their best outcome, risks the worst. How to learn One-upmanship/Gamesmanship: The British author Stephen Potter actually wrote a manual on the practice of such games titled The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship (or the Art of Winning Games without Actually Cheating) which sissies can study to become strong - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamesmanship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamesmanship For the even more sissified sissies who do not want to read a book, there is a documentary titled School for Scoundrels Or How to Win without Actually Cheating) which is very instructive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_for_Scoundrels_(1960_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_for_Scoundrels_(1960_fi... Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the consequences if the above emboldens you to act in such a manner in your specific context.
  - bluGill 8mo ago
    India is working to fix that. It is slow going, but things have improved over time, and police are enforcing driving laws (at least in some areas)
    - rramadass 8mo ago
      Yes, of course. As an Indian, i was just expressing my frustrations in a jokey manner.

ssl-3 8mo ago

That's easy to deal with: They're behind you. Ignore them. Setting the side mirrors based on the AAA method works for a lot of reasons, and it helps with this too. So does flipping the center mirror over to the dark side. Out of sight, out of mind. They can be elect to stay back there behaving however they want, or they can go around be however they need to be somewhere else. If you just can't stand it anymore, then just hop off the highway. It can be a good opportunity to stop for some coffee or a soda. Or, you know: Just to get out of the car, stretch out the ol' legs, and taste that acrid city air, think about something or someone in the world that is beautiful for you, and chill down a second. Or just go up one exit ramp and down the entrance ramp on the other side of the crossroad, if the intersection design allows this move to be made safely and conveniently. They almost certainly won't follow. They'll instead be disappearing down the highway at warp speed the whole time you're doing this, and you'll probably never across them again in your entire life. It only costs a few minutes. They may seem interminable, but they're few. The benefit is relief from the mounting agony of dealing with this aggressive driver that might otherwise stick with you the rest of the day and that's good for your brain health. (And if they do follow after you give them every opportunity to not do that? It's not Hollywood or the national news and this actually doesn't happen much in the real world on an individual level, but: Call the police at 911 or 999 or 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3 or whatever it is, and get some help.)

its_magic 8mo ago
It's all fun and games until one gets rear-ended by one of these mental patients. The solution is just to stay out of Atlanta, or drive faster. I'm OK with that. Not really sure where you were going with all this. Sounds like pretty extreme, weird behavior that you are advocating.
- Dylan16807 8mo ago
  > Sounds like pretty extreme, weird behavior that you are advocating. Advice for when someone is following closely in anger that summarizes to "try getting off the highway for a minute and if that fails call the cops." is suggesting you perform "extreme, weird behavior"? I don't understand your reaction at all.