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> There's lots of choices. Bikes It would take me several hours to get to work and back. It would be even worse for my wife. If we wanted to go out to dinner,

by chc 12y ago

> There's lots of choices. Bikes It would take me several hours to get to work and back. It would be even worse for my wife. If we wanted to go out to dinner, the restaurant would be closed by the time we got there. > walking This is even slower than biking. > public transit About as slow as biking, but smelly and without the health benefits. > rideshare Unless I misunderstand, this involves cars, so it is not an alternative to them. > And you're still allowed to go there - if you don't insist on bringing 2 tons of metal with you. As discussed above, this isn't about insisting on bringing two tons of metal — it's about the lack of viable alternatives. Sticking your fingers in your ears and saying "la la la" won't eliminate the very real and valid reasons why most people in America drive cars.

NeutronBoy 12y ago
Than that's a trade-off you've made between what you don't like (cars) and the place you want to live (which I assume you like).
- lkbm 12y ago
  I will say sometimes it's very much the snesible option--living close to where you work is sometimes really expensive, or otherwise unpleasant. But it is important to realize this is a choice and acknowledge that you're choosing a trade-off, not simply a "I have to drive; I have no choice." Simply recognizing that you have agency in the decision is of value. It allows you to _consciously_ weigh the pros and cons, to become aware of potentially-unnoticed alternatives, and to recognize the costs (and benefits), both to yourself and the broader community.
metaphorm 12y ago
we understand that you drive because you have to. the problem is that most people aren't trying very hard to imagine ways to drive less, or ways to build communities that don't utterly rely upon everyone owning a car. its not a problem that an individual can fix overnight. its got to become a social movement with lots of new technology and new social institutions and new beliefs and values behind it. as things stand now its easy to feel powerless and give up and say "doesn't matter, I'll be dead before our society changes enough to make not driving a viable alternative". and that's why nothing ever gets done about this problem. its still a problem though and at the rate things are going now we won't ever solve it before it becomes a crisis. so that's what will happen. inevitably there will be a crisis and then we'll have to confront the problem under much more desperate circumstances.

by chc 12y ago

NeutronBoy 12y ago

Than that's a trade-off you've made between what you don't like (cars) and the place you want to live (which I assume you like).

lkbm 12y ago
I will say sometimes it's very much the snesible option--living close to where you work is sometimes really expensive, or otherwise unpleasant. But it is important to realize this is a choice and acknowledge that you're choosing a trade-off, not simply a "I have to drive; I have no choice." Simply recognizing that you have agency in the decision is of value. It allows you to _consciously_ weigh the pros and cons, to become aware of potentially-unnoticed alternatives, and to recognize the costs (and benefits), both to yourself and the broader community.

metaphorm 12y ago

we understand that you drive because you have to. the problem is that most people aren't trying very hard to imagine ways to drive less, or ways to build communities that don't utterly rely upon everyone owning a car. its not a problem that an individual can fix overnight. its got to become a social movement with lots of new technology and new social institutions and new beliefs and values behind it. as things stand now its easy to feel powerless and give up and say "doesn't matter, I'll be dead before our society changes enough to make not driving a viable alternative". and that's why nothing ever gets done about this problem. its still a problem though and at the rate things are going now we won't ever solve it before it becomes a crisis. so that's what will happen. inevitably there will be a crisis and then we'll have to confront the problem under much more desperate circumstances.