• whoisearth
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    11 months ago

    Honest question. Does anyone here have enough humility to understand there’s a similar checklist of things an automobile solves?

    Now it doesn’t mean it’s the right solution but particularly in North America due to lack of XYZ automobiles are king.

    It’s very easy to go “hurr durr automobiles bad” but do you understand the multitude of reasons why we use them? All the things that need to be improved or fixed before we entertain the alternatives?

    Saying this as a car owner who takes public transit far more than other car owners.

    • chumbalumber@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      11 months ago

      “Does anyone here have enough humility to understand there’s a similar checklist of things an automobile solves?”

      Firstly, this feels a very confrontational way of phrasing the question. It carries with it the assumption that you are right and everyone else is wrong, which I don’t feel is a helpful way of approaching a discussion.

      Yes, of course people realise that car ownership is the only viable solution for individuals at the current time. You have engaged with a community who are passionate about and engaged in urban planning, so they are going to be more switched onto the challenges than most.

      The entire point is that on their own they are not a sustainable solution long-term. They are hugely inefficient energy and space-wise, their infrastructure causes massive damage to the communities they carve through (see this Guardian article for a breakdown of some NA case studies), and they currently cause a huge amount of environmental damage.

      So, the question becomes: how can we remove the need for car ownership? There’s a host of ideas, from better high speed rail links to eliminate long-distance trips, to micromobility and demand responsive transport for short-distance, to better constructing our cities to begin with to allow for amenities to be walkable. Are we going to eliminate car use in rural areas? Of course not; there’s no point running a bus service for a village of 10 people and a goat. Can we eliminate 99% of car trips for those in built up areas, improving air quality, walkability, and accessibility? That should absolutely be the goal.

      TL;DR: hurr durr fuck cars

    • Sanyanov@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      For the appearance of XYZ we need a policy and cultural change, and for that we need to be very vocal about how stupid and inefficient cars are (i.e. hurr durr automobiles bad).

    • biddy@feddit.nl
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      11 months ago

      Yes. Nobody is suggested we should ban all cars everywhere.

      Cars are incredible. I do trips to remote places all the time that would be impossible without cars. There’s no better way to transport 5 people and their gear for a week to a place that’s 100km from the nearest small town.

      But for 1 guy commuting from the suburbs to work in the city every day in their SUV? Fuck that, the system is broken to even entertain that as a possibility.

      • whoisearth
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        11 months ago

        And I’ll tell you right back that people don’t care about your list here. You want to get people onboard start pivoting the conversation. “yaytransit” is far more positive and forward thinking than “fuckcars”.

        In fact, the responses I’ve gotten already are a good indication of how deluded this community is. You’re not here to promote change, you’re here to scream into the wind.

        So I guess consider that more a failing on my part.

          • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Go ahead and try your riots against cars, see how far that gets you. I’m sure everybody will join you and applaud

            • yA3xAKQMbq@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              Riots and protests don’t need your approval or applause. They happen because the majority of people are too complacent. If everyone was already aboard we’d just do those things, you know. You probably don’t understand this, because you never stuck out your neck for anything in your life.

              • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                I’ve noticed that people often imagine that they know what kind of person I am, because in their minds it makes it easy to build up a strawman version of a person that fits their preconceived ideas of the “bad guy” that’s opposed to their dumb ideas. Here you go again, doing that. But in reality, all you know is that I made fun of your idea of rioting against cars.

                • yA3xAKQMbq@lemm.ee
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                  11 months ago

                  People can read your other comments as well, you know? Your account is a textbook about insecure masculinity, Mr. „I am the man other men wish they could be“ 😂

                  • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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                    11 months ago

                    Look how you have to dig to come up with a reply and it’s not even cromulent. Ad hominem is weak.

                    You can’t insult me with my own words, I know what I’ve written and it’s honest, so your attempts aren’t capable of reaching my level.

    • FarceOfWill@infosec.pub
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      11 months ago

      Congratulations on taking public transport far more than most car owners you must be very proud