I have a car, and I find myself agreeing with the fuck cars people. I live in a rural town, and the lack of public transportation is a really grave situation that disproportionately affects people who are poor, people with disabilities, first-gen immigrants – all the frequently marginalized groups. I’m convinced this is the only reason people don’t seem to care or handwave any discussion about public transportation infrastructure – it’s hurting the “right people”. In fact, if you suggest to people that they could ride a bus or train, many of them will go completely mask off and start ranting about how they don’t want to ride with the “riff raff” or they don’t want to be stabbed, or other casually racist/classist things.
Up until recently, my husband who is an immigrant was not able to get a license, and he was walking more than 6 miles to work and back, and yes, that included in the -30F temperatures and heavy snow.
There are a number of people who do actually seem merely ignorant and will say things like “that won’t work here,” and to that I say, the fuck it won’t. It has worked here. The infrastructure used to exist. My grandma lived here and would take a train two towns away, when I was a kid we used to take the bus. I also have family in rural Norway, and I’ve seen the trains there, I’ve been on them, and they’re just as sparsely populated and rural as we are. (I know sometimes one has to drive or bicycle a short distance to get to a station, but still…)
“But why aren’t you doing something besides complain on Lemmy.” You mean besides meeting with the chamber of commerce, talking to my city council rep, and sitting on committees that support this very change? Yeah, I’m trying, and I’d appreciate it if some ignorant buffoons weren’t constantly derailing any attempts at meaningful change with their sheer ignorance and self-centered entitlement, framing us all as children who need to grow up. I happen to be middle-aged, and I drive a used Hyundai, which I’d give up in an instant in exchange for some infrastructure that could benefit everyone. I just can’t imagine living in such a way that I perceive my own comfort as coming at the expense of others, and at the expense of the entire planet. What kind of empty husk of an existence is that.
I have a car, and I find myself agreeing with the fuck cars people. I live in a rural town, and the lack of public transportation is a really grave situation that disproportionately affects people who are poor, people with disabilities, first-gen immigrants – all the frequently marginalized groups. I’m convinced this is the only reason people don’t seem to care or handwave any discussion about public transportation infrastructure – it’s hurting the “right people”. In fact, if you suggest to people that they could ride a bus or train, many of them will go completely mask off and start ranting about how they don’t want to ride with the “riff raff” or they don’t want to be stabbed, or other casually racist/classist things.
Up until recently, my husband who is an immigrant was not able to get a license, and he was walking more than 6 miles to work and back, and yes, that included in the -30F temperatures and heavy snow.
There are a number of people who do actually seem merely ignorant and will say things like “that won’t work here,” and to that I say, the fuck it won’t. It has worked here. The infrastructure used to exist. My grandma lived here and would take a train two towns away, when I was a kid we used to take the bus. I also have family in rural Norway, and I’ve seen the trains there, I’ve been on them, and they’re just as sparsely populated and rural as we are. (I know sometimes one has to drive or bicycle a short distance to get to a station, but still…)
“But why aren’t you doing something besides complain on Lemmy.” You mean besides meeting with the chamber of commerce, talking to my city council rep, and sitting on committees that support this very change? Yeah, I’m trying, and I’d appreciate it if some ignorant buffoons weren’t constantly derailing any attempts at meaningful change with their sheer ignorance and self-centered entitlement, framing us all as children who need to grow up. I happen to be middle-aged, and I drive a used Hyundai, which I’d give up in an instant in exchange for some infrastructure that could benefit everyone. I just can’t imagine living in such a way that I perceive my own comfort as coming at the expense of others, and at the expense of the entire planet. What kind of empty husk of an existence is that.
So fuck cars, and let’s get something started.