To the guy who gave me the finger at Valley and Jefferson (corrected)

You almost never read about a jerkish driver who was driving a Honda, Toyota, Ford or Chevy. Is it that those people drive more safely, or that one of the things posters resent is that others have expensive cars?

Probably both, but I suspect mostly the latter.


Oh I disagree. Honda (and Toyota to a lesser extent)seems to be a favorite of young men who treat our local highways like racetracks, weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating in the left lane. I see that all the time.

And check out the delightful practice rolling coal. Certainly a practice if Chevy and Ford owners. 

The space-hoggers in the How To Park Like A Tool thread don't seem to fall into a specific brand.

Jerkish driving behavior transcends race, socioeconomic status and car brand. And gender as well.


mrincredible said:

Oh I disagree. Honda (and Toyota to a lesser extent)seems to be a favorite of young men who treat our local highways like racetracks, weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating in the left lane. I see that all the time.

And check out the delightful practice rolling coal. Certainly a practice if Chevy and Ford owners. 

The space-hoggers in the How To Park Like A Tool thread don't seem to fall into a specific brand.

Jerkish driving behavior transcends race, socioeconomic status and car brand. And gender as well.

I'm sure there are bad and unsafe drivers in all kinds of vehicles. But when I read a complaint here or on FB it almost always refers to someone driving a BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, huge SUV etc.


maybe there's a certain selection bias in the kind of person who posts complaints about entitled behavior by drivers?


What about 'old guys in hats'?? That used to be a very strong stereotype for a certain kind of annoying driving behaviour not too long ago. 

And 'little old ladies' is another kind, not quite as common, but still mentioned in used car circles.


Jackson_Fusion said:

Jackson_Fusion said:

max_weisenfeld said:

max_weisenfeld said:

Jackson_Fusion said:

max_weisenfeld said:

BG9 said:

What's with the racism? If he was black, would you have written "black guy." Hispanic guy? If he wore a Kippah, Jewish guy? Muslim guy? 

I think you need to refresh your understanding of the concept of racism.  Calling an old white guy in a tesla an old white guy in a tesla is not and cannot be racist by any definition of the word.  Citing a list of groups that can be oppressed and calling for equivalency for the dominant cultural group in society however just might qualify.

 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

Guess Webster qualifies then.

 Even by Webster what was said is not racist.  By posting that, though, I think you might qualify as one of these: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troll

No no you misunderstand me! I’m more focused on YOUR definition. The one where you suggest:

That people not from a “dominant cultural group” who exhibit negative beliefs or actions against a “dominant cultural group” cannot be racist and

that asking if showing potential bias towards a “dominant cultural group” may in fact be racist.

I just want to understand. The word “racist” cannot be used when racial antipathy is shown towards a “dominant cultural group”? If you are taking the word “racist” away, can you please tell me what I should replace it with? It’s important that this is defined so people don’t make mistakes.

Also, can you help me understand how questioning a statement’s intent can in fact be racist itself? That would be great, thank you.

And finally... what is a “dominant cultural group”? Is that a race-categorizing term? Like people of certain colors can’t be a part of the broader “dominant culture?” I never really knew that certain behaviors and beliefs, when rolled up into culture, became exclusionary based on... I guess race? At what point? Can you give me some examples of “dominant cultural group” beliefs and behaviors for a “dominant cultural group”?

Thanks in advance. Super helpful. Obviously the Webster definition is SUPER wrong and needs updating. 

 

Go with prejudice.  No power dynamic needed. 


apple44 said:

apple44 said:

mrincredible said:

Oh I disagree. Honda (and Toyota to a lesser extent)seems to be a favorite of young men who treat our local highways like racetracks, weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating in the left lane. I see that all the time.

And check out the delightful practice rolling coal. Certainly a practice if Chevy and Ford owners. 

The space-hoggers in the How To Park Like A Tool thread don't seem to fall into a specific brand.

Jerkish driving behavior transcends race, socioeconomic status and car brand. And gender as well.

I'm sure there are bad and unsafe drivers in all kinds of vehicles. But when I read a complaint here or on FB it almost always refers to someone driving a BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, huge SUV etc.

That’s just SOMA classism rearing it’s head.  We’ve also got a crapton if pricier cars about town, so odds are pretty good. 


ctrzaska said:

That’s just SOMA classism rearing it’s head.  We’ve also got a crapton if pricier cars about town, so odds are pretty good. 

 it's this. 

Half the drivers are in big SUVs. Most of the rest are driving high end sedans. 


mrincredible said:

Oh I disagree. Honda (and Toyota to a lesser extent)seems to be a favorite of young men who treat our local highways like racetracks, weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating in the left lane. I see that all the time.

And check out the delightful practice rolling coal. Certainly a practice if Chevy and Ford owners. 

The space-hoggers in the How To Park Like A Tool thread don't seem to fall into a specific brand.

Jerkish driving behavior transcends race, socioeconomic status and car brand. And gender as well.

Rolling coal (diesels emitting immense amounts of black soot) means that the injection pump is not functioning properly (in these instances on purpose) or the vehicle's computer has been repogrammed (or sabotaged) to obtain this result.  IOW, "rolling coal" results in huge amounts of soot, lower fuel economy and an instance of self identifying one's own ignorance by the driver.

In the days of old (before onboard auto/truck computers were invented), old diesels would sometimes run this way as there was no feedback loop (and the primary cure was an injector pump overhaul - expensive).  Modern diesel engines are a marvel and this should not be happening today.


proeasdf said:

Rolling coal (diesels emitting immense amounts of black soot) means that the injection pump is not functioning properly (in these instances on purpose) or the vehicle's computer has been repogrammed (or sabotaged) to obtain this result.  IOW, "rolling coal" results in huge amounts of soot, lower fuel economy and an instance of self identifying one's own ignorance by the driver.

In the days of old (before onboard auto/truck computers were invented), old diesels would sometimes run this way as there was no feedback loop (and the primary cure was an injector pump overhaul - expensive).  Modern diesel engines are a marvel and this should not be happening today.

 Thanks for the explanation. I'll add that it's currently a behavior exhibited by some drivers  to protest environmental regulations or to somehow get back at hybrid drivers. It's been called "Prius Repellent" and there are YouTube videos of pickup drivers deliberately doing it to Prius drivers.


mrincredible said:

proeasdf said:

Rolling coal (diesels emitting immense amounts of black soot) means that the injection pump is not functioning properly (in these instances on purpose) or the vehicle's computer has been repogrammed (or sabotaged) to obtain this result.  IOW, "rolling coal" results in huge amounts of soot, lower fuel economy and an instance of self identifying one's own ignorance by the driver.

In the days of old (before onboard auto/truck computers were invented), old diesels would sometimes run this way as there was no feedback loop (and the primary cure was an injector pump overhaul - expensive).  Modern diesel engines are a marvel and this should not be happening today.

 Thanks for the explanation. I'll add that it's currently a behavior exhibited by some drivers  to protest environmental regulations or to somehow get back at hybrid drivers. It's been called "Prius Repellent" and there are YouTube videos of pickup drivers deliberately doing it to Prius drivers.

 I own a Prius but have not seen or had anyone attempt to cover me with soot using the rolling coal method.  But I have seen the rolling coal phenomenon IRL from a distance (disturbing).


Many, many years ago, maybe 20, I was emerging from the Holland Tunnel on the NYC side and I inadvertently cut a driver off. He rolled down his window and yelled, "you stink!" My ex and I found it charming and very funny. For years after, when one of us did something annoying, the other would yell, "you stink!"


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Many, many years ago, maybe 20, I was emerging from the Holland Tunnel on the NYC side and I inadvertently cut a driver off. He rolled down his window and yelled, "you stink!" My ex and I found it charming and very funny. For years after, when one of us did something annoying, the other would yell, "you stink!"

 It must have been about 40 years ago. It was a summer evening and I was on the feeder lanes going into the Holland Tunnel --- about 1 m.p.h.

Anyways, as I inched towards the pay booth, driver next to me begins to shout at me, cursing, calling me names - names, concerning my ancestry, and names I never even heard before, about cutting him off.

This continued, non stop, for about 20 minutes. I payed the toll and Mr. Temper was behind me and paid.

I looked in the rear view mirror to see, much to my glee, the tunnel cop directing the guy to pull over to the right hand lane.


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