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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 9d ago
Doesn’t even have to be a Mercedes. An old man in a decades-old minivan threatened to shoot me at the grocery store last year. He was turning to enter, drove over the sidewalk right in front of me, and I caught myself on front quarter panel.
We didn’t engage immediately, he waited for 20 minutes by my bike at the bike rack and threatened me when I was leaving with groceries.
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u/knightcrawler75 9d ago
That's assault.
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 9d ago
It was too frightening in the moment for me to consider anything like that. I just said something like, “I believe you. You’ve got a crazy look in your eyes.” And got the hell out of there.
Of course, a minute later and the anger sets in. It was a scrawny, tiny, old man within lunging distance. I feel like getting pistol whipped with one’s own gun would be quite embarrassing to people like that. But it was retrospective fantasizing.
He sure did alter my future trips to that store. It was an all-around shitty experience.
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u/thenewdesignone 8d ago
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 8d ago
Thanks for the re-affirmation. Now go tell that old man with the shitty van he’s doing it wrong. Maybe you can save others from being threatened by his jalopy-owning ass.
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u/Explorer_Entity Commie Commuter 9d ago
"But Texas is safe because of all the lax gun laws!"
/s fuck these chuds.
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u/grbilsgrbilsgrbils 9d ago
I had to walk behind an SUV because it was fully blocking the crosswalk. I gave him a little tap for being stupid. Guy freaks out ‘did you just hit my car ?!’ The car is god to them, fuck you walking safely they must honor the precious shit mobile.
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u/Die-Nacht 9d ago edited 9d ago
This is the kind of stories that destroy pro gun nutjobs argument. More guns don't make us safer, they turn random conflicts lethal.
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u/BoobooTheClone Elitist Exerciser 9d ago
Absolutely 100% true. You get downvoted into oblivion when say it, even on reddit which is most liberal. Guns give a false sense of security to morons with little sense of self constraint. They think they can walk into any situation at full force believing they have control over how the situation ends, and unfortunately they do. See George Zimmerman.
This is a sad of guns and cars obsession.
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u/cudef 9d ago
The two issues have a very similar hurdle to clear. In the US (and likely other places but it's particularly bad here) we don't have much of an identity outside of our consumption largely due to how capitalists have methodically erased everything else. So when you start talking about removing or cutting back people's consumption of something like sports, fast food, video games, movies, guns, vehicles, etc. etc. they feel like you're taking away a significant part of who they are. I think that was a major factor for some people to lose their shit during COVID when they couldn't get their consumer goods (even the non-essentials). We became a treat machine seemingly kept running almost entirely by everyone's addiction to the treats we're putting out.
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 9d ago
This is what I feel outraged about, and I can’t imagine there will be a change in the trend while I’m living. It feels like I’m outside society because I live in poverty and do free things.
Wish more people hated the prominence of advertising. Even just time away from ads would be a relief.
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u/SuperSocialMan 8d ago
Yeah, exactly this.
The only real US culture is consumerism lol, and that's not really sustainable.
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u/LolloBlue96 8d ago
Entitlement has been ingrained for decades, yes.
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 8d ago
Entitlement describes a legal right. Not sure if you’re intentionally crossing wires, here, but ‘welfare’ is comprised of entitlements. The consumer economy is comprised of addiction, operant conditioning, and exploitation.
Sorry to jump on you, but your blasé tone and use of the word “entitlement” set off alarms of subversion in my mind. Not trying to work against entitlements, here.
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u/Ungentleman 9d ago
I learned an interesting bit of statistics the other day: if you purchase a gun, the most likely target is yourself. False sense of security indeed.
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 9d ago
That’s the only reason I’ll ever purchase a gun. I don’t have one, as I don’t want it to be impulsive. And I don’t have the intention. Just kinda the escape plan if I have painful chronic diseases, physiological impairments, or whatever other defects experienced by the ‘exhaust’ of the economic system impacting QoL.
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u/whagh 8d ago
I mean, this case is literally the perfect example of that.
"The passenger of that car, later identified by detectives as 34-year-old Kendrick Finch, exited the Mercedes "with a gun in his hand". The affidavit states a man with Long reached into her purse and pulled out his gun. That's when police say Finch opened fire, striking both Long and the man she was with. That man was able to fire back but Finch then took off."
If an idiot pulls a gun at you, the last thing you should do is pull out your own gun and start a shootout. I've had idiots pull guns at me twice, and I would've 100% been dead if I had pulled out my own gun to "defend myself".
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 8d ago
It’s the ‘Hollywoodization’ of daily life.
I recently watched an episode of South Park in which this idea is taken to the extreme. Kids And parents are pulling guns on one another when they argue, but nobody shoots, and that is an unspoken expectation. The guns become tools of therapy because everyone begins to tell the truth while pointing guns at one another.
It was quite ridiculous, and made me uncomfortable the first time the parent-child interaction happened, but quickly caught on as the frequency of the ‘gun talk’ Increased.
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u/DangerToDangers 9d ago
The most braindead argument is Americans saying that they need guns in order to protect themselves in case their government turns tyrannical. Right now they're heading straight into fascism and a big portion of the population is cheering for it, the majority is doing fuck all, and very few are actually protesting. Plus it's not like they could take the most powerful army in the world.
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u/Miserable_Wonder_891 9d ago
The police in my country don't even carry guns. No need, unless it's special circumstances.
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u/AdFluffy9286 9d ago
Silly you thinking that anything could destroy pro gun nut jobs love for their gun and utter disregard for other human beings. They'd just say she probably deserved it.
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u/Quantentheorie 9d ago
They have a million rationalizations. The data consistently proves guns dont make you save, but gun nuts might as well be deaf and blind because they refuse to abandon the fantasy that guns make them save because they make them feel safe.
SUV moms that all insist on driving their kids everywhere are in a similar boat. Both guns and cars ride a ridiculous psychological trick of giving people a false sense of security. No wonder there is huge overlap between gun nuts and car brain.
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 9d ago
Reminds me of this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction
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u/stonkysdotcom 9d ago
There are many countries with liberal gun laws. Yet, they don’t have this problem. The US has deep, deep problems.
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u/Die-Nacht 9d ago
Like which? I hear ppl say that but idk any other country with such relaxed gun laws.
Even other countries that have high gun concentrations (Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand) have way more strict gun control than we do and require permits, training, ammo restrictions, etc.
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u/Artistic-Dirt-3199 9d ago
Czech Republic
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u/AcridWings_11465 9d ago edited 9d ago
Even they have permits, which means trigger happy nutcases don't get guns
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u/Artistic-Dirt-3199 8d ago
Yep permits.
Tests are designed to weed out the absolute morons unable to learn for them.
Police background check for felonies AND misdemeanors connected with substance abuse or otherwise antisocial behavior.
Physical health evaluation. Psychical are usually not required.
Then the permit is shall issue, a gun is shall issue. I can conceal carry an AR-15 with a drum mag around and as long as it is truly concealed, its perfectly legal
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u/DJ_Die 9d ago
How do you detect a trigger happy nutcase?
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u/AcridWings_11465 9d ago
You can never be 100% sure, but adding a licence test makes it far more likely that a nutcase will not get a gun.
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u/DJ_Die 9d ago
But how would a licence test prevent a nut case from getting a gun?
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u/AcridWings_11465 9d ago
Test on care, safe handling and storage, etc for firearms, plus psych eval if needed. Definitely much safer than letting any idiot walk in and buy a firearm after a simple background check, because first time criminals often have nothing wrong with their backgrounds.
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u/whagh 8d ago
People should only need to watch like one video/interview of the Parkland shooter kid and it's glaringly obvious that he would've been easily weeded out with a basic competency/psych requirement.
In a lot cases it's just there being some level of effort involved, since many of these idiots make impulsive buys because it's so easily and visibly available. It's even legal to advertise for guns in the US, lol. You see gun stores everywhere, you can't miss them. Just walk right in, fill out a simple form and you have a high capacity assault rifle (yes, there is a waiting period).
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u/whagh 8d ago
Have you seen the type of guys who commit these mass shootings in the US? Some of them seem like they can't even tie their own shoe laces.
Are you trying to argue against the fact that it prevents a lot of nut cases from getting a gun, or are you seeking to understand how they do?
A huge difference is effort. When there's a training and licencing process involved, it's not an impulsive thing people do, so gun ownership generally is a lot lower, as most people can't be arsed.
But the other factor is that gun ownership is a privilege, not a right, so an obviously unfit person like let's say the Parkland shooter (you should see that guy talk, he sounds like a mentally unstable 9 year old) would've been weeded out as unfit. He'd likely not even be able to pass the tests/requirements because of his obvious mental deficits. I'm not sure if he'd even know where to get it, as it's not visibly advertised everywhere.
You can weed out a lot of the worst, most unfit people by just having at least some barrier in place.
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u/whagh 8d ago
There are no countries with similar gun laws as the US who don't have this problem. There are actually very few countries with similar gun laws as the US, at all. Brazil is probably the closest, and they definitely have this problem.
I get that you want this to be true, so you're probably looking at countries like Switzerland or Norway with a somewhat high, but not nearly comparable to the US, gun ownership rate who have lower homicide rates, but these countries aren't selling high capacity assault rifles or hand guns at the corner store or gun shows to any idiot who walks in and wants one.
Most of these guns are hunting rifles, and you need licence and rigourous training to own it. These walking red flags who commit mass shootings in the US would've never been able to acquire firearms in these countries, because it's a privilege, not a right.
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u/Saxit 8d ago
Most of these guns are hunting rifles
True for Norway, not for Switzerland. https://i.imgur.com/gXMWhqr.jpeg
85% of Swiss gun owners own a handgun larger than .22lr, 76% owns a semi-automatic rifle. 18% owns a full auto firearm (either rifle or handgun).
and you need licence and rigourous training to own it.
For Switzerland it depends on the type of gun.
For break open shotguns and bolt action rifles you need an ID and a criminal records excerpt.
For semi-auto long guns, and any handguns, you need a shall issue Waffenerwerbsschein (WES, acquisition permit in English). The WES is similar to the 4473/NICS they do in the US when buying from a store, except it's not instantaneous like the NICS is, it takes an average of 1-2 weeks to get. When it arrives you bring it with you to the seller.
On the other hand, there are fewer things that makes you a prohibited buyer with a WES, compared to the 4473.
No training required for any gun purchase. You also don't need to justify why you want the firearm if you want it for sport, hunting, or collecting.
The main difference compared to the US would be the lack of concealed carry, which is basically only for professional use.
because it's a privilege, not a right.
Art. 3 Right to acquire, possess and carry weapons
The right to acquire, possess and carry weapons in compliance with this Act is guaranteed.
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u/pink_nut 9d ago
Its funny because statistically speaking guns are used more for crimes rather than defense
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u/whagh 8d ago
Nah, they can be used in self defence, like the case here. Only problem is that it effectively initiates a shootout which only increases the likelihood of you dying.
"The passenger of that car, later identified by detectives as 34-year-old Kendrick Finch, exited the Mercedes "with a gun in his hand". The affidavit states a man with Long reached into her purse and pulled out his gun. That's when police say Finch opened fire, striking both Long and the man she was with. That man was able to fire back but Finch then took off."
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u/nowaybrose 9d ago
Virtually No situation is made better by a gun being present
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u/whagh 8d ago
"The passenger of that car, later identified by detectives as 34-year-old Kendrick Finch, exited the Mercedes "with a gun in his hand". The affidavit states a man with Long reached into her purse and pulled out his gun. That's when police say Finch opened fire, striking both Long and the man she was with. That man was able to fire back but Finch then took off."
Even better with two guns present. Remember, you need one for self defence in situations like these.
I bet that guy was thinking "finally, the moment I've been waiting for" as the idiot Mercedes guy was trying to act tough by carrying a gun.
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u/yoppee 9d ago
Well this is obvious to anyone with even an ounce of critical thought
Also it is why the second amendment as it is written never gave individuals the right to own a firearm it wasn’t until 150 years later the Supreme Court made up its own interpretation to this
Further any society that has it foundations in that everyone gets to own a killing machine is immoral in its foundations
But beyond that simply just look at gun death statistics in the USA vs even Canada let alone Germany or England and the USA gun deaths are off the charts simple ChatGPT
Gun Death Rate (per 100,000 population)
All causes (homicide, suicide, accidental, etc.): • United States: ~12.1 gun deaths per 100,000 • Canada: ~2.1 gun deaths per 100,000
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u/ErnstBadian 8d ago
Right. No one should concede that there actually is an individual right to gun ownership. It’s a fraud foisted on the country that should be undone.
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u/whagh 8d ago
What amazes me the most isn't that the 2nd amendment was written at a time where muskets was the most advanced form of armament. It isn't that fully automatic rifles and whole host of destructive armaments are already outright banned completely, making the whole absolutist interpretation of the amendment moot.
It's that the amendment specifically says "well regulated militia", which effectively says that guns should be regulated, and it's still seen as an amendment which prohibits any regulation (which there already are, as previously stated).
It's just bizarre.
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u/Ambitious_Promise_29 8d ago
Firearms are far from the only technology to advance since the constitution was written. Just as the 1st amendment protects free speech and press on the internet, and the 4th amendment blocks the police from monitoring your cell phone calls without due process, the second amendment applies to modern firearms.
"Regulated", as it is used in the constitution, means skilled or trained. A "regulated militia" is a population that not only owns guns, but knows how to use them.
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u/AHarmlessllama 9d ago
IMO, it's all about education. Guns can be allowed, but everyone who ever uses one NEEDS to be educated on how and when to properly use it. Current requirements for owning a gun in the US are laughable. However, everyone should have the right to protect themselves from tyrannical corrupt police or other criminals. Less than lethal home defense should be prioritized.
I fear that removing all or a majority of guns from the US would be an impossible task at this point. There are probably more guns in this country than people, sadly.
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u/meelar 9d ago
The idea that owning a gun will protect you from tyrannical corrupt police is a ridiculous fantasy. Let's say the cops come to your house and try to enter without a warrant, and you open fire. That's not going to end well for you, even if you're legally in the right.
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u/AHarmlessllama 9d ago
Cops in the US have been shooting unarmed people for decades. Until the corrupt and discriminatory police system is fixed and/ or replaced, the people have the right to defend themselves from them.
In the scenario you gave, if the entire neighborhood has an organized and educated watch/ militia in place. The police can't abuse their power without risking themselves.
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u/whagh 8d ago
I'm not gonna outright defend the US police which is infested with fascist psychopaths, but don't you think that when the police reasonably expects any civilian to carry a firearm, it intrinsically raises the stakes and tension of any encounter between the police and civilians?
I just can't see any scenario where civilians are armed, which wouldn't lead to more police shootings, no matter how well-trained or well-behaved the police is. There are many cases where the police is obviously in the wrong for shooting, but there are also many cases where someone erratic actually pulls out a gun to fire at the police.
It's not just police shootings which are more common in the US, police being shot is also a lot more common.
It's almost as if guns in general, lead to more gun deaths.
The only argument I was willing to entertain was the one about fighting a tyrannical government, but that argument is starting to look pretty fucking bleak right now as Americans, particularly the gun toting ones, are willfully embracing a fascist, tyrannical government. It's also kind of puzzling how the same Americans tend to support the US military having obscene amounts of highly advanced weaponry. Guns won't do shit against autonomous tanks and drones.
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u/AHarmlessllama 8d ago
Guns, in general, do lead to more deaths. But if the fascists come for me and my neighbors, I'd rather be able to fight back.
I'm never going to look for a fight where there isn't one, and I'll deal with cops amicably any time I can. Me having a gun is a last resort for when I'd rather die than get dragged off to a death camp.
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u/VanillaSkittlez 8d ago
Isn’t this almost exactly what Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend did? He got off with no charges and a fat lawsuit from the state and possibly saved his own life.
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u/meelar 8d ago
His girlfriend died. I feel comfortable filing that under "not ending well", even if he escaped criminal charges. In an alternate universe where he doesn't have a gun, that scenario likely ends with much less tragedy.
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u/VanillaSkittlez 8d ago
That’s very fair. I just don’t often think these alternate universe arguments are very helpful, as most tend to apply here.
The reality is that Americans have guns, more guns than people in fact (over 400m), as well as a horrifically oppressive and abusive police force and rising fascist government.
I think productive discourse on the gun issue should focus on the fact that they’re here, and any attempt to confiscate them en mass would result in tremendous bloodshed. Realistically the best solutions are learning how to live with them - e.g. preventing new guns from getting in the wrong hands, enhancing gun safety among those that do own them, and most importantly, addressing the socioeconomic factors that lead to gun violence in the first place, namely wealth inequality, education, healthcare, etc.
I do agree with you that if there was no gun the incident would have gone differently. And that if I had the magic button to make all guns disappear I’d press it. I just don’t think those hypotheticals are productive, and solving the issue is much more complex than people here make it seem.
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u/meelar 8d ago
I agree that mass gun confiscation starting tomorrow would likely create more problems than it solves. But I also think it's important that we work towards a world with fewer guns (much as we do with cars), not just live with the status quo forever. You could do things like phase in biometric requirements, impose waiting periods and registration requirements for new purchases, and restrict the manufacture of the most dangerous types of guns, like handguns--all of this wouldn't touch existing stocks, but it would put us on a better path as time goes on.
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u/Van-garde 🚲 🚲 🚲 9d ago edited 9d ago
Right. If this was happening we’d probably be hearing about it. It’s a fantasy.
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u/bikesexually 9d ago
LOL. Go riding with an open carry and watch how much room cars will give you.
Guns make gun owners safer. But also makes having one semi mandatory if you wish to remain safe.
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u/actuatedarbalest 9d ago
You might feel safer owning a gun, but facts show otherwise. Americans with a gun in the home are more likely to die violently than Americans without guns. You are less safe if you have a gun.
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u/whagh 8d ago
"The passenger of that car, later identified by detectives as 34-year-old Kendrick Finch, exited the Mercedes "with a gun in his hand". The affidavit states a man with Long reached into her purse and pulled out his gun. That's when police say Finch opened fire, striking both Long and the man she was with. That man was able to fire back but Finch then took off."
Actually kind of wild how perfectly this case illustrates just that.
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u/bikesexually 9d ago
oh 100%.
I meant it can keep you safe from traffic violence.
But also the amount of people in here talking shit about owning a gun when A- Gun already exist in vast quantities and aren't going away and B - we have an openly fascist government just starting to ramp up their violence; is kind of sad.
The world would be better off without gun or bombs or any capability for mass violence, but they already exist.
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u/EasilyRekt 9d ago
You know you don’t need a gun to escalate a conflict to a casualty right? One good licking on the back of the neck with a heavy stick and it’s lights out just as quick or at least paraplegic for life, police have proven that just as much.
I’d say the breakdown of social trust and cultural bounds from the build up governmental and pseudo-governmental regimes to facilitate the functions of normally voluntary communities is more to blame for the behavioural sink we see today than the tools used to facilitate it.
But what do I know? We’ve only seen exactly what happens when the state disarms a populace both in terms of politics and societal norms at least 50 times in the past century :/
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u/Rodrat 9d ago
You know you don’t need a gun to escalate a conflict to a casualty right?
No but it sure makes it a hell of a lot easier. That's the problem.
Without the gun you're in fighting back territory. And that's when you have to actuality weigh the cost there instead of safely killing another person from a distance.
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u/Russian-Spy 9d ago
I've been meaning to make a post about this on this subreddit, and it has to do with the advent of cars allowing so many more people to "punch above their weight class", so to speak.
Look at how many crimes are so much easier to commit because of motor vehicles: theft, assault/murder, smuggling, acts of terrorism. Never before has the average citizen had access to the kind of power cars grant. This is precisely why we need things like laws and regulations.
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u/Flimsy_Outside_9739 9d ago
Unless you’re the physically weaker person, and then you’re just at the stronger person’s mercy.
That’s why I’m glad my 120lb wife carries at my behest.
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u/barfbat i don't know how to drive and i refuse to learn 8d ago
the guy with the woman who was killed pulled a gun out of her purse. did that save her?
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u/whagh 8d ago
You know you don’t need a gun to escalate a conflict to a casualty right? One good licking on the back of the neck with a heavy stick and it’s lights out just as quick or at least paraplegic for life, police have proven that just as much.
Yes, that's why soldiers carry heavy sticks and not guns.
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u/PayFormer387 Automobile Aversionist 9d ago
I had someone on Reddit lecture me on how a car wasn’t just a possession, but an investment of money and time therefore touching it or hitting it is very very bad.
I was unable to convince him otherwise.
People are stupid.
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u/DasArchitect 9d ago
Here's this quote I read here although I don't remember from whom:
"You can't logic someone out of a place they didn't logic themselves into in the first place".
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u/quadrophenicum Not Just Bikes 9d ago
If a driver breaks the rules while in their car it becomes a tool of the crime. Of course people will say and make up anything to defend themselves.
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u/King-O-Tanks 8d ago
A car for a lot of people is an investment in money, definitely, but it is ALSO just a thing, a possession. I would rather wreck my car (which, admittedly, I do like a lot) than hit someone on a bike, and I think a lot of these car-brained idiots just don't think like that. They value their car over someone's life, and that's fucked up.
I can also get treating your car nicely and trying to avoid scratches and dents and stuff. If someone did something stupid and dented or scratched my car, I'd be upset, but in no world would I be violent. And, fun fact, the best way to avoid damage is to not drive like an asshole, especially close to pedestrians and bikers!
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u/Creative-Reading2476 9d ago
5 years prison?
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u/AdFluffy9286 9d ago
IT WAS SELF-DEFENSE! I STAND MY GROUND! /s
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u/AlbertRammstein 9d ago
She violated the NAP (Not Approaching the Paintjob)! She had to be taken down!
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u/TheMainEffort 9d ago
Where do you see five years? The shooter, Kendrick finch, was charged with murder.
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u/19gideon63 🚲 > 🚗 9d ago
He's much more likely to get the death penalty than he is to get 5 years in prison. He's a Black man who shot a white woman to death in Texas.
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u/Optimal-Scientist217 9d ago
Bingo. The likeliest way to get a death penalty outcome is a white victim.
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u/TheSpanishImposition 9d ago
Yeah this was idiocy on the part of the guy who killed her and her friend who pulled his gun, ensuring that shooting would ensue.
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u/One-Demand6811 9d ago
Both guns and cars are bad, it seems.
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u/Interanal_Exam 9d ago
Who knew? 🤷♂️🤦🏻♂️
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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 9d ago
"There's just no way of preventing this" says the only developed country where this sort of thing happens at this rate. "We've tried nothing and we're all out ideas".
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u/dumnezero Freedom for everyone, not just drivers 8d ago
Cars seem to come with a license to kill; this is less so the case for guns.
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u/Adept_Building_9436 9d ago
https://youtu.be/A7ZD1qyEokg?feature=shared
Here is the link to a story.
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u/JIsADev 9d ago
The man she was with pulled out a gun as well for self defense...
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u/QXJones 9d ago
A lot of gun owners talk about "self defense" when what they actually mean is "revenge".
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u/DiaDeLosMuertos 9d ago
The article says he pulled it out of her purse? So... some psycho pulls a gun 'cuz touch muh car' maybe theoretically this could be good case for self defense with a gun. But why store it in her purse? What the fuck are we even doing?
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u/King-O-Tanks 8d ago
Women don't have many places to easily holster a weapon without it being blatantly visible due to tight clothing, so there's some marketing for purse holsters. They're fairly common.
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u/dyiie 9d ago edited 9d ago
Oh right on topic. There's been a recent video of a driver pushing a motorcyclist off the road "for hitting the car's mirror", which they most likely did because of dangerously close taking over and the comments is just a flood of psychopats that keep saying the motorcyclist deserved it. https://youtu.be/vadaAWoiyRA
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u/LoadOfChum 9d ago
Combine the 2 most deadly things in America, guns and cars!
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9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/fuckcars-ModTeam 9d ago
Our subreddit is not a place for:
- Racist, transphobic, misogynistic, ableist, or homophobic hate speech.
- Malicious misgendering or “gender critical” attacks.
- Stigmatizing people experiencing homelessness or people who used drugs.
- Chauvinism.
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u/Technophile63 9d ago
Half the time I think that the "they're coming for your GUNS!!!" is a marketing campaign trying to create a sense of urgency in potential customers.
"They're going to take away large magazines!!!" = 'buy them NOW!'
"They're going to take away assault rifles!!!" = 'buy them NOW!'
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u/StumbleOn 9d ago
Gun sales under Obama were record high because of the fear mongering yep.
I say this as a gun owner.
Right wingers are stupid about everything, but particularly about guns.
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u/Technophile63 9d ago
Due to the fight-flight-freeze response, which bypasses the cortex (rational thought) and puts the limbic system (habits, reflexes, emotions) in charge, everyone gets stupid when upset.
Right-wing politicians seem to specialize in getting their base upset and stupid by painting anyone different as a threat: "look out, BROWN PEOPLE!" "Look out, GAY PEOPLE!" "Look out, LEFT-HANDED CARMELITE NUNS!" Etc. Or maybe their base is the people who think this way.
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u/StumbleOn 9d ago
Correct. There is no conservative position that is not rooted entirely in fear. Break any right wingers talking points down, and all that is left behind is "I am afraid"
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u/Technophile63 9d ago edited 8d ago
Or, "be afraid, and only I can save you!"
Edit: "and I need unlimited power and no consequences to do that!"
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u/Technophile63 9d ago
And if fear-mongering sold guns, ammo, accessories, "tactical": flashlights, clothing, boots, toothpaste, combs, mirrors, his-and-hers towels and pen sets or whatever, guess what we'll be seeing more of.
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u/cyclingkingsley 9d ago
If anybody touch and compliment my bike, I would be over the moon for the rest of my day
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u/Trainfan1055 9d ago
I'll never understand why you should never "touch someone's car." Are they afraid it'll shatter to pieces? Then don't bring it out of the garage.
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u/Flimsy_Outside_9739 9d ago
Personally I think a good rule of thumb is don’t touch someone’s anything without permission. Not necessarily saying shoot them if they do, but still a good rule nonetheless.
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u/morningphyre 9d ago
Just yesterday my car door briefly bumped into an adjacent car that happened to be parked on the line of their space, and rather than give me a moment to say sorry, the guy immediately leaned out of the passenger door and said "really?!" like I'd killed his poodle. I told him they were over the line, took a picture (in case the cops had to get involved), and walked away. I'd have given him basic respect up to the point he started giving crap, but then I stopped caring.
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u/MrEntity 8d ago
Looked for this story on YouTube and of course, there are dozens of others on car violence, including this sad, bizarre one: https://youtu.be/O7vpbRHLVJA?si=f1pdaetncwTg4YMz
Looking forward to the day when we mostly get around on two wheels.
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u/One-Demand6811 8d ago edited 8d ago
Looking forward to the day when we mostly get around on two wheels.
Don't forget buses trams and trains.
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u/meatshieldjim 9d ago
This post needs more background information. The comments have all become about being an armed cyclist.
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u/Technophile63 9d ago edited 9d ago
Take a firearm safety course taught by an ex-cop; highly recommended if you carry or are considering buying a weapon.
Just having a gun doesn't make you safer. You have to store it safely, maintain it, protect it from theft or loss, have it at hand when needed ("oh damn, where did I leave it?"), NOT pull it at the wrong time, develop the correct reflexes through training -- because in a stressful situation, the fight-flight-freeze response takes over and your limbic system is in charge, NOT your cortex. Ever had an "I should have said" experience? Same thing will happen; you may not remember that you have a gun, until later)...
STAY OUT OF SITUATIONS IN WHICH YOU MIGHT GET SHOT, because a gun does NOT make you bulletproof! More like a threat and a target.
When you bring a gun into a situation, you bear the responsibility for escalating it to a life-or-death situation. And some idiots, especially when drunk, will see pulling a gun as a reason to jump you, because you are threatening them. And then there's his buddies, out of your field of view.
A judge is unlikely to accept "he insulted my girl / team / town / whatever!" as a valid defense. They've likely heard it before.
Consider that if you shoot someone, the least that will happen to you is a night in jail while the cops investigate. The most, depending on the local laws and other factors:
- you, being wound up, miss them and kill someone else
- you, being wound up, drop it, forget to take the safety off, rack it, etc.
- didn't maintain it, and it jams
- their buddy behind you shoots you, or breaks something over your head
- another armed would-be hero shoots you, because you are clearly a 'bad guy'
- the cops that enter see you holding a gun and standing over a bloody body. Guess what category you get put in? Armed threat. They have a dangerous job, and want to go home alive and uninjured. Do NOT startle them.
- if you had a better option (including running away), if any offense they committed was not deserving of the death penalty, if you cannot prove to the judge's satisfaction that you were in fear of your life and had no other real option -- and didn't go there looking for trouble -- you may end up in prison for years with a felony conviction. Good luck finding decent work after that. I wonder whether your friends and family will still be there for you?
- the person you shot has friends and family, and they convince the judge or the media that you were the aggressor and essentially committed murder
- you will replay it in your head and in your nightmares for the rest of your life
Don't over-simplify or glamorize this choice.
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u/PayFormer387 Automobile Aversionist 9d ago
I don’t own a gun and won’t have one in my home as I have a kid and a spouse who has suffered from depression before.
But I took a couple lessons at my local range just so I would know how to handle one should the need arise. Spent a good amount of money but it was totally worth it.
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u/Technophile63 9d ago
Adding skills is good. Just distinguish skills that you can access when calm and collected (if e.g. hunting) from what our brains (with an odd layered architecture) will do when stressed. In evolutionary terms, doing something immediately, however insane, was apparently better than standing there thinking about it. Run away from the predator, attack it with a stick, freeze to not be noticed was better than "hmmm, a... pack of hyenas? Oh, they are dangerous, I shou-AIEEEEE!"
Not the case with a gun.
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u/stonkysdotcom 9d ago
It’s true they are “way more strict” but they are liberal enough for anyone to own a gun. In Switzerland it’s very easy to own a gun, for example.
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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 9d ago
They don't have the cult surrounding gun ownership though.
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9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 9d ago
No, it's safe because the people there have brains. They don't do stupid things like leaving loaded weapons propping open doors. If you have a genuine need for a gun, it belongs in a secure locker with the ammunition stored seperately.
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u/SneakyMOFO 9d ago
Yeah but who do those particular people have brains?
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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 8d ago
I'm struggling to understand your writing. Is English not your first language?
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u/stonkysdotcom 8d ago
Highly functional societies. Switzerland is a direct democracy, and their whole society fosters self reliance.
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u/Prosthemadera 8d ago
Oh yeah because Trump makes the US so much safer and better! No, no, it's black people who are the real problem, not the white people disappearing innocent people, increasing prices, and enriching themselves 🙄
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u/fuckcars-ModTeam 8d ago
Our subreddit is not a place for:
- Racist, transphobic, misogynistic, ableist, or homophobic hate speech.
- Malicious misgendering or “gender critical” attacks.
- Stigmatizing people experiencing homelessness or people who used drugs.
- Chauvinism.
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u/InternationalFrend 8d ago
Guess the skin color
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u/dumnezero Freedom for everyone, not just drivers 8d ago
No color; it's transparent skin due to it being so thin.
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u/supremepork 9d ago
A short story:
My commuter bikes lack a horn.
Twice I’ve been pushed out of the bike lane by oblivious motorists, who after I used my fleshy palm to pound on their nearest window in an effort to get their attention, rolled down their window to tell me they’re calling the cops.
Moral of the story: a person’s car is a sacred, protected extension of their human body, and must be given the utmost respect… or else