I’m getting a lot of ‘but my car is more convenient’ arguments lately, and I’m struggling to convey why that doesn’t make sense.

Specifically how to explain to people that: Sure, if you are able to drive, and can afford it, and your city is designed to, and subsidizes making it easy to drive and park, then it’s convenient. But if everyone does it then it quickly becomes a tragedy of the commons situation.

I thought of one analogy that is: It would be ‘more convenient’ if I just threw my trash out the window, but if we all started doing that then we’d quickly end up in a mess.

But I feel like that doesn’t quite get at the essence of it. Any other ideas?

  • WiseThat@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    3 months ago

    Cars are also REALLY not that convenient. I’m a dad to a four-month-old, and getting to appointments by bus/metro is SO much easier than using the car.

    Car:

    • Have to get the fucking car seat in the back seat
    • Pack stroller in as well
    • Drive with potentially screaming kid who feels isolated and lonely, feel like I’m gonna crash at any moment
    • Parking lots SUCK to walk around in with a stroller,have to push kid out into the open before I can see around these tall cars and just hope nobody is speeding

    Transit:

    • Push stroller right on to kneeling bus/level-boarding platform
    • can attend to my baby the whole time, no fussing.
    • don’t have to worry about parking AT ALL
  • FrostKing@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    The fact of the matter is, in many places (I’m thinking of America mainly) using a car is far more convenient, if not the only option, and that’s the problem

  • mrcleanup@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    Your car is more convenient because they designed it that way. Visit Europe and everyone’s like “get a eurail pass, it’s so convenient!” But here we don’t have the infrastructure so alternative transport sucks, because we decided to make the car, king, instead of building railway lines.

    • Guadin@k.fe.derate.me
      1·
      3 months ago

      While I do hope Europe is years ahead of the USA, I don’t know any people who say it’s convenient to do a eurail pass. Where I live there are the same problems as in the USA, the car is 1,5-2 times quicker than public transport. That’s just too much wastes time to be bothered to go by public transport.

    • The Snark Urge@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      It is political at heart. You just can’t pit the “power of the consumer” against industry interests and expect an ideal outcome. The Not Just Bikes guy, from what I hear, has given up hope for America at this point. Whatever happens, I hope other nations can learn from our example: Cave to auto and oil interests at your own peril.

      • IsThisAnAI@lemmy.worldEnglish
        02·
        3 months ago

        🙄 people just like their cars, it’s not some evil plot. Evening is big oils fault, never people meeting choices.

        • Thinker@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          3 months ago

          The major car manufacturers have literally been collaborating for the better part of a century, along with oil companies, to keep Americans dependent on cars. It’s a well-documented fact. Even long before Citizebs United made corporate bribery legal, they’ve been using the state’s power to quell protests, destroy non-car infrastructure, and outlaw use of our streets for anything except cars.