I often see people in the comments acting like having a fast or loud car immediately makes your dick smaller or that you have ED. And people talk about owning a car as if they’ve never gone above 40 MPH and are terrified to do so.

For context I live in a city with actually ok mass transit, don’t own a car, and prefer to bike/take the train whenever possible. Trains, trolleys, bikes, and feet are the best forms of transportation imo.

That being said, body shaming or making fun of people with physical or mental issues (that may be no fault of their own) is just shitty. It makes this community look shitty. I hate reading comments about “loud car small dick this” or “fast car ED that”. It’s unnecessary. You can shit on asshole drivers without having to stoop that low. Secondly, some women enjoy cars as well; be more creative.

Finally, don’t act like cars can’t be fun. I’m all for phasing out the automobile and revolutionizing transport by returning to the ways of olde, but cars are fun. I understand some of you are grandparents and don’t like someone revving their straight pipes mustang down your block on a Saturday morning. That’s completely reasonable. But my god does this community act like you can’t have fun in a car. I absolutely enjoy loud and fast and powerful cars, because that’s an incredible work of engineering and it simply can be fun. Going fast can be fun. Being in a car that purrs like a lion can be fun. Going offroading or drifting or racing or anything in a car can be fun.

We won’t convince people to see our side by shitting on the things they enjoy. We convince people to try and see things from our point of view by actually looking through their perspective first, and acknowledging that while cars can be fun they are not sustainable.

ETA: Some people seem to think I think public roads should still be for cars. Never did I say that. I think the appropriate place for cars is the track. I would love to convert all the roads in my city to a mixture of bike and pedestrian lanes with trolleys running down the median. But cars can be fun and a track day can absolutely be a great time.

  • Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 months ago

    Usually I get shit for pointing out that US urban areas continue to be built as if everyone is expected to drive their own car, and automotive lobbyists still discourage public transit projects and reducing parking requirements.

    And this continuation of policies that maximize car dependency not only exacerbates the climate crisis, but the tires spread microplastics everywhere, usually with single people driving Canyonero style vehicles.

    Some people in this community really, really like their cars.

  • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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    2 months ago

    I don’t go for making fun of people’s imagined dicks or sexual performance. Seems immature and bundled with problematic paradigms.

    People can have fun with cars, true. People can have fun with anything. The problem is cars are everywhere and not limited to fun places. like if people had a “cover yourself in honey” fetish and just went everywhere covered in honey, demanded honey dispensers everywhere, got everything sticky, and started wars over honeybees. I don’t care how much fun they’re having , they’re making everything worse for everyone else.

    • The Stoned Hacker@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      See the edit to the post. I’m not advocating for cars everywhere. But people in this community seem to believe that cars simply shouldn’t exist.

      Twinkies are horrible for you and evidence of the sin of capitalism, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t tasty and nice as an occasional treat. If capitalism didn’t exist they probably wouldn’t exist, but I’d still make Twinkies if we had star trek replicators.

      • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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        2 months ago

        But people in this community seem to believe that cars simply shouldn’t exist.

        I don’t think most people genuinely believe cars should exist for no one. I think some posts here are hyperbolic, like when you say “I’m going to kill my brother for stealing my Pokemon cards”, you don’t really mean it. It’s an emotional outlet.

        Most people I’ve seen recognize that lowering car usage makes it easier for when you do need to drive (for accessibility or moving or whatever, not so much for fun)

        • workerONE@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I’ve had people on fuckcars argue that delivery trucks shouldn’t exist at all, that it should just be handled by a fleet of people on cargo bicycles. I can’t understand how people don’t understand the scale of the economy and the distances and weight of deliveries.

          • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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            2 months ago

            Delivering a couch from a warehouse in NJ to an apartment in Queens via bike sounds challenging.

            I’m glad most food delivery here is by bike and not car, though.

  • Grayox@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    I support a Car Free Society, I dont want to have to drive anywhere if I dont want to, the thought of getting on a train or tram and being able to read a book or meditate fills me with Unbridled Joy. Yet at the same time, when i do drive on roadtrips, I like to have a spotter and road reports ready and tear if up going well over 100 mph on the Interstate most of the way there, I have an EV and leap frog between charging stations, and found that if i keep it over 90 I get better efficiencies ( using less Electricity ) making it even more environmentally friendly. I LOVE driving, but having to do it just to get by in modern society is a real drag…

  • drkt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    I absolutely enjoy loud and fast and powerful cars,

    Cool! You won’t mind if I go spin up a diesel generator upwind of your house then, right?

    I just really enjoy diesel generators and your opinion on my noise and air pollution shouldn’t weigh heavily on the scale of what I’m allowed to do. It’s only fair!

    I’m sorry bro but if I have to listen to your fucking ICE going up and down my otherwise quiet street at all hours of the day then I am allowed to call you small dicked. If you are offended by this, I will assume it true.

    Go to a fucking race track and leave the rest of us out of your dumb hobby.

    • The Stoned Hacker@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      Read the edit. I never advocated for public roads being used for cars. I acknowledge that the frustration against cars is reasonable. But if you simply can’t enjoy a fast and loud car in the appropriate setting, then that’s a you problem and not a me problem. You’re absolutely right that the appropriate setting is a track or out in the middle of nowhere, not residential or even commercial streets. But cars absolutely can be enjoyable in the right setting.

      • drkt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        Pivot. If you’re serious about keeping it on the track or somewhere isolated, great, but let’s not pretend that’s what anybody is upset about.

        You still have to get your car to and from the track and presumably you don’t live right next to your local track.

  • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I mean, look, I come in here and argue with these guys all the time, but the sub ain’t called “I politely disagree with cars”.

  • robocall@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I choose to believe that men with small dicks don’t inheritently need to over compensate. It’s possible that they are considerate and able to satisfy their partners. And it’s equally possible that men with larger penises are selfish lovers, and feel insecure, needing fast/loud cars.

  • richieadler@lemmy.myserv.one
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    2 months ago

    If we replace “small dicks” with “sociopathic tendencies and pitiful personalities”, will you still complain?

  • Rolling Resistance@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I absolutely enjoy loud and fast and powerful cars

    You know, I like dinosaurs. But I wouldn’t want one roaming the streets.

  • harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    My favorite posts on here are ones that address the underlying causes that make us want to say “fuck cars.”

    As a resident of northern Utah, I see all the time the negative results of the intersection of car-centric city planning, religious idiocy, and “small government” conservatism.

    I like cars. I don’t like the political system that allowed car companies to circumvent environmental standards and push ugly ass trucks and SUVs.

    I love going for long drives to see new places. I hate that so many interstates were built to destroy “undesirable” neighborhoods.

    For example, the I-190 from Buffalo to Niagara Falls ruins public access. The Robert Moses Parkway that runs along the Niagara River to the Falls does the same. There isn’t the political will to fix these things.

    That pisses me off

    I love driving. I don’t like drivers who have received minimal training because the state thinks having a drivers licence is more of a right than a privilege.

    I think everyone should have to pass a more rigorous road test every 5 years. I think anyone who buys an RV should have a Class B CDL.

    I don’t like roads that make it dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders, etc.

    I want there to be better public transportation. I want high speed rail.

    Are there drivers who are absolute assholes and drive unsafely or intentionally cause excessive air/noise pollution? Yeah. They should be shamed for their behavior.

    However, not all bicyclists obey the rules of the road. I rode an electric scooter for almost 18 months as my primary mode of transportation. I had more close calls with cyclists and other scooter riders going the wrong way or ignoring traffic devices than with cars.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    I somewhat agree with you but whenever I stand next to one of those guys in a Lambo with a hot young girl who need to accelerate full BBRRAAAAAAAAAHHH until the next traffic light 30 meters down the road, I’ll still assume you have a tiny penis and are trying to make up for it. It’s not the tiny penis I care about, its the “I’m so insecure that i need a Lambo and a hot chick to feel like i matter” that irks me.

    • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 months ago

      For me, it is the complete disregard for the safety of others that disgusts. Speeding or driving a tank sized vehicle is like playing Russian roulette with the lives of others. It is deeply anti-social and unhinged from my perspective

    • mishielda1234@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Right, I think the post is specifically trying to say that calling them insecure is fine, assuming things about their body can be bad even if you think it’s an asshole who deserves it. Like you already came up with a more creative and apt insult anyway, why throw body shaming into it?

  • Mac@mander.xyz
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    2 months ago

    Always remember: when you criticize someone for a characteristic they have you criticize all members of that group whether you intend to or otherwise.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Finally, don’t act like cars can’t be fun.

    I feel like we’re getting into 2A territory with comments like this.

    Take your race car to the race track. But the idea that trillions of dollars of infrastructure need to be committed for the casual amusement of a few muscle car enthusiasts… It rings especially hollow after complaining about the small-dick jokes.

    We won’t convince people to see our side by shitting on the things they enjoy.

    Creating a wedge between a small group of clueless entitled nitwits and a large group of people with basic transportation needs is actually a great way to define the terms of debate in a manner that favors mass transit.

    A hundred people smiling away on a train versus one very red-faced failson in a sports car is a winning campaign poster.

    • The Stoned Hacker@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      I’m not saying don’t restrict cars to the track, I’m actually all for that. I’m just saying that cars can be fun and acting like they aren’t won’t get us anywhere. I didn’t advocate for continuous car infrastructure anywhere in my post, just that people in this community act like cars are the bane of all evil and can’t be used for fun whatsoever.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I’m just saying that cars can be fun and acting like they aren’t won’t get us anywhere.

        Planes can be fun, too. Yachts can be fun. A spaceship to the Moon can be fun. But demanding the government give you a bunch of money to fund your Blue Origin vanity project goes a bit beyond “having fun”.

        people in this community act like cars are the bane of all evil

        40k motor vehicle fatalities a year can take the blush off the rose.

  • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    Maybe you want a community that isn’t fucking called “fuck cars”. Seriously. If you don’t like it, that’s a you thing. Nobody is making you come here.

    Edit: With you on body shaming, same as I would about homophobia or classism. But that’s ancillary to the point you’re making.

  • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    I think it’s more of a “small dick energy” thing than actually body shaming people. It’s a figure of speech, meaning someone’s got something to prove or they’re compensating for something, or are scared to be perceived a certain way. Like the fear of people thinking you’re gay, effeminate, or weak. (Not that there’s anything wrong with any of these conditions.) And that you’re just seeking validation from your peers or society, when in fact you’re just considered annoying.

    Yeah cars are fun. I own a car and I really enjoy driving it. It’s fun and reactive and fast and it makes me happy. But, like you, I’d rather BMW (bus, metro , walk) or bike to places because it’s less of a pain in the ass in a big city, contributes to reduce traffic, and my carbon footprint. And I get exercise to boot!

    Edit: ITT: a lot of small dick energy.

    • Fuzzy_Red_Panda@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      But saying “small dick energy” only works as an insult because having a small dick is still seen by many people as something bad.

      If nobody thought that having a small dick was an insult, then “small dick energy” wouldn’t be insulting either.

      • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        Yes. But some men fear being identified as gay due to their own sexual insecurities.

        Ain’t nothing wrong with being gay though. Or to be considered gay. But some people are homophobes.

    • andyburke@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      I think it’s more of a “small dick energy” thing than actually body shaming people.

      Do you honestly not see the problem here? Read the sentence to yourself again slowly to make sure.