cars - fej.org

The car transportation system easily falls in the very wrong category for a number of reasons. Primarily though, this is because of the unreasonably high level of danger to participants and non-participants, and because of the extreme environmental damage and related issues (resource depletion, oil war).

Since it is the people of the future who will suffer from and can therefore judge the usage of cars and other fuel burning of today (2000's), please record any responses to clarify the situation addressing the people of the future, and explain to them the entire picture of why cars are not wrong today for any reason.

Here, briefly until I have it more clearly laid out, is my logic for why the car transportation system is wrong.

Fact : It is not necessary or needed in any way for the survival of mankind, or man. It is just a luxury.
Fact : The system is dangerous to humans and animals, and possibly a cause of significant, possibly unrecoverable, damage (global warming).
Fact : Many other better transportation systems are available techology wise, but because of the continued demand for gasoline and diesel powered cars, other systems are economically shut out by the transportation consumers.
Fact : Eliminating the car transportation system can only lead to implimentation of far better systems, eliminating the problems of the car system.

Fact: No one has ever proven or even attempted to evaluate what might happen as a result of the drastic change to the environment due to CO2, a large part of which of course is due to cars.
Fact: Electric cars have always been an economically viable and very practical and functional alternative to gasoline/diesel cars, and have been readily available since the 1960's in the west. Consumer demand simply remained for gasoline/diesel cars, etc., and so the electric car alternatives, including with 1 and 2 minute recharging systems, never took off.

See also oil war. Maybe also see a few brief comments in unhappy with the world - cars.

The project as related to cars :

To sum it up, the project is to make it clear what the situation is, and to enable society to rapidly design and impliment much better transportation systems as appropriate for each area, with the fastest and least problematic switch over.

And the new transportation systems probably will provide a much higher luxury than cars do, on top of being completely safe and environmentally friendly.

A big part of the project is to easily identify the things that have been so severely retarding from moving in this direction, and develop solutions to those things.

Cars are the biggest symbol of the greed and selfishness of mankind.

Anyone who thinks cars are cheap has a much lower value for human life than I do.

The car transportation system is very archaic.

More mechanisms and brainwashing....

Random comments...

Protesting cars.

My personal history....

Mapping it all out.

Facts :

Cars kill people. Lots of people all the time, needlessly.
(pending verify) Cars are the number one kid killer in the usa. (Preventable deaths, not disease, etc.)
(pending verify) Cars are the number one cop killer in the usa, not guns.
No one ever proved the exhaust gases from burning gasoline or diesel could not or likely would not cause any environmental problems. Any of the gases, ever.
(pending verify) The first car invented was in Germany and was electric.

Current technology can provide far superior transportation than cars.
Pollution from cars includes air pollution, noise pollution, space pollution, and visual pollution. From vehicles and from the support structures (i.e. roadways), their construction, and the war for oil and shipping and refining oil, etc.

Cars are the biggest symbol of the greed and selfishness of mankind.

To not only use, but then also to demand to be able to use a luxurious transportation system that literally slaughters it's own users, and others as well. And others includes, probably, mankind as a whole itself, in the future.

Anyone who thinks cars are cheap has a much lower value for human life than I do.

(For the safety aspect and possibly killing off mankind with environmental destruction.)

Transportation is a useful thing, and faster does make it more useful, but to me is not worth the life of one person, let alone so many.

And since better, faster, completely safe, and environmentally friendly transportation systems would exist if it were not for cars, it's even more of a blatant disaster of man killing man and mankind.

My bottom line though is that any person who can think for themselves would refuse to use car transportation, and try to stay away from it. Especially parents with young children - the minimum is to live in a car-free town for the safety of the kids.

In the united states of amercia, cars are the number 1 kid and cop killer..... I'm not part of that gang any more.

The car transportation system is very archaic.

Modern day technology can easily provide a number of alternative transportation systems that are far superior to the car system in everyway.

The car system is very outdated, and perpetuates because of a number of mechanisms in society. The project is to help everyone work through all of this and bring out plans for quickly switching to better systems. The mechansims referred to here are primarily money, government, big business, the rich and their greed, consumers and especially their greed, etc., and the other connecting and supporting mechanisms such as lobbyists and the military (threat of violence).

Cars actually symbolize to me how these mechanisms all fit together to defeat a logical course of action. Or said another way, technology and available resources has long been capable of providing a much better transportation system, yet we are stuck with this archaic car system that is likely helping destroy the environment, and is certainly slaughtering scores of people. All for luxurious transportation, and when even more archaic forms of transportation are still available, and are workable in a reasonable scheme, that are safer and more environmentally friendly. This in addition to modern transportation systems that will prove to be even better.

Another factor I see in especially the usa that perpetuates cars as transportation is brainwashing, and mostly, or maybe all "self-brainwashing".

I also see a lot of what I consider to be clear brainwashing, that seems as if it even might be planned or organized. The one that I think is the most extreme, is the "need a car" concept. In the united states of america at least, people are so convinced that life is just simply impossible or really horrible without having a car. And this is in spite of knowing there are people in the usa and elsewhere who live without a car, but just with an understanding that they are doing poorly and struggling in life. I'm guessing this point is still just self-brainwashing, but it would be interesting to find out for sure.

And then the further brainwashing that keeps people demanding gasoline and diesel powered cars, even though they could have been converted to electric years ago.

More mechanisms and brainwashing....

One of the brainwashing mechanisms I wonder about is how in the united states of america, at least where I am, there are many people who will drive to a store that is just at the end of their block, and maybe less than a 2 minute walk. But they still insist on taking a car, even if it takes longer (parking, etc.). One of the reasons commonly named for this is the fear of crime. This really seems to me to be a brainwash, because even there is a lot of crime in the u.s.a., it's not that bad, and in these areas, really not at all.

One of the unintended (I hope) mechanisms of cars that is really frustrating and upsetting is having to wait at stop lights and such for cars. Without cars, walking (and running) as a natural form of transportation would continue uninterrupted, yet because of cars, there is time wasted waiting for them (or sometimes waiting for nothing because of them). So this penalizes the people who are doing right for the environment, and in effect encourages them to "join the dark side" as their valuable time is being taken up and the brainwash is that cars "save time" (although most often not).

The time saver brainwash has a few factors - the time and money spent (and therefore time spent earning the money usually) in maintaining the car, and related things, and also the now-you-can factor. With this last factor, I am referring to the fact that when someone has a car, then they have the ability to go places, and do things, and therefore feel they should take advantage of this. Often when it is things that they probably would not have otherwise been interested in, and usually would have not been disappointed if they had not been able to do whatever.

Another unintended mechanism, or maybe intended, is the factor that consumers, who generally don't think for themselves, and just enjoy an emotional experience with their cars and purchasing and usage of them, feel relieved of guilt when they have smog controls, or some gadget or gizmo (gas hybrids for example), so they make no effort to change their life to reduce or eliminate usage. And sometimes usage is increased as a relief of the guilt mechanism, such as buying a hybrid, then going for lots of longer joy rides and trips, or getting a job with a longer commute, or some combination.

Another common brainwash is "I need a car to get to work", even though it might not be entirely true, but even does not change the fact that everyone can choose to live near their work or work near where they live. That is to say to choose for the environment and future of mankind over one's own "profit".

I expect most people can clearly see the brainwashing effect of advertising, not only ads for cars, but also ads that use cars, as well as using cars in shows (especially chase scenes, etc.) that reinforce cars as an acceptable way of life.

Random comments...

It is just upsetting to me to read in the news about someone else who died or their life ruined, just by cars. When there are so many alternatives, and society just choses to continue to use these things. What gets me is when someone looses a family member in a car "accident" and then continues to drive themselves (or cause the usage of cars). When they should recognize how wrong cars are, they seek to put blame on others as much as possible, and give the cars the ok, even though if there were different transportation systems, they would not have lost their loved one or whoever.

I also think the reference to an "accident" as funny, weird, and maybe also brainwashing. In that it's not really that accidental since the people in the cars intentionally go driving, knowing full well that the stupid things are dangerous and every time they drive they stand a chance of being involved in an "accident". I sometimes think of them as "intentionals", since the people intentionally go driving, just not able to predict who, when, and where they will crash, but knowing they will someday.

And of course I'm not thrilled of the times I've been hit by cars, and I'm hoping it never happens again, preferably by getting rid of them. I'll be going over those incidents later, and also the things that went wrong surrounding these things.

Really, if things went right, there would have early on be a questioning about the exhaust of cars, and especially considering even the mildest of projections. Basically, before any group, industry, or whatever undertakes such an endeavor, that they have to explain what is expected to happen, and how. And even now, the car and oil industries really should explain how they expect the emissions to not be a problem, and how they are going to uphold their responsibility to deal with it, if it does become a problem. The same principle applies to other industries as well for their contributions. But none that is so damaging as is cars and is such a pure luxury.

Cars to me are also very symbolic of how governments serve the rich, industry, greed, and everything except the best interests of mankind. War to get oil to keep gasoline cheap enough for all the people who bathe in the luxury of cars, and all of the roadways, support, government overhead, and on and on. Cars are really almost purely subsidized through general taxes, and gas taxes are a drop in the bucket compared to the costs of building, maintaining roads, police, overhead, war for oil, etc.

Cars also to me demonstrate how the law of unintended consequences
can really come into play. That is to say when the Germans invented cars, and whoever decided to strap a gas/diesel engine on the things, did what they did, they never intended to destroy the environment. Yet, they started the march in the wrong direction.

Drunk driving is legal in California, and many other places. Driving too drunk is illegal, but you can consume and have alcohol in your blood, and thus be under the influence of alcohol, to within a legally defined limit of acceptable drunk driving. Even in school, before people are even old enough to legally drink alcohol (21 yrs. old), in drivers education even, people are taught how to estimate how drunk they can get and go driving.

Amazingly, the car system is so brainwashing in of itself, that people will immediately fall back into their same bad driving habits, after almost hitting someone or even after having hit someone. Of course some people just don't care. It doesn't matter, all of these people are allowed to drive.

What I find really interesting is how by my experiences, Northern Europe seems to be a much safer place with regard to car traffic, but the usa never seems to investigate and try to duplicate the advances. Or maybe it's not possible because it's due to the higher-life-value mentality of Europeans. But it's really interesting how cars, pedestrians, bikes, and everything else all blend together in a reasonably safe, friendly and efficient (with the non-cars as priority sometimes even) way. That doesn't doesn't mean accidents don't happen though, but just less often, or less severe.

Protesting cars.

I feel it's very important that we get everyone to stop damaging the environment as much and as fast as possible. However, some people who apparently feel the same way choose environmentally damaging ways to show their dislike of cars. Such as damaging numbers of cars in various ways, which only causes the cars to get repaired. Especially when it's a bunch of new cars in a dealer lot, the insurance covers it all, and they just expensively repair everything or something. (Unless this example was actually the dealer having it done to collect insurance or as a sales stunt or something....)

One way I thought of to protest cars and their war for oil, is to hold a sign when crossing the street as a pedestrian, and not at a controlled intersection. So that is - the car has to stop just for the pedestrian. The sign says "made you wait!". Of course anything that say's cars are wrong is fine.

This one I came up with when some jerk made me as a pedestrian wait until he drove by when I was in a very clear pedestrian crosswalk.

As he drove by he flipped me off. Of course with a typical usa mentality, I just wish I had a nice little pistol to plug a few holes in his car, and if lucky hit and injur him. Of course I don't really want that, but that is "the programming" I was raised with in american society (mostly by TV).....

Before that sign, another protest I thought of is getting groups of anti-war (and so anti-car) people to form really long lines crossing streets, again at uncontrolled spots that cars have to wait for pedestrians. Shooting for delays of more than several minutes, and trying to back up traffic. Spaced out enough just enough to keep cars from trying to sneak through, and thin enough to make cars pissed at how the people could group together to allow them through, etc.

The best protest method I've come up with so far is spitting on driver windows, windshields, and driver door handles. It's gross, but not environmentally damaging or harmful to anyone. But it's annoying to the earth-hater (car driver/owner), and makes clear an anti-car statement.

The absolute best method though is just to talk to everyone about cars and how to get rid of them from society for safety and environmental reasons.

My personal history....

I grew up in a "typical american" family of the time, meaning we had cars, and always used a car to get around. Further, my father was a car mechanic, so working on cars at home was always a part of my childhood.

When I was 9 years old, I went on my first bike trip out of the neighborhood for quite a ways across Santa Rosa, and I was hit by a car (inattentive and unsafe driver). I had a broken knee and finger, and I my leg was in a cast the entire summer. Stiches in my finger.

Before I was driving myself I understood there were concerns with air pollution, and although vague, I felt there was something afoot. I think the spark of this came when I got some brainwash information fed to me in regards to the exhaust - that it was not a concern as it "dissipates". Of course, because the correct information is not widely spread, and more brainwashing is pushed through, I was not aware that already in the 60's (before I was driving) :

the level of CO2 was measurably increased
cars were known as a source of a tremendous output of CO2
there were theories as to what might go wrong
there was no proof that nothing can go wrong

And when I was younger I also got the brainwash that nature was taking care of the CO2 output by absorbing it all and producing O2. So there actually was no increase, according to this brainwash. And this is in spite of the fact that the rain forests were being ravaged at the same time, and measurements indicated a rise in CO2.

I eventually started thinking for myself in respect to cars and gave them up in the late 80's or so, and had been living a car free life since then.

In the 1990's I was hit by a car on a bike in the Netherlands. My fault though, as the lights didn't work and it was at night. I tried to keep up with a bike with lights, but going through a big ring, I was hit by a taxi. He had slowed enough to miss the bike he did see (the one with lights), but then hit me. My glasses were broke and the bike was inoperable. Since I didn't have the rights of citizens there (thus lots of insurance and/or government coverage), all I could do was limp away and work on trying to find money for new glasses and another bike. I'm lucky though that another car wasn't racing through the ring at the time before I managed to come to and get up off the ground and find what was left of my glasses.

In February 2000, in Santa Rosa, I was hit by a car as a pedestrian (agressive and hateful driver), and physically mostly recovered, but lost a lot in many other ways. It is very difficult to begin to try to describe how much was lost, as it was so much of so much value.

I personally feel it was wrong for me to have driven a car, etc., and feel the same is true of others.

Mapping it all out.

Another part of the systems that I think is helpful, is the ability to clearly map out all of the effects of things, and so for cars, that's quite a bit. As an example, to quantify the damage to the environment by cars, it's necessary to assess all the roads (materials), road making efforts (transportation of goods and workers and support work), transportation of fuels and vehicles (for sale, damaged), from accidents - cleaning up, repairing, and medical recovery and on-going needs, and so on. Further, the impact on the environment (esp. plants and animals) by the road being there and the traffic on it needs to be considered.

But at least, the point is to be able to clearly map out how driving cars is wrong and what the damages are being caused, and then everyone who drives know would know they should stop and would have the information to be clear on how much damage they are causing. The system is also intended to make it easy for people to plan on changing their life around to minimize and eliminate car usage with usually an improvement in the quality of life. Additionally, people who are interested in improved transportation systems will have full access to review all the systems under consideration, and provide any valuable input and feedback to those efforts.