• ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    31·
    5 hours ago

    I’m not sure i understand why hating being in close proximity with random strangers is self-centered…I assume they feel the exact same way.

    • humanamerican@lemmy.zip
      2·
      4 hours ago

      It’s the implication that your marginal convenience and comfort are more important than all the damage that car-centric infrastructure causes to the poor, those who can’t drive, the environment, our cities, etc. That’s what makes you self-centered.

      EDIT: And by the way, humans are social creatures by nature - we don’t all hate being in close proximity with random strangers. In fact, in the context of an urban area, I’d argue that many of the people who do feel that way are probably suffering from the psychological damage of growing up in a suburb.

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        2·
        3 hours ago

        I don’t even have a car anymore, I take the bus/train every single day to/from work and it fucking sucks…but it’s much cheaper, so that’s what I have to do.

        • humanamerican@lemmy.zip
          1·
          3 hours ago

          Yes, it sucks being carless in a car-dependent place. That’s exactly my point.

          However, I apologize for insulting you. I don’t know you or your experience and I jumped to a lot of conclusions in my previous comments.

          What I’m trying to say is that the reason your bus/train commute sucks isn’t that it’s a bus/train. It’s that, at least in a lot of cities, the only people who ride the bus/train are those who can’t afford a car. Which means several things:

          1. Transit is underfunded
          2. Transit has incomplete coverage
          3. Entire human settlements are built without any concern for people who don’t have a car
          4. Cities are designed to allow maximum car throughput and parking, which inherently makes other forms of transportation worse

          Your very lived experience is exactly a consequence of car-centric design, and a laser-like focus on self-driving cars will only perpetuate that design philosophy.