I’m a person living in a rural area and have to either go by train, the nearest station being 15 mins away by car and the trains having a schedule that keeps fluctuating.
Or have to go by car where it takes 60 mins to get where I need to go. I wouldn’t want to get a late pickup or anything outrageous just something to get me places.
I’m not a car enthusiast or anything like that.
the “fuck cars” mindset is typically that we’re against car-dependency, not against people who are victims of car-dependent societies. Naturally people in suburbs and more rural areas, especially here in america, will need a car. It’s not ideal and it’s something that should be fixed but it happens.
It’s important to note that there are some countries where even the rural communities have enough transit options that cars aren’t necessary. It’s less common, but it does exist.
Exactly. Blaming individuals for systemic problems never gets you anywhere. If you can reduce your car dependency, sure, do that, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t.
Also worth reminding that the whole “carbon footprint” thing was made up by Shell, with that one and similar tactics they have effectively manipulated working class people into believing they are responsible (and guilty) of things like CO2 emissions, global warming, car-reliant infrastructure…
Which obviously doesn’t mean we can’t take action or that one should buy a diesel car and take it to go anywhere because it’s Shell and BP who should stop profiteering from the impending climate catastrophe, and expecting these corporations to join the efforts to control global warming and shift our transport infrastructures out of their own free will would be very naïve. But those changes have to come from a structural point, rather than individual.
This is important! On that note: The first “pesonal climate footprint caluclator” was developed and published by BP, the oil company. The idea was to make people feel bad about their personal behavior instead of questioning the business models and political influence/ anti-progress-lobbying of those corporations.
Yeah, I think this is kind of a problem with fuck cars communication. It really needs to be clear that it’s against car dependency.
I mean I’m a “fuck cars purist” I’m not a fan of cars at all. But yes, the movement is very much about car-dependency, not cars.
Owning a car if you need one is not in itself a problem. “fuckcars” isn’t about blindly hating cars, it’s about being aware that cars are inefficient, dangerous, and bad for people’s health. It’s about raising awareness about how car-centric and car-dependent society has become, despite there being better ways to structure transportation.
Thank you for the clarification, so what I’m hearing is that owning a car is fine if it’s not something outrageously large or inefficient and I don’t have good public transit connections?
We’re not some kind of cult setting rules for how people should live. If you need a car, buy a car, if you want to own some kind of ridiculous lifted truck, you can do that, but I’ll reserve the right to make fun of you and think you’re an asshole.
I think everyone here understands that most people don’t live in northern Europe with great cycling and train infrastructure. So you do what you got to do to live a happy life in car infested capitalist society, nothing wrong with that. If that means you need a car, get a car. Preferably it’d be used and with a low ride height / bumper height. So it’s at least a bit safer for cyclist and pedestrians.
I think all we ask is that when there is an opportunity to advocate for more pedestrian or cycling infrastructure that you do so
How do you feel about motorcycles?
FuckCars is not about BEING carfree, it’s about realizing that you’re FORCED to have a car, to pay $10,000 per year to own that car, to breathe in the pollution from the roads, to risk your life on the road, and how bad that sucks.
Or course it is. Also, it’s ok to not literally fuck cars. It’s just a sentiment that we wish cars didn’t have to dominate so much due to poor civic planning.
I live in a rural area and have just accepted that owning a car is a necessity. The shitty thing about living in a car dependent system is that your awareness of the shiftiness of the system doesn’t necessarily exempt you from having to still live inside of it.
Well, you sort of have to. That’s the issue.
I consider it a larger problem than the individuals and their cars. It’s mostly political, and I won’t bore you with my opinion on that
However, as an individual you can still consider your options as they arise.
If you’re looking for a new job or new house, consider the commute. If you’re commuting every day, consider if you can shop groceries or visit people on the way, so you don’t have to drive again later the same day. If you’re planning long distance trips, consider if it’s better driving to the train station instead of the whole trip. Share the ride if possible. Etc.
There are many ways to drive less. Most are pretty obvious, but some people don’t even consider anything at all because the car is such an ingrained part of life. It all starts with the thought: I don’t really want to drive.
Do it to save gas and money, do it to save time, do it to get fresh air. These are the direct consequences of not wanting to drive.
Just move somewhere where there’s transport if you can.
