Today is World Carfree Day!

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Tweety

And you are either trying to profile yourself as right-wing, ultra conservative... Or are provokative and stupid...

Also another thing you should take into account before engaging the mouth without the brain...

Obviously you equate anyone who is not pro Left-wing with being provocative ("provokative" sic) or "stupid". Anyone who voices a differing opinion is called brainless.

Whenever I encounter someone who thinks that the tactic of name-calling and ridicule bolsters their position I point out that it only reveals their character and the weakness of their viewpoint.

I refuse to return the insults, and will not attempt a discussion with someone who thinks innuendo and insult is clever or worthwhile. We learn nothing about the one who is being derided, but learn much about the one who is being derogatory.

[Angmaar]

Yup I biked on the 22nd and didn't drive a car during the day.

[Automcdonough]

I've got a bus stop by the house which would work out great IF I headed towards downtown. My commute is the opposite direction and crosses a county line, which around here is a no-man's land for bus routes. The bussing on the other side of that line is so minimal that it might as well not even be there.
Basically it's not even an option. Best I can do is carpool.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Angmaar

Yup I biked on the 22nd and didn't drive a car during the day.

What purpose did that serve?

[Angmaar]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

What purpose did that serve?

It was carfree day. So I biked?

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Angmaar
Yup I biked on the 22nd and didn't drive a car during the day.

I asked:
What purpose did that serve?

(Reply by Angmaar) It was carfree day. So I biked?

Yes, we know that you biked, but that doesn't answer the question. Let's see if the question can be made any simpler or clearer: What purpose was served by your not wanting to drive a car on that day?

[Angmaar]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

Yes, we know that you biked, but that doesn't answer the question. Let's see if the question can be made any simpler or clearer: What purpose was served by your not wanting to drive a car on that day?

Reducing CO2 emissions, not using any gas, saving money and getting some exercise.


I guess the idea of the "International Carfree Day" is just to raise awareness of biking and other ways to get places without using gas/diesel.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Angmaar

Reducing CO2 emissions, not using any gas, saving money and getting some exercise.

Would you not have done these things on your own? Did "International Carfree Day" convince you to do this every day from now on? Or only on the one day?

I guess the idea of the "International Carfree Day" is just to raise awareness of biking and other ways to get places without using gas/diesel.

I agree - it is an "international" organized effort at 'consciousness raising' and mass persuasion, AKA propaganda.

Some entity had to have done the organizing and promotion of it: click here

It is undeniable that this is a movement that works through political activism. One primary arm of it that serves to recruit supporters CarBusters openly proclaims itself to be anti-automobile. That goal or agenda cannot be denied.

[robchalmers]

GGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZ Thyme take a pill will you!

yes one guy getting on his bike barely scratches the CO2 blanket given out by rest of us but I think its a good Idea to see that there is an alternative to jumping in the car, whether thats to do a 30sec drive to the store or an hour long commute.

If the general public tried doing stuff like this it COULD help not just the environment but getting their ass in trim. I mean, if you jump on a bike to pick up a some bread and a paper at the corner store 1 mile away, rather than get in a car drive, find a space, get out, get back in drive back, each time the car is on the ‘choke’ part of the ECU program. It might help the health of our respective nations. Plus I really like the pedestrianised parts of the towns and cities around me and when I travel through the rest of this quirky little continent.

In out of the last 12 mounths I’ve spent 5 cycling and taking a train as my commute, It wasn’t out of choice it was because I had no car. it wasn’t over summer either it was through one of the harshest winters the UK has seen in a while. 16miles a day on the bike and rounghly 25 mins on a train. I lost 20lbs (starting at 185).

I now see it as a viable alternative, if I need to go somewhere a short distance away on my own I take the bike or…….. wait for it…………walk.

I personally am PRO car, hell I’d be out of a job without them! I love the freeedom, I love racing them and we need them in terms of a viable personal transport - for doing stuff like ‘the big weekly groceries run’ or the odd time you buy something big, or taking the family somewhere or taking stuff to the dump. Or just to stay dry and warm on a wet day.

Take this a propaganda if you want, but I like the idea – in fact I think it should have got a little more coverage – because If I’d remembered I would have took the bike and train to work.

p.s. for someone on a ‘green’ site you seem to be making a big fuss over other peoples FREE CHOICE to take part in an event. I doubt its all political , doom, gloom and under handed propaganda by the anti car lobby, Heck the worlds governments can’t even figure out how to help other countries – Haiti is a good case in point – or themselves , I know this is a touchy subject but …..Katrina. I doubt they could muster anything of any threat to your way of life as after all it’s a choice! Free will etc etc.

p.p.s calling the French Nazis (national socialists) isn’t a very wise idea really as the two don’t really get along after the whole 1939-1945 spat they had. Especially seeing how you’re above name calling :P

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

Obviously you equate anyone who is not pro Left-wing with being provocative ("provokative" sic) or "stupid". Anyone who voices a differing opinion is called brainless.

Whenever I encounter someone who thinks that the tactic of name-calling and ridicule bolsters their position I point out that it only reveals their character and the weakness of their viewpoint.

I refuse to return the insults, and will not attempt a discussion with someone who thinks innuendo and insult is clever or worthwhile. We learn nothing about the one who is being derided, but learn much about the one who is being derogatory.

Well.. Since you then will refuse to argue with me, I guess I get the last word? That's not much fun, but I'll take it...

I was indeed "namecalling" to some extent... Quite deliberately... Since you took a pretty extremely political standpoint and started spewing retoric that had little or nothing to do with the message... And did so while conviniently disregarding a few facts that are pretty easy to find out, looking at things happening in another country with an very simplified "american" viewpoint...

If you in the first sentance are using "you" to equate me... Well, then you are infact proving yourself to be both a liar and a rather inept one at that... Since I haven't actually argued enough politics on this board for you to be able to form an opinion on my political standpoint you are basing it on one sentance? Go read that sentance in context and try again...

You see, there is a small difference to what you said and what I said... I said "you are trying to label yourself"... Ie I didn't call you right-wing... I said that your posting suggested you might label yourself that... I did however say that you if you infact wasn't, was trying to start an argument... And that I found your arguments (in then to some extent you), stupid... That was something I feel was pretty justified, with your simplified and very biased blanket statement... I still feel that way, if your opinion isn't a bit more nuanced than that...

I haven't called anyone to date brainless... I like discussions, and for that you need differing opinions, so on that point you are kind of disproving yourself don't you think? I do however see some arguments as "stupid" and I will call them that, when someone chooses to conviniently disregard a rather obvious part of information in a discussion...

I'm not left-wing, just FYI... I'm however anti "americanism"... And before 99% of the population on this site go ballistic, read the full sentance... I like the US, and most of it's people... I do however have a problem with the way some people from the US, seem to have a built in filter that blocks out the rest of the world from their conscious or "translates" it when it manages to push through... You seem to be one of those persons, feel free to disprove it though...

I'm not saying you don't need the car, and I'm not saying euromodder don't need it since obviously in his town public transportation doesn't work for his commute... But the rest of the world isn't built on the same principle (physical sense) as the US... So taking that into account before making a statement might be wise...

Yes... CarFreeDay is propaganda... But despite the rather biased view on propaganda in the the wiki link you provided, that is infact as a word unbiased... It's political, yes... But it has no side, left or right... And not right or wrong either... Either side may use it...

If you look at the goal it's actually achieving, and what is realistic to expect to achive, then you will probably find that it's not really realistic to remove the car... And the guys behind it know that as well as you... But if you acknowledge that, well, then you loose that nice little dramatic standpoint, don't you? (which BTW is if you evaluate it criticly, is the same thing in terms of a writing tool, as re-enforcing a standpoint with namecalling or satire...)

Also as to euromodders statement (not you but it saves me another posting) on a minority imposing their will on a majority... Yes, but since it's not a mandatory thing, ie you don't get fined for taking the car that day, I have a hard time being upset about it... Point out a quantifiable "bad" effect of it, that doesn't involve a free choice to accept that compromise and I might be upset... (The polar example is pollution, it's quantfiable, it's bad, and it's a direct result of using a ICE car)

So, since we have concluded that it is propaganda, and that being that it in itself doesn't mean it's evil, and that the realistic goal could probably be to raise awareness, not kill the car, then we come down to the standpoint that it's actually propaganda for...

The message is in essence: Leave the car at home, one day of the year, get free public transportation to explore the possibility and viability of that for you personally on the other days of the year...

Now, without tacking on whatever guilt trip or anything else you on your own interpret into it, weather it's actually there or not... How do you feel about the message? If you feel the message is a "bad" message, then you are probably on the wrong forum...

Oh... BTW, as for spelling... Thanks for correcting that one for me... I get it wrong in some instances where the english word is that close in spelling to the swedish spelling, which is my native language... BTW I have lived and worked in the US as well as a few European countries... The difference is staggeringly polar...