this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2025
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Pick-up trucks for anyone that's not a farmer, construction worker or dirtbike rider.
They are so dumb and impractical for normal driving. I don't get it.
I believe there was some tax-benefit for them in the US at some point..? Then it makes a tiny bit if sense i guess.
But what's even dumber: cross-overs. Worst of both worlds.
I love my small car but it's getting impossible to drive anymore when the LED headlights of these trucks are literally at my eye level blinding everything. They are a danger and the only way out it seems is to join them and get above the lights.
Part of it was EPA regulations fucking up small trucks. Another part is that they're safer for the occupants, deadlier for everyone else. And then there's general machismo.
This is basically Florida. Tons of massive trucks on the roads, all driven by assholes that I will judge absolutely by their truck alone.
I agree with pick ups. The issue has been that bigger pick ups are generally exempt from fuel efficiency mandates resulting in manufacturers making bigger and bigger pick ups. They don't make compact pick ups anymore. Add in America has some fascination with owning trucks. I'm actually gonna disagree on crossovers. For most people I agree they're impractical. But they're better than SUVs and pick ups. Most people actually need a mini van or wagon but we just stopped making those
It's even stupider than you think. California made a rule requiring that auto makers transition to making EVs, but exempted certain heavy vehicles from the transition, and auto makers responded by turning every single car into a heavy exempted vehicle. Twenty years of marketing later and now you can't convince an American to buy a reasonably-sized car, which is why crossovers are a thing.
I would go further and say they are stupid for everything. Oh i need it to haul stuff. And you didn't get a bus? Are you stupid?
Nowadays I use my pickup for work, but when I bought it, it was simply for fun - not for any practical reason. There’s not much more to it. They look cool, they’re fun to drive, and they make you feel like you’re operating a machine, not just something meant to get you from point A to point B.
You’re just not the kind of person who’s into that - and that’s fine. You probably aren’t into playing the flute either, but I doubt you’d say you “don’t get it” or that it’s dumb.
As a non- flute player, other people playing the flute improves my life. Non-essential trucks take up more space on the road and hurt the environment more than alternatives, for absolutely no reason.
But this thread wasn’t about what you feel morally superior about compared to others, so I’m not sure what your reply has to do with anything I just said. We're discussing not understanding the hype around something and that's what I was responding to.
This thread also isn't about justifying hyped activities. I responded to your comment, like you responded to the comment before yours.
Explanation is not excuse.
What about excuse? I haven't edited my comment, and I didn't mention excuses. Did you reply to the wrong comment? Or do you think justifications and excuses are the same thing?
It’s a saying - it just rhymes better than “explanation is not justifying.” You know what I meant. I gave an explanation for why some people do what they do, and you responded as if I were justifying it, which I wasn’t.
Had you used the word excuse, that would at least suggest I acknowledge something is bad but am still okay with it - which would be closer to how I actually feel about it. But saying I’m justifying it implies I think it’s right, reasonable, or morally acceptable, which completely misrepresents both my view and the intention of my post.
Interesting, I actually didn't know what you meant. This extra context about your feelings didn't come through in your initial comment about trucks. It does read as a justification to me.
I'm afraid we're about to head into pedantics now, so I'll leave you here. Enjoy your truck.
Playing the flute doesn‘t kill people and endanger others :)
Funny because I'm assuming your truck has an automatic transmission. Try getting a very cheap, small car with manual transmission and tell me what feels more like driving a machine to you 😏 . The cheaper the better, because all those electronic aids like lane assist, traction control, adaptive cruise control, etc are just disconnecting you from the actual metal.
I rented a small base model Peugeot 108 when on holiday on Crete a few weeks back. Nothing more exhilarating than taking that go-kart onto a mountain road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl3a-LWS_kE
But honestly, thanks for the comment! I'm happy to learn why people like them so much!
It's almost 20 years old and doesn't have automatic anything.
Then I haven't said anything, but you're also not the person I was writing about 😉