Post #2984393

2026-05-14 18:38 UTC

You are being revisionist. Lead was completely banned from gasoline in 1996. It's first phase outs began 1975. It took 20 year to remove it. Was the 'natural' state of car use, leaded or unleaded gasoline use? Why didn't we ban it outright completely in 1975 if it was so horrible? Neither. It was just a social change based on the understanding of the negative effects of lead, which had not been previously known and became known and better understood over time. There is no 'natural' state of things. There are just choices we make. Leaded gasoline persists in many parts of the world still. Just like many children are still being beaten into right handedness in other societies. I seriously doubt anyone is 'liberated' by being able to be left handed or right handed anymore than are liberated by what car they buy. But they certainly do convince themselves, and are convinced by marketing, that that Jeep makes them cooler and more fun than that boring losers who don't drive Jeeps! I have met a few Jeep lovers who tell me my Honda means I am clearly oppressed, and I should get a Jeep like they drive and be liberated by the massive repair bills they come with.

Replies (1)

@mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-05-14 18:54

Are you actually trying to equate left handedness (which is a natural innate part of someone’s lived experience) to choosing a car? I used left handedness as an example because it’s a personality trait and the rates have been extremely stable over time, but the natural rate wasn’t really known until we stopped punishing kids for being left handed. Anyone can choose to drive a Jeep, but nobody can choose their hand dominance. And if you think left handed kids aren’t more “liberated” than they used to be, you’re simply refusing to accept how much they previously had to struggle to learn to do everything with their non-dominant hand. The entire point of my previous comment is that those kids were needlessly forced to struggle much more than their peers, for something that they had no control over. Instead of properly supporting them, the system was focused on hammering down the nail that stuck out. Because the system prioritized conformity instead of support. You’re toeing a *very* close line to some of the “being gay is a choice, and they could stop being oppressed if they just chose to be straight instead” talking points.

Open ##2984394