@MarkBrigham__dup_32303@universeodon.com

Post #635460

2026-03-13 21:43 UTC

@jzb@hachyderm.io Yeah, that was the target audience. I’m sympathetic to lack of affordability on many fronts: housing, cars, groceries, etc. But I’m not sympathetic about gas prices at the pump (though certainly, increasing diesel drives up costs of goods that are trucked to market). Consumers should have learned from past prices & insulated themselves against price spikes by getting the most fuel-efficient vehicle (&/or maximizing bike/walk/transit mobility instead of car ownership).

Replies (1)

@jzb@hachyderm.io 2026-03-13 21:59

@MarkBrigham I feel like you might not be considering the reality of people who don’t get a lot of flexibility to choose what they drive, nor where they live and work. I work from home & have a nearly 10 year old Subaru with less than 35K miles. Gas is, these days, not my biggest concern. Or a major one. But I have family and know other folks who are driving much older cars that are all they can, barely, afford - and work is 30 minutes each way, public transit isn’t a thing for them. Doesn’t exist in their area. Biking to work isn’t an option, either. (Tell somebody in rural Wisconsin, “Just bike to work” when it’s -10F and a foot of snow…) I was in those shoes, more or less, 30 years ago. A lot of folks getting hosed right now don’t have the means to “insulate themselves” from these things. (See: Vimes Boot Theory) Hell, they barely have the means to actually insulate themselves come winter. So, I have a lot of compassion for them. Not so much the person in the 2025 Gas Guzzler XL with extra exhaust.

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