No NO here.

[pasithea]

Despite Hothead and Peggy having just moved there and everyone's journal buzzing like hives of angry bees, I am strangely detached from the hurricane stuff. I've seen a total of ~3 pictures of the chaos and not followed any of the news links to read about the riots and shootings and military and everything else people are talking about. I have no idea what's going on.

This strikes me as very curious. Normally I care about this kind of stuff and, from an intellectual standpoint, it'd be interesting to watch. I used to really love the british programme about the survivors of a massive plague and on some level I'd love to be comparing and contrasting this even with those stories and see how they hold up. But.. I don't know. I'm not avoiding the news I'm just feeling totally unaffected by it. I guess I've got too many of my own things going on right now and the sphere of my world is currently very small. I'm worried about my job next month, about moving into my new apartment, finding time to animate, paying tuition, and a million other tiny and pointless things. I dont' feel shock or outrage or anything. Just sort of.. "I wish I weren't so busy. I need a break." I hope the scale of my world goes up again soon. I don't like being oblivious to the suffering of others.

And now, as I'm oft wont to do, I'm going to make a separate post that's all about me. Because, you know, that's all that matters in my stupid little worldview right now. :/

Comments

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

If anything, this makes me happy. I ride the train and bicycle everywhere and I take a secret delight in listening to SUV owners (now riding the train) squealing about how expensive gas is. It gives me a smug arrogant feeling of satisfaction... Which means I'm probably do some unpleasant comeuppance but ohwell.

[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

Nonono. I'm not sure that you understand. We're not talking about SUV owners. We're talking about shipping lanes, and basic essentials becoming less affordable. Truck deliveries and plane deliveries are the backbones of this country. The SUV owner isn't hurt by this. A guy who drives a $45,000 excursion is not hurt. Anyone who can make a $700 monthly payment for an Esclade isn't hurt. The average person like us, is hurt by it. For ever SUV owner grumbling, there are a dozen people who drive cubcompacts like me. I have a tiny car with a 2 liter engine, it cost me $35 to fill up. I occasionally get transferred to different group homes to work, some of which are unreachable by mass transit, or completely impractical (3+ hours on multiple buses and light rail, each way) So I have no choice but to drive. it it starts costing me $70 to fill my tank, well, you do the math.

[breisleach.livejournal.com]

As the last commentor said, it's not the people with SUVs that are getting hurt. It's low to middle income people who live in places where public transport isn't an option.

Slacker and I have a two mile hike to the nearest bus stop. Busses run once an hour, and we attend two different colleges, only one of which is serviced by the local bus routes. We have little choice but to drive to school and work. The cost to fill my minivan (And yes, I know that's not the best mileage - but it was an inheirited car, not a chosen one) has risen from $30 when I lived near my parents, to $40 when we moved here, and is now over $50 a tank. I'm spending easily $100-150 monthly on gas, and that with us having basically curtailed any non-essential trips into town. Neither of us are in any clubs - We couldn't afford the gas it'd take to get us there and back.

I know the response I usually get to this is 'that's not that much money', but when you're living on a tight budget, as most students are, it's a _huge_ deal, and I've had sleepless nights worrying about if we can continue to afford our apartment if things stay like this. And keep in mind that I live in the midwest, where gas is fairly cheap, and is even discounted because it's cut with ethanol.

I'm a lot more worried about the gas prices and shortages, just like the hurricane itself, are going to excessively harm the poor and needy among us.

[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

My monthly income is about $1200. $150 is a *lot* of money to me.

[breisleach.livejournal.com]

Exactly. :/ Just used to the usual response I get from friends who are not in that situation, and who, I think, often quickly forget what it was like to be there.

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

I haven't forgotten anything. I've hardly ever used a car when I could avoid it. Access to public transportation and price are my two biggest factors when I've had to do apartment hunting.

A car costs a hell of a lot of money. Purchase price, insurance, registration, petrol, maintainence: oil changes, filters, tires, brakes, tuneups, etc, etc, etc. Worse than that, for me though is that a car costs me _time_. When I'm bicycling or walking, I'm doing something. I'm getting exercise and getting to my destination. This is good. When I'm riding the train or bus, I can read a book or write or sketch, do my bills, take a nap, etc. It's relaxing and it's time I would not normally give myself to do things that keep me from dying of a massive ulcer. For me, driving a car is like paying money to watch conservative talk shows. I'm sitting on my ass, getting stressed and angry. I can't read or zone. I'm just stuck there, paying attention to people I hate who frequently appear to go out of their way to piss me off and there's nothing I can do about it.

I know this will piss off people I think of as friends but I feel compelled to stick my foot in it anyhow: I feel that cars are a middle-class problem, not a poor problem. I've been poor enough that a car seemed like a luxury class hotel. Yes, they are a lot more convenient for a lot of things but almost everyone could get by without one if they wanted to.

A final thought on something that's less obvious: Right now there are a bunch of people on the train I ride whining about the cost of fuel but they're on the train. Law of supply and demand goes into effect here. The less people who can afford cars, the better public transportation will become. Yes, rough years between A and B but in the long run, we'd be better off.