Tesla owner gets coal-rolled by truck in dangerous incident caught on dashcam | Hacker News Reader

Tesla owner gets coal-rolled by truck in dangerous incident caught on dashcam

electrek.co

12 pointsmardiyah9 comments

There is this whole culture of people who like to “shake up” and intentionally cause distress to others. It is generally targeted at people that they see as “weaker” than them.

It is disgusting and endemic to our culture here in the USA.

> There is this whole culture of people who like to “shake up” and intentionally cause distress to others. It is generally targeted at people that they see as “weaker” than them.

Punching down is how insecure people validate their status, its not new or particularly US specific, though the particular manifestations vary by locale ans subculture.

I don't think there's a focus on electric cars so much as there are high-school kids (which now includes college undergrads, unfortunately) who just like to show off. There have been significant increases in diesel technology for decades now, as reflected not only in things like winners at LeMans but also the low-rpm power you don't get from a gasoline motor. This is completely new and interesting to some people, and they are the ones trying to either smoke or race other cars.

Texan anecdata: I rarely saw coal rolling when I drove my Tacoma. Then, in 2013, I got a Prius. This has been happening to me ever since.

Is coal-rolling an anti fossil fuel PR stunt? As long as cars are clean (mostly invisible exhaust) the problem is invisible. You can't see CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. It's very easy to deny something that you can't see.

However, these people are using car emissions as weak chemical weapons. They intentionally crank up pollution to harm people. If a single car without emission controls is this bad. The problem becomes visible and the conclusion becomes obvious: There is no way millions of ICE cars with emission controls are good for me.

>There is no way millions of ICE cars with emission controls are good for me.

People don't care.

It's a form of bullying meant to "own the libs" through harrassment. Some people love it, and it strengthens and encourages them to see it because it reinforces their tribal narrative. Others hate it, and they'll be further entrenched in their tribal narrative. It's divisive, plain and simple. Score one for polarization and infighting.

It bears mentioning that this is a highly vocal/visible, tiny minority. They serve to poison the well. Folks on the left are inclined to point at this bullshit and call folks on the right idiots; the vast majority of folks on the right are like "I'd never do that."

On the other hand, this small minority is numerous enough that every Prius owner I've known in Texas complains about this. In their frustration, it's easy to see why they'd paint with a broad brush.

the vast majority of folks on the right are like "I'd never do that."

They say that, but they also don't seem to be willing to call it out. When presented with the electoral equivalent of coal rolling, they clicked "yes", enthusiastically.

There appears to be an asymmetry: both parties have their extremes, but one party marginalizes theirs and the other celebrates it.

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