> All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident
(source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32538563)
I distinctly remember some other comment a while ago showing how the Reddit hive mind drastically changed positions around certain covid topics (I think about masking?).
It's fascinating how groups can be so adamant about their positions one instant, and then switch positions later on with zero repercussions. We need more accoutability.
I don't hear this rhetoric in the general public. At best, high gas prices bumped a few people on the edge to buy a Prius instead of a Corolla. Now that those prices seem to be going down, the rhetoric will taper off and people will go back to buying SUVs.
One thing that I do expect is driving some of the rhetoric is that cars have just gotten ferociously expensive for everybody not a homeowner in the 'burbs. So, we've kind of gone back to cars being a whopping chunk of your income like the 60s and 70s while we've dismantled most of the nearby jobs and local infrastructure that meant you needed a car less. It will be interesting to see if this is enough impetus to finally change the status quo.
No conspiracy about it.