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Comment by VoodooJuJu | Hacker News Reader

I can't listen to videos like this where the narrator uses emotional affectations in a scripted report.

>They're just... BAD for cities. Really bad.

>We're constantly being told that the astronomical growth in the average size of motor vehicles would infringe on the """FREEDOMS""" of people to do whatever they want.

It's cringe, unnatural, and distracts from the message. Present the logic of your argument in a neutral manner and leave it to the listener for emotional interpretation - don't force it.

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The guy from the channel doesn't really care about seeming cringe or making videos for people who buy these trucks and SUVs. His audience is people who already agree we need to make change and his content is about providing points, examples of what is wrong, ways it can be improved, and data to back it up.

It's refreshing isn't it? "Seeming cringe" only happens if you already suffer from "Car Brain", which I think is best defined as thinking of the car itself as having inalienable rights, much like that of a human being.

Just seems like stealing peoples joy.

Suffer from "car brain" is a great way to write off and invalidate the opinions of a large swathe of people who enjoy or have cars as a hobby.

I bet you'd crack the shits if people started talking about banning GPUs cos they use too much power and anyway, they're only used to play games.

Or the guy is just clickbaiting and knows that outrage sells on youtube.

Most video essays on youtube are scripted. Do you think that they should all be delivered in a monotone? (I've actually never heard anyone assert that stuff that's read from a script needs to be delivered without any emotion before.)

> I can't listen to videos like this where the narrator uses emotional affectations in a scripted report.

Just wait until you find out about "acting."

Nobody would share the "boring" version.

Agreed... so whinny.

I spent an hour [edit: today] arguing that the speed limit should be reduced to 25 mph. So many problems would be solved if we did that.

But, when my Golf dies, I will be a full-size truck or an expedition. What can I say? I have kids and car seats suck.

Would you mind explaining why the car seat makes the difference here?

(I'm unfamiliar with modern American trucks, it's a long time since my last visit.)

Three car seats for kids aged 1.5 to 7 don't really sit side by side in a mid-size SUV like a Sorrento.

Its stupid, really. Hefty, booster seats from reputable brands seats have integrated cup holders.

Cup holders.

Also, consider that a 1.5 year old's rear facing car seat is a steel reinforced monstrosity. The thing is so big, I cant install it behind the driver seat because I cant extend the seat back (Im 1-1.5 stdev above average american height).

So, the third kid's booster chair with a seat belt aligning backrest (needed for the younger kids so that the belt doesn't sit on the kid's neck) simply doesn't fit. Not if you want to reach the belt buckle.

For short trips I usually just have the oldest go booster-less. For longer trips I install the chair while she's sitting, buckled on the chair. I then lift her and the seat and muscle them in. Finally, I can pull the straps to tighten the booster chair to the backseat.

My SUV is not small. There's plenty of room. But we all drive like maniacs (guilty as charged, btw) so our kids need these massive steel reinforced cocoons.

So, why trucks? Trucks, and SUVs on truck frames (ford expedition, suburban), are wider.

Thanks. I haven't seen cupholders on a booster seat before!

It looks like European child seats and booster seats are a bit narrower, or at least narrower versions are available. You are obviously stuck with what's sold in the US though.

I do remember a period as a child when my mum would sit with me in the back, so a rear-facing child seat could go in the front seat.

Ya, thats kinda (rules aren't clear) not allowed in the US because of air bags. Apparently if the airbag went off it would blow up since its unable to expand (?). Or something.

The problem is the force of the airbag expanding rams the baby face-first into the passenger seat, and they are seriously injured or killed. Hence the big warning sticker.

Most (possibly all) European cars come with a switch to turn off the front passenger airbag. It's a legal requirement to use this switch appropriately in the UK, presumably in the same way it's a requirement for the driver to ensure all children are wearing seatbelts.

It should possibly also be used if a smaller child (under 12-ish) sits in the front seat, although I can't find an official recommendation on that — they're more keen to emphasize that children are safer in the back.

It seems in America, only trucks and sports cars without rear seats have this switch, but it is possible to have one fitted if you can justify it (i.e. several children).

This was frustrating for me too. The people I know who have an SUV have one because they have a large family, they have the same political views as the poster of the video, but they complain about the incentives that force them to buy SUV's when they could instead just be buying smaller or used cars.

So I thought this video's attacks at that specific demographic were an unwarranted personal bias, but I also thought it made good points about the auto industry and good reasons why SUV's are bad.

Serious inquiry: how do people with large families move around in places like Copenhagen or Amsterdam, where the primary mode of transport is bicycles?

People in Copenhagen don't have large families.

dcrainmaker has 3 young girls. He uses a cargo bike it seems, even for Christmas tree shopping. His partner rides along side on her own bike. I assume once the girls get old enough, they'll ride their own bikes.

For larger families, I guess each parent would get a cargo bike and split the load.

see https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/12/getting-the-christmas-tr...

Cool story I'm sure the children will love riding their bikes in driving sleet through the snow at night on the way home from the supermarket.

What is a large family?

You can fit 5 people in most normal cars, and 7 (especially children) in some estate cars / station wagons.

Failing that a minivan, although that's unusual.

Many people in Copenhagen and Amsterdam own a car, the difference is they don't use it for every journey. They're also much less likely to own two or more cars than in America.

A child seat on an ordinary bicycle is very common, typically for taking a small child to nursery. Cargo bikes work too, and are good if you have more than one child, although they're much less common than YouTubers would have you believe.

Once children can ride their own bicycle they will, and later they can ride alone. Similarly, they can use public transport, with their parents or alone.

Not sure how large you mean, but for <=3 kids: walking, metro, bus, cargo bike, taxi. I'm in NYC, and I'll take a 10 minute walk to the supermarket with my kids over a 10 minute drive any day.

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