this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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I know the demographics around here, so I know everyone's just going to put "nothing lol", but please understand what I'm asking first.

I'm physically incapable of driving a car. I stand to gain immeasurably from a world that didn't assume everyone owned one. Having loved-ones with respiratory issues aggravated by car exhaust has made me very aware of the health issues surrounding the burning of fossil fuels, and having to navigate sidewalkless suburban stroads on a regular basis and juggle poorly funded public transit has made it very clear to me that pedestrians are second class citizens. I could go on and on about the mess cars have made of urban planning, and the number of jobs I couldn't take because they required driving, but I digress.

In short, I hate cars just as much as the rest of you. But I'm also conscious that a lot of other people feel differently. What does widespread car ownership enable that would be difficult or impossible otherwise?

As an American I'm familiar with the cultural aura that surrounds the automobile. One of the early episodes of Mythbusters explained this pretty well while digging into the folklore surrounding a particular car-related urban legend. Cars represent freedom and self determination, two qualities highly prized in American society. You can go where you want when you want, without relying on schedules and routes mandated by public transit[^1].

Looking at more tangible things, I suppose hauling a bunch of stuff from point A to point B would be hard without a car.

But what else am I missing?

[^1]: Ignoring the fact you can only go where there are roads, and someone has to build and maintain those roads.

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[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 0 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

Maybe for you I highlighted the wrong part.

Point is, for the average adult, biking is an option but it takes a ton of time and work to build up your strength.

For the average adult (because that's what he said) I'm saying no, regular biking is not an option. For the average adult. The average adult does not have this dormant physical athleticism. He said the average adult can, and I disagree and say the average adult does not have this dormant physical athleticism.

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 1 points 31 minutes ago (1 children)

Alright. If that's what you want to nitpick here

The average adult (in the US) can ride a bike, whether or not they ever actually do is a different matter, but the majority of us learned how to at some point, and there's a reason "it's like riding a bike" is a saying.

From being able to ride a bike to being able to ride it a reasonably long distance just takes time and work to build up to it, which is what he said.

Now a lot of people won't put in that kind of work, but that doesn't mean that they can't.

I'm fat, I won't sugar-coat that. In a couple weeks when it warms up a bit I'll hop on my bike, and I'll probably manage around 5 miles, and by the end of the summer I'll probably work my way up to around 15 miles, and I'll still be fat. I do this pretty much every year (and worth noting, I didn't even learn to ride a bike until I was in my 30s)

There are parts of the world where damn-near everyone gets around on bikes, they don't have some sort of unattainable genetic advantage because they grew up in Amsterdam or whatever that gives them some "dormant athleticism" that Americans don't have, they just ride bikes.

The average adult can ride a bike. They just don't or won't.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 1 points 10 minutes ago

Lmao not even with responding to. The extent that you go through to misread and then try to salvage something is unreal. Ciao.