Liberals and cars

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

The premise of the OP is completely baseless.

[scr4]

@Bryan_Ekers

I’m pretty sure the $500 billion in oil isn’t just used for automobiles. I can’t offhand find a breakdown, but large quantities of oil are used for the production of electricity in power plants and in the manufacturing of plastic, plus whatever the airlines and the military uses.

Here’s the breakdown. I’m not too familiar with the terminology, but it looks like of the “Total Crude Oil and Petroleum Products” consumed in the US, 45% is “Finished Motor Gasoline” and 20% is “Distillate Fuel Oil” (that’s diesel fuel, I believe).

[XT]

@Diogenes the Cynic

The premise of the OP is completely baseless.

No, it isn’t. The OP is just using the wrong terms IMHO. I think that if you substituted a narrow band of hyper environmentalist types for ‘Liberals’ then it would be more accurate. I assume the OP is making the not wholly unwarranted connection between some environmentalists and liberals, but the two groups aren’t necessarily synonymous. My sister and my brother in law, for instance, both dislike cars quite a bit for both of the reasons stated in the OP, and both are at least nominally what one might consider ‘liberal’. I’ve met others with similar dislike of cars as well, though their reasons run the gamut from dislike due to an anti-technology mind set through dislike due to the association with the suburbs to various environmental reasons for dislike.

Now there are Liberals who would cite both reasons as being anti-automobile, I know, but which is MORE important to most Liberals in their argument against cars?

I don’t believe that either are really associated with liberals, per se, but more with the fringe environmentalist types…and I would go with C) An aversion to technology and general neo-Luddite world view of the environmentalist loony fringe.

-XT

[Fear_Itself]

@xtisme

No, it isn’t. The OP is just using the wrong terms IMHO. I think that if you substituted a narrow band of hyper environmentalist types for ‘Liberals’ then it would be more accurate.

Why don’t we just drop the generalizations entirely and be completely accurate?

"Why do people who hate cars, hate cars?"

[Bryan_Ekers]

@scr4

Here’s the breakdown. I’m not too familiar with the terminology, but it looks like of the “Total Crude Oil and Petroleum Products” consumed in the US, 45% is “Finished Motor Gasoline” and 20% is “Distillate Fuel Oil” (that’s diesel fuel, I believe).

Interesting chart. It includes a link to “Definitions, Sources & Notes” that clarifies much of the jargon. “Petrochemical feedstock” looks like the oil that gets turned into various plastics and synthetic rubber and whatnot, about 2.5% of the total. “Distillate fuel oil” means a “general classification for one of the petroleum fractions produced in conventional distillation operations. It includes diesel fuels and fuel oils. Products known as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 diesel fuel are used in on-highway diesel engines, such as those in trucks and automobiles, as well as off-highway engines, such as those in railroad locomotives and agricultural machinery. Products known as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 fuel oils are used primarily for space heating and electric power generation.”

So that covers big-rig trucks, trains, tractors, etc. as well as diesel-fired power plants and heat sources. As you note, about half of the imported oil is used for “finished motor gasoline”, which specifically excludes aviation gasoline (though aviation gasoline is miniscule by comparison).

The third largest use, after motor gasoline and diesel fuel, looks like jet fuel at about 7.5%.

[XT]

@Fear Itself

Why don’t we just drop the generalizations entirely and be completely accurate?

Why? Well, because the irony is quite, um, ironic. Besides, why would we want to stop tossing out generalizations here on the SD at this late date?

-XT

[Try2B_Comprehensive]

@Bryan_Ekers

I’m pretty sure the $500 billion in oil isn’t just used for automobiles. I can’t offhand find a breakdown, but large quantities of oil are used for the production of electricity in power plants and in the manufacturing of plastic, plus whatever the airlines and the military uses.

Whatever. Electric cars and legalize hemp, and you don’t need oil. Algae oil, sugar ethanol… we don’t need oil.

And face it: oil is filthy dirty!

[XT]

@Try2B Comprehensive

Whatever. Electric cars and legalize hemp, and you don’t need oil. Algae oil, sugar ethanol… we don’t need oil.

Seriously? Or was this a tongue in cheek whoosh?

-XT

[Try2B_Comprehensive]

@xtisme

Seriously? Or was this a tongue in cheek whoosh?

You gotta learn to look long-term, man.

[XT]

Does that mean it wasn’t a whoosh?

-XT

[Bryan_Ekers]

@Try2B_Comprehensive

And face it: oil is filthy dirty!

Indeed, which is why all applications that don’t involve female wrestlers must be phased out. Filthy dirty has a proper time and place, after all.

[woodstockbirdybird]

@athelas

The main visceral reason is that most liberals are city-dwellers, and have little use for cars, except for renting for vacations. Cars are associated with suburbanites, who are a different tribe with different cultural values, and liberals would prefer if those suburbanites were to fall in relative status, raising the status of city-dwellers.

As a city-dweller, I can honestly say I don’t give a rat’s ass about the “relative status” of suburbanites - as long as I don’t have to live in their strip-mall Hell, they can declare themselves royalty, AFAIC.

Also, though I don’t own a car (mostly for the environmental reasons already stated), to say I “hate” cars would be ridiculous. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they’re quite useful. Better turn in my liberal credentials.

[Try2B_Comprehensive]

@xtisme

Does that mean it wasn’t a whoosh?

-XT

Maybe it is a regional thing. I don’t honestly know what you mean by a whoosh.

[XT]

I was asking if you seriously believed what you wrote there, or if you were kidding. I was just curious, and since I’m just sitting in a hotel room being bored I figured I’d ask.

-XT

[Try2B_Comprehensive]

@xtisme

I was asking if you seriously believed what you wrote there, or if you were kidding. I was just curious, and since I’m just sitting in a hotel room being bored I figured I’d ask.

-XT

All well. There is $11 trillion in potential there over a period of 22 years. At least, probably more. But it is similar to a mine- how much will we actually get out? Any conservatives interested?

[Try2B_Comprehensive]

@Bryan_Ekers

Indeed, which is why all applications that don’t involve female wrestlers must be phased out. Filthy dirty has a proper time and place, after all.

Filthy dirty. C’mon, it is liquid soot, and it’s extraction is a massive constant thieving from Dis Pater.

[shallora]

Thank you, everyone for confirming a Liberal stereotype I long suspected:

1. Even Liberals know that there are factions within Liberalism who take such extremist views as to be considered loons. However, Liberals call these people “Fringe” of Liberalism and should not be considered “Real” liberals.
   (Yet, when Conservatives try to do this same thing with those fringe elements within the conservative movement, Liberals refuse to make any distinctions)

2. Even Liberals who live on the Left Coast (California) – the 5th largest economy in the world – use and LOVE cars. Wrestle with that seeming contradiction within your movement, Liberals!

[bannerrefugee]

@shallora

Thank you, everyone for confirming a Liberal stereotype I long suspected:

1. Even Liberals know that there are factions within Liberalism who take such extremist views as to be considered loons. However, Liberals call these people “Fringe” of Liberalism and should not be considered “Real” liberals.
   (Yet, when Conservatives try to do this same thing with those fringe elements within the conservative movement, Liberals refuse to make any distinctions)

2. Even Liberals who live on the Left Coast (California) – the 5th largest economy in the world – use and LOVE cars. Wrestle with that seeming contradiction within your movement, Liberals!

I loved the way you framed your question A? or B? super

[Fear_Itself]

@shallora

2. Even Liberals who live on the Left Coast (California) – the 5th largest economy in the world – use and LOVE cars. Wrestle with that seeming contradiction within your movement, Liberals!

How is that contradictory? Most liberals like to use cars.

[Steve_MB]

@Hamlet

Now the question becomes, why do religious people hate cars?

They make it entirely too easy for proper young Christian ladies and gentlemen to get away from their elders and [ OMINOUS ECHO EFFECT ]yield to their impure thoughts[ /OEE ]