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Monday, November 08, 2010

This made me all blubbery, but it's still one guy in one car
Posted by Jill | 5:29 AM




You've got to love this ad (including what you can generate with a computer now, though most of the outside-of-habitat footage was done with a real bear). But while the image of a polar bear hugging a human in thanks is a powerful and compelling one, individuals tootling around in even electric or hybrid cars is not the answer. A commitment to better and more convenient mass transit is -- and given what we're seeing out of Republican governors, we're not going to get it.

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6 Comments:
Blogger Ema Nymton said...
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This ad does nothing for me.

Your point of mass-transit is salient. The extension of building effective mass-transit systems throughout USA would be a real employment cash-cow for communities, states, and the nation.

China has just recently set a new world speed record for its new bullet-train. New Jersey's governor canceled its rail tunnel project with New York. One chooses to move forward the other backward.

Sad to say the dumb governors of so many states have already painted themselves and their states out of the future's pictures.

Ema Nymton
~@:o?
.
11/8/10, 6:05 AM  
Blogger BadTux said...
The problem with mass transit is that it's massively inconvenient anywhere that streets aren't jammed with traffic. Which is most of America outside of a few large cities, BTW. Here in the SillyCone Valley I go where I want, when I want, just by jumping in my car. When I take the CalTrain to San Francisco, I go when Caltrain wants, where Caltrain wants, then go when Muni wants, where Muni wants. I might have to take several transfers to get to where I'm going, and what would have been a 30 minute drive in a car (if I could find parking anywhere near my destination) turns into a 90 minute trek of reading bus schedules, ignoring bus schedules (Muni - heh!), walking several blocks from where one bus dumps you to where the next bus will pick you up, etc. And note that Muni runs every 5 minutes, so this isn't a case like in the rest of the West where the buses and subways and trains only run every half hour to hour, it's just that Muni runs on a grid, and if you're wanting to run from one corner of the grid to the other, you're going to be doing transfers, and probably multiple transfers if you want to get there with any sort of rapidity (a bus to the subway, which runs sort of across the grid, then hop off the train where the next bus will take you to your destination).

So anyhow, yes, we need better mass transit. When I'm old and decrepit, I want to live somewhere that mass transit exists, because otherwise I'm a menace on the roads. But even the best mass transit in the Western US isn't anywhere near as convenient as your own personal automobile. My feeling here is that where there's geographical space to support their use (i.e., car-oriented cities), you'll pry people's car keys out of their cold dead hands, and not one bit sooner.

- Badtux the Car Penguin
11/8/10, 11:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
was just in Arlington, VA visiting my friend Cindy; their Metro system combined with regular plentiful busses is very commuter friendly. cindy's daughter never needed a ride from mom once she mastered the system.
mrs. jp
11/8/10, 2:52 PM  
Anonymous squatlo said...
I like that commercial, too. If you want to see one that's well-done, sends a compelling message, and brings a tear to the eye for some, I'd like to link back to a post on my own blog for a commercial advocating seat belt usage. The film won an award, and I'm not trying to spam by linking back to my site, promise! Just thought you might like it. http://squatlo-rant.blogspot.com/2010/10/embrace-life-seat-belt-advocacy-ad.html
11/8/10, 4:42 PM  
Anonymous mandt said...
"When I'm old and decrepit, I want to live somewhere that mass transit exists" That's cool----move near an Amish community. All ya need is some hay and a simple prayer.
11/8/10, 5:25 PM  
Blogger The Sailor said...
Next version should be the bear eating the people in Hummers.
11/8/10, 7:21 PM  
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