U
Great article from Monbiot in today's Guardian:
They call themselves libertarians; I think they're antisocial bastards
The car is slowly turning us, like the Americans and the Australians,
into a nation that recognises only the freedom to act
George Monbiot
Tuesday December 20, 2005
Guardian
' The road-rage lobby couldn't have been more wrong. Organisations such
as the Association of British Drivers or Safe Speed - the boy racers'
club masquerading as a road-safety campaign - have spent years claiming
that speeding doesn't cause accidents. Safe Speed, with the help of
some of the most convoluted arguments I've ever read, even seeks to
prove that speed cameras "make our roads more dangerous".'
'...But this is not, or not really, an article about speed, or cameras,
or even cars. It is about the rise of the antisocial bastards who
believe they should be allowed to do what they want, whenever they
want, regardless of the consequences. I believe that while there are
many reasons for the growth of individualism in the UK, the extreme
libertarianism now beginning to take hold here begins on the road. When
you drive, society becomes an obstacle. Pedestrians, bicycles, traffic
calming, speed limits, the law: all become a nuisance to be wished
away. The more you drive, the more bloody-minded and individualistic
you become. The car is slowly turning us, like the Americans and the
Australians, into a nation that recognises only the freedom to act, and
not the freedom from the consequences of other people's actions. We
drive on the left in Britain, but we are being driven to the right.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5359694-103390,00.html
They call themselves libertarians; I think they're antisocial bastards
The car is slowly turning us, like the Americans and the Australians,
into a nation that recognises only the freedom to act
George Monbiot
Tuesday December 20, 2005
Guardian
' The road-rage lobby couldn't have been more wrong. Organisations such
as the Association of British Drivers or Safe Speed - the boy racers'
club masquerading as a road-safety campaign - have spent years claiming
that speeding doesn't cause accidents. Safe Speed, with the help of
some of the most convoluted arguments I've ever read, even seeks to
prove that speed cameras "make our roads more dangerous".'
'...But this is not, or not really, an article about speed, or cameras,
or even cars. It is about the rise of the antisocial bastards who
believe they should be allowed to do what they want, whenever they
want, regardless of the consequences. I believe that while there are
many reasons for the growth of individualism in the UK, the extreme
libertarianism now beginning to take hold here begins on the road. When
you drive, society becomes an obstacle. Pedestrians, bicycles, traffic
calming, speed limits, the law: all become a nuisance to be wished
away. The more you drive, the more bloody-minded and individualistic
you become. The car is slowly turning us, like the Americans and the
Australians, into a nation that recognises only the freedom to act, and
not the freedom from the consequences of other people's actions. We
drive on the left in Britain, but we are being driven to the right.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5359694-103390,00.html