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A Guy Named Goo ([info]the_clansmen) wrote in [info]otf_wank,
@ 2005-01-10 15:41:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
The irony of the day: Guy writes anti-seatbelt letter to newspaper. Guy is later killed in car accident in which he wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

Wanky enough by itself - and I can kind of agree with the point that having to wear a seatbelt could be considered an attack on personal liberties, but whether it's law or not doesn't mean you shouldn't wear them. For a guy with five majors who wanted to go to law school, I sense a distinct lack of common sense.

So anyway, the above article predictably leads to wank.

Highlights: Non-seatbelt users should have second priority to seatbelt users in the emergency room. Someone takes this as an attack on subsidized health care. Or something. Insulting of Republicans. Comparing of fast food to seatbelts.

The discussion is unusually intelligent (at least compared to what I usually read) but still incredibly wanky.

...I bet there's more wank about this if I looked...

EDIT: The link to the original editorial has some amusing comments under it, too. Some guy uses it as a place to promote the Libertarian candidate for election. Several comments are rather prophetic. I'm most amused by the comment meant in rebuttal to one of the prophetic-sounding ones. Go take a look.

EDIT stikes back: What would otf_wank be without Mock the Stupid Wank? Thanks, Icz.

(Post a new comment)


[info]lurker32
2005-01-11 12:00 am UTC (link)
I like the one guy's comment--

"whoever rides in my car has to wear a seatbelt, i don't give a shit about WHAT they think about them or where they're sitting in the car

my car my rules (blah blah blah)

when people in the backseat protest my seatbelt demands, i politely tell them that if i get in a wreck, i'd rather not have their body slam into my seat & have their bloody mess all over me, k thx"

Don't buckle up because it's the law, do it because otherwise you can walk, sucker. XD

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[info]the_clansmen
2005-01-11 12:01 am UTC (link)
I liked that one too. XD Especially the bloody mess bit.

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[info]littlest_lurker
2005-01-11 05:35 pm UTC (link)
That's pretty much what I say every time I give someone a ride.

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[info]napoleon
2005-01-11 12:24 am UTC (link)
Sigh. Five people made the same joke I did. Yahtzee?

Relatively non-wanky, all things considered, but amusing all the same. As for the boy, you, out of the gene pool -- oh, wait, thank you for self-selecting! Next time, bring a friend!

I'm actually annoyed at this kid, as you'd think with all of those brains he'd know just a bit better, but no. What can you do other than throw your hands up?

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[info]the_clansmen
2005-01-11 12:31 am UTC (link)
I've noticed that in general, the more brains a person has, the less common sense that seems to go along with it.

Of course, on the other hand this proves that just because you have a 4.0 and an IQ of 392408 doesn't mean that you're "smart". Somehow that annoys me too. I also love how the article dwells on it - like it's covering up the fact that he was a moron for not wearing his seatbelt by talking about how smart he was.

And yeah, I've got the Darwin icon up.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]the_clansmen
2005-01-11 12:37 am UTC (link)
I'm commenting to my own post because this struck me as more commentary than actual wank summary. And because I'm weird like that.

Erica Rogers, opinion page editor at the Daily Nebraskan, said Derek's brains and intensity would be missed.

"How can you miss his brains? They're splattered all over the road!"

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[info]mael
2005-01-11 12:54 am UTC (link)
I thought... exactly the same thing.

*ducks to avoid karmic bitchslap*

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[info]the_clansmen
2005-01-11 12:56 am UTC (link)
At least I said it so that you didn't have to. My karmic bitchslap shall be bigger than yours.

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[info]littlest_lurker
2005-01-11 05:40 pm UTC (link)
Hee!

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[info]kadath
2005-01-11 12:48 am UTC (link)
It's good when the universe balances the books like that.

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[info]pokecheck
2005-01-11 01:08 am UTC (link)
ALANIS MORRISETTE SHOULD WRITE A SONG ABOUT THIS

Hee hee hee!

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[info]sluggirl
2005-01-11 02:21 pm UTC (link)
That was my favorite, too. *snerk*

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[info]darkerthanpale
2005-01-11 02:03 am UTC (link)
I think my favourite part in the guy's original article was him complaining that only 6,100 more lives were saved per year as a result of the new legislation, so it wasn't really worth it.

Because, y'know, 6,100 people is roughly the same as nothing, right?

I will not get into a car with someone who's not wearing a seatbelt, even if I like them or respect them or they'd be giving me a lift somewhere, because, y'know, if there's a serious accident it might well not only be themselves that they kill. I'm sorry, but I value my skin, and I value not seeing my friends die.

I can rant about this for hours. Man. It's the littlest thing, and yeah, seatbelts aren't exactly the most comfortable things to wear in the world, but they're a damned sight better than the alternatives.

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[info]sesana
2005-01-11 05:47 am UTC (link)
When I was a kid, my Grandpa didn't wear a seatbelt. So I snuck into his car one day and put a sticker that said "Buckle up, somebunny loves you" on the steering wheel. After that, he always wore a seatbelt.

But as for this kid... What a stupid way to make a point.

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[info]iczer6
2005-01-11 08:28 am UTC (link)
I'd comment but the sheer blinding irony of the situation has left me speechless.

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Worth Noting
[info]iczer6
2005-01-11 08:59 am UTC (link)
This was mentioned in Mock_The_Stupid and minor wank occurs.

I don't know if you want to incoporate it into the post but here you go: http://www.livejournal.com/community/mock_the_stupid/1521922.html

(Reply to this)(Thread)

Re: Worth Noting
[info]rinoared
2005-01-11 10:13 am UTC (link)
You got an absolutely fabulous response there. I can only imagine the OUTRAGE if the right to litigate was restricted! The wank that could happen! *happy sigh*

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[info]kyuuketsukirui
2005-01-11 10:17 am UTC (link)
Too bad the fact that he actually had a good point gets lost in all the wank about him dying.

Seatbelts = good idea

Excessive seatbelt legislation = bad idea

How hard is that to understand? Besides, it's like smoking. If anyone doesn't know by now that wearing a seatbelt is safer then it's their own fault if they die.

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[info]the_clansmen
2005-01-11 11:10 am UTC (link)
I like the person who phrased it as "visiting the doctor/dentist shouldn't be required, but it's a good idea" or something to that effect.

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[info]kyuuketsukirui
2005-01-11 11:17 am UTC (link)
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I'd hardly like to be told I had to get yearly checkups or risk a fine. Our government is too big brotherish as it is.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]adora_spintriae
2005-01-11 11:30 am UTC (link)
Reagan-esque "Less-government-is-good-government" rational for the privatisation of everything is "Big Brotherish"?

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]lush_rimbaud
2005-01-11 04:50 pm UTC (link)
I assume she was referring more to legislation like the Patriot Act, although I could be wrong.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]adora_spintriae
2005-01-11 11:32 am UTC (link)
I’m from the school of thought where everyone should have the right to do as they please as long as they are not infringing on the rights of other people.

That's all I read, and I think it's quite nice that his genetic sequence was removed from the genepool.

Next please!

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[info]auguris
2005-01-11 07:15 pm UTC (link)
Soooo, what's wrong with having the right to do what you want as long as you don't infringe on the rights of others?

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[info]adora_spintriae
2005-01-12 01:23 am UTC (link)
Because it reduces the responsibility of your actions to a legal one. How about your un-enforced responsibility to be emotionally responsible to people? Or mentally?

Risking your life stupidly may not threaten the rights of others around you. But it is irresponsible with the emotional connections you have to those other people who you are close to, and shows a strong level of relationship immaturity. If the only way you can be responsible for your actions is if there's a legal requirement to, then do the world a favour and don't get close to anyone.

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[info]mastervex
2005-01-12 06:27 am UTC (link)
You're saying that people should be responsible about decisions like that without needing a law telling them they have to be, and therefore it is stupid to say that such decisions should be left to people rather than determined by law? Uh...

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[info]adora_spintriae
2005-01-12 08:56 am UTC (link)
and therefore it is stupid to say that such decisions should be left to people rather than determined by law

No, I'm simply saying don't become part of human society in the first place if you can't be emotionally responsible. I'm commenting on the dead dude rather than the seatbelt issue here.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]kraken_sleeps
2005-01-11 04:32 pm UTC (link)
Oh for... *has no words*

And Mock the Stupid...

*sighs*

Law inforcing seatbelt wearing = saving lives. This is a good thing because it doesn't matter if your personal liberties are infringed if you're DEAD.

(Reply to this)(Thread)


[info]cyn
2005-01-12 08:28 am UTC (link)
Rah. Too bad the equation costs so many fervent economic republican lives, who believe in Freedom.

I'm deleting this because it sucks, and I can't bear myself, really, commenting on such a tragic thread. Yet I keep typing. The delete key is right there.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]sewingmyfish
2005-01-11 10:25 pm UTC (link)
I particularly love the letter of the guy who said liberty has it's price, freedom isn't free, blah blah. Then told his story of harrowing courage where he...appeared in court and got out of a ticket because the cop was stupid. What a Real American Hero you are, Mr. Seatbeltless Drama Whore.

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[info]gal_montag
2005-01-12 08:57 am UTC (link)
See, I was kinda thinking that I wear my seatbelt because, should I hit a tree, it keeps my ass in my seat. But since it's an affront to my civil liberties, who cares about my life when I'm doing the civil disobedience thing?

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dodyskin
2005-01-12 06:07 pm UTC (link)
Er, clunk click, every trip?

What is the problem? Cars are dangerous, man. And surely everybody knows that an untethered body (especially in the back seat) can easily kill other passengers. Road safety is legislated because lots of people going really fast in big metal things need to have commonly agreed upon safety precautions. What's next? Traffic lights are oppressive? Say no to foglights? Stop the crypto fascist march of speed limits?

Actually, don't answer that.

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[info]pfeffermuse
2005-01-13 01:55 am UTC (link)
Does that mean that if non-seatbelt wearer flies out of their car during an accident, I'm within my rights to make them a bigger grease spot, since they're violating my rights to get home (or to work) on time?

Pepper

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[info]beccastareyes
2005-01-15 01:56 pm UTC (link)
I was gonna say something, but...

That's the student newspaper at my university! ::is dumbstruck::

Explains a lot. No one can drive well on ice and snow here anyways.

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[info]unoriginality
2005-01-15 02:06 pm UTC (link)
Oh amen. And the Daily Nebraskan is a joke. -_-

Think they pick on this guy in the afterlife?

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(Anonymous)
2005-01-16 03:45 am UTC (link)
This reminds me, of all things, to the Rayearth manga, when the princess girl kills herself.

Maybe you have the right to refuse seatbelts like this guy/commit suicide like the princess, but its not always about you. It's also about the people you leave behind.

Maybe you're free to do whatever you want, but remember the people who love you. There's something deeply... selfish, I guess... about the whole refusal to wear a seatbelt thing. As I said, its not just about you, its also about the other people in the car and whatnot.

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