How Not to Further Your Cause

[rmp]

4x4 backlash: Owners of 100 Chelsea Tractors find their tyres slashed by environmental activists | Mail Online

My first reaction is that I'm thankful we don't have that sort of criminally militant idiocy in Australia, or at least not as widespread.

Vandalising property is wrong -- a subtle hint in that direction being it is against the law.

This attack is, by any sense of logic, far too general. These nutters typically "permit" some uses of 4WDs, farmers being one. However, who appointed them judge and jury for appropriate vehicle use? Even if there was a definition of appropriate vehicle use, how are they to know the 4WD with newly slashed tyres is not used to tow horsefloats only on weekends, or some other such "legitimate" use?

While it's good to see widespread condemnation of these actions, you can imagine the headlines if a group of offroaders went round to these hippie's places and slashed their sandals.

You may have noticed I do not use the term environmentalist to refer to these thugs. I believe a true environmentalist cares about the environment, but takes a pragmatic view of life and certainly doesn't resort to violence or cowardly criminal measures such as this to advance their point of view or coerce others into compliance with their way of thinking. Therefore, I do not degrade a true lover of the environment by referring to these criminals as environmentalists, any more that I'd refer to an armed robber as a shooting enthusiast.

I won't even begin on the argument that removing 4WD vehicles is all-important. Suffice it to say that changing over from 4WDs would have a tiny impact on "emissions", and any work in that direction would be better directed in myriad other ways where it would gain a much larger result for the same effort.

So is it effective? Sadly, I'd have to consider it is, to some degree. By stigmatizing 4WDs they are making people scared to buy one, which cancels out the short-term loss of needing to replace all those tyres early. If you knew there was a good chance your car would be vandalised it would have to be a factor in your purchase.

Of course, you'd also be tempted to buy an oversize rat trap and bait it with some freshly-made tofu, readily available from the nearest compost heap.

Over to you...


EDIT: And behold the fuel guzzling status symbol! (that'd be the car)

[FenianEel]

Pure ignorance and cowardice in action here.
I'd be waiting for them patiently in the hedge

Two quotes spring to mind:

You can't have a battle of wits with unarmed opponents

& from Einstein
"There are only two things that are infinite - the Universe and human stupidity - and I'm not so sure about the former"

[George130]

Simple way to protect your tyres. Every time you park strap a couple of endangered animals to them.

Then they might have a cause to slash your tyres/hostage wildlife.

[Jock The Rock]

Can't say they are real bright, 100 cars = 400 tyres. What do you do with 400 buggered tyres?

Put them in landfill

[rmp]

Simple way to protect your tyres. Every time you park strap a couple of endangered animals to them.

Then they might have a cause to slash your tyres/hostage wildlife.

classic

[rangy01]

I am concerned for our environment also, but stop and think of the environmental cost in the production and recycling of 400 tyres! These people don't think logically.

Andy

[willem]

I am concerned for our environment also, but stop and think of the environmental cost in the production and recycling of 400 tyres! These people don't think logically.

Andy

I reckon they're not interested in the environment at all! They just seem to have certain hates which motivate them. One of them is 4WDs! They just love to hate 4WDs. All the logic in world doesn't change anything. They hate 4WDs and they will go on hating them, because of what they think they represent.

This is especially frustrating, because so many 4WD owners actually care for the environment. They are the ones who do their best to look after the bush, because they really love it and want it to be beautiful next time they come back. And they are victimised by those who make out they love the environment but actually cause more damage to the environment by destroying someone else's property.

True environmentalists really care and don't wantonly destroy.

Willem

Willem

[dickyjoe]

Another interesting way of looking at it is this.

Say if I own a 1950 something Calallac that gets 50 litres per 100ks and I drive it 5000km a year

and then there are the folk who own a 2009 buzzbox who get 6 litres per 100 and do 56 trillion kilometres per year. Who is the biggest polluter?

This is a damn stupid argument. It makes no sense. These kind of people need to take a few steps back look at the big picture.

[markyc]

Where's Ron when you need him?
What's a sport's vehicle?

[George130]

Where's Ron when you need him?
What's a sport's vehicle?

My 130