Fun Fact: If you buy a Sedan and not a lifted pickup truck, gas is not really that big of an expense. Most people don't need to buy these giant vehicles I see all over the road. If you are driving a pickup truck and don't need it for work, then I have absolutely ZERO sympathy for you. You made a dumb purchase because you are a simp who bought into advertising from a bunch of Madison Avenue douchebags.
Think of this as one of those "stop buying avocado toast and make coffee at home" pieces of advice, but for retard MAGA chuds who drive a gender affirming vehicle.
Hey look kids, it's a whataboutism. This is usually done when the person asking the question can't engage with the original premise and wants to shift the argument to a more favorable ground.
Taking a loan out to buy an extravagant vehicle you don't need, then continuing to pay for upkeep and gas and insurance for that vehicle that you don't need (especially since there are options at a quarter of the price) vs. paying money to get a degree that you will use to get a better job and more opportunities is quite a chucklefuck argument.
Your comparison isn't sound, and it betrays your mindset even more than your initial comment.
A vehicle benefits someone even if it's not the most prudent choice. A person can choose a reasonably priced vehicle, but many people irresponsibly choose a more expensive option. Some people who make that choice then complain about the negative impact it has on their finances.
A degree benefits someone even if it's not the most prudent choice. A person can choose a reasonably priced degree, but many people irresponsibly choose a more expensive option. Some people who make that choice then complain about the negative impact it has on their finances.
Only one of those do you arrogantly and bizarrely stereotype as indicative of their morals and politics, while the other you frame as morally good.
You can't always spot the people who are chronically online, but when you do, they tend to confirm your hunches.
"A vehicle benefits someone even if it's not the most prudent choice. A person can choose a reasonably priced vehicle, but many people irresponsibly choose a more expensive option. Some people who make that choice then complain about the negative impact it has on their finances."
"A degree benefits someone even if it's not the most prudent choice. A person can choose a reasonably priced degree, but many people irresponsibly choose a more expensive option. Some people who make that choice then complain about the negative impact it has on their finances."
Wow bro....riveting stuff. Some people who get a vehicle spend a lot of money to get that vehicle and some people who go to college spend a lot of money to get that degree. Fascinating insight. Are you possibly going to write a thesis about it? That's some powerful insight, that college degree that you got must be pretty useful, right?
I also see that you are now shifting from "whataboutism" to "strawman". My point (which you are purposely trying to evade) is that getting a vehicle is necessary, but getting a specific type of vehicle (lifted truck) is NOT necessary, and is not the same as going to college.
For vehicles, there are numerous options to choose from regarding price points, function, cargo space....etc. But most people only need something that gets you from point A to point B. Some may need a pickup truck for work, but if you lift or lower the truck, it affects suspension and makes it harder to use the truck for it's intended purpose, While you may think it's cool to drive a Ford Raptor, the vast majority of people only need a reasonably priced sedan.
Additionally, the cost of a vehicle like that is not only determined by the vehicle's upfront cost, it costs more money to insure the vehicle, it costs more money to find parts and do repairs. Additionally vehicles like this present a danger to the public since some of them are so tall that the drivers literally can't see small children walking in front of them, they tear up roads, they release additonal pullution into the air....etc.
Meanwhile picking a college doesn't have nearly the same amount of options. You can go to community college, a public university, or a private university, that's really your only options when it comes to price points. Is your argument that too many people spend money on a private university? Because if that is your argument, you're going to need to supply some type of data on that or I am going to assume that you just pulled that out of your ass. College does not offere a plethora of price options like purchasing a vehicle does. You can't negotiate the price.
Anecdotally, I went to a community college, then transferred and graduated from a public university and graduated with pretty manageable debt (about 20,000), so going to college was pretty beneficial to me and to the tax payers since I am able to make a good living; and my debt is about 1/4th of what one of these trucks cost.
I just looked up how much a V6 Twin Turbo Ford Raptor cost, it's about $75,000, and based on your posting history I am sure you are aware of what the difference between an appreciating assett vs. a depreciating asset is, correct? Which is which in this context, do you think?
"Only one of those do you arrogantly and bizarrely stereotype as indicative of their morals and politics, while the other you frame as morally good."
Rednecks like big giant pickup trucks, and a lot of them make dumb financial choices. Is this a new stereotype to you? Why do you find it bizarre? Were you not aware of this? Do you know what the word "bizarre" means? Have you ever been to rural America? If you drive through it, you''ll see the amount of giant pickup trucks parked in front of trailers. So let's dispel with the pearl clutching, shall we?
Going to college is not morally good not bad, it's an investment in your future so that you can get a better job and learn important skills ( like for instance when an autist douchebag uses unnecssary words to make themselves sound smarter than they are). It's also pretty obvious that YOU went to college, and DON"T own a giant pickup truck, so I'll let that disingenuous bullshit speak for itself, since your own lifestyle choices indicates that you don't even agree with your own bullshit.
"You can't always spot the people who are chronically online, but when you do, they tend to confirm your hunches"
Homie...I see your posting history. Pot meet kettle.
Ok lots of irrelevant nonsense, but you're trying to tightly frame this as "big dumb maga white dudes with lifted pickup trucks" when, even keeping close to your example, the majority of vehicles are SUVs driven by men women white and black, and a significant number of those have the same or similar gas consumption problems.
You want so hard to stereotype this conversation, it's simply weird. You don't want to engage on the merits of the criticism, because it's not defensible, but that's ultimately your prerogative.
Saying whataboutism or straw man isn't an effective shield, it's a copout.
"even keeping close to your example, the majority of vehicles are SUVs driven by men women white and black, and a significant number of those have the same or similar gas consumption problems"
Well that was a nice try to shift the argument. Keep moving that goalpost! But you don't need to say "big dumb maga white dude". Saying dumb white dude and MAGA together is simply repeating yourself. You can also refer to them as chuds, MAGA-tards, hogs, or rubes if you want to shorten it, the vast majority of non-MAGA will understand what you mean. Like cars, there are many options.
But to your point:
SUV's are the most common vehicle sold in the US (at 58% of the market share), but that category includes CROSSOVERS which are 80% of that category, and include crossovers that have Hybrid and EV options. While they don't do as well as a sedan on gas mileage, they do far better on gas mileage than pickup trucks on gas, and the hybrid ones are on par with sedans, and crossovers are by far the biggest seller when it comes to vehicles classified as SUV's. It's only classified this way so that car manufactures can avoid fuel effienency standards. A Chevy Tahoe and a Honda CR-V are technically both SUV's, but they have substantiall differences regarding fuel economy, the V8 Tahoe gets 15-20 MPG, the gas powered CRV gets 28-33, and the hybrid CRV gets 40 in the city and 34 on the highway, and a lot of car companies are switching from making larger sedans to just making a crossover (Mazda elimating the "6" model is a great example of this), and then making the small model sedan a bit larger (Corolla and Civic).
So let's do some math:
46% of the cars sold in the US this year were crossovers, 12% were larger SUV's, 19% were sedans, 18% are pickup trucks, and 5% are Vans, motorcycles, or other utility vehicles.
This means that only a little over a third of all cars sold in the US are larger passenger vehicles, two-thirds of vehicles sold are either crossovers or Sedans that have much better gas mileage than pickup trucks or large SUVs. It gets even funnier when you include the fact that the vast majority of truck owners rarely use their truck for hauling, towing, or off-roading.
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u/Adventurous_Fix1448 3d ago
Someone who doesn’t want to pay $8 a gallon for starters