Defensive driving

Even residents of enviro-friendly Seattle buy large gas-guzzling cars; they just feel more defensive about it than they would if they lived elsewhere.

Yesterday I saw a minivan-like vehicle (I don’t know exactly what it was because I know nothing — I mean NOTHING — about automobiles) with a license plate that read, “4R4SONS.”

Oh, OK. All right. Since you have four sons, I’ll grant that you have a legitimate need for a minivan.

But why have four sons? Given the rate at which the world’s population is depleting its resources, wouldn’t three have been more than enough?

6 responses

  1. Billy Avatar
    Billy

    See comments 1 and 3 below linked article.

    Reply
  2. Uli Avatar
    Uli

    may be 4R4SONS stands for "for ride for sons"Of course, if (s)he has less than 4 sons (or children in general), why the minivan?In any case, let's just hope (s)he's not on the cell phone while driving …

    Reply
  3. Paul DeWitt Avatar
    Paul DeWitt

    Hi Greg – I couldn't agree more, except to say why wasn't 0 kids enough!I'll be posting a review of the book "The World Without Us" in the next few days on my blog, which touches on this issue as well.Paul – a fellow ultrarunner and member of VHEM.

    Reply
  4. Roslyn Avatar
    Roslyn

    Speaking of sons, Happy Birthday to Phil.

    Reply
  5. Meghan Avatar
    Meghan

    Perhaps the SUV owner was an adopter and not neccessarily a procreator? In that case, this person was doing the world a great service. Let us hope, but probably not.I'd like to be an adopter some day, I think.

    Reply
  6. crowther Avatar
    crowther

    Billy: I think there's a big difference between saying that the Earth would be better off without us — the viewpoint that those comments seem to be rebutting — and saying that the Earth would be in better shape ecologically if there weren't quite so many of us. I believe the latter.Roslyn: Thanks! More on that topic is forthcoming.Meghan: Good point — and it's not a purely hypothetical one, because I know someone who has four adopted sons. A great guy.

    Reply

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