I wish I could find it and share the actual quote, but someone on Twitter (iirc) posted something like, “the best way to approach urbanism and biking to conservatives is to say ‘I’m for traditional neighborhoods that use independent transportation methods without government overreach’ or ‘I want fiscally responsible transportation methods’.”
To no one’s surprise, these refer to walkable cities, using walking or biking, and include buses with the second quote.
As always, the way to get to them is using buzzwords
This but not sarcastically. I’m politically conservative, and for the same reasons that I’m an environmental conservationist. Framing things in a way that makes sense to the listener is just good messaging.
Libs (and a lot of leftists) are always looking for the magical incantation. The thing they can utter that will make conservatives realize how ignorant their views are. It’s at once a cynical and cruel belief (that conservatives are sub-human) and completely naive. Convincing conservatives they are wrong is often impossible, but there are two ways to do it when it is possible. 1) spend a long time in honest and empathetic interaction, and 2) take power and show them. The second way is exemplified by the ACA (despite its many flaws): conservatives threw an absolute tantrum and made it extremely unpopular. Democrats passed it, and now it’s popular to the point that Republicans couldn’t repeal it despite campaigning on it for 7 years.
Here’s how I interpret their reactions:
Conservatives tend to have much larger amygdalas, which makes sense, as their worldview is based around fear. The brain/ amygdala treats threats to personal identity with the same fear response as physical threats.
A 15-minute city means you don’t need a car, and it’s far less convenient to have one. But for a lot of people, especially the conservative folks, their car (or bro-dozer) is their identity, or at least a huge part of it. Their identity is fragile enough already, it can’t withstand removing a big chunk of it. (How would a man know he’s a man without a truck to perform masculinity in?)
Therefore, a walkable city is s threat to their vehicle, which is a threat to their identity, which is just as frightening as a physical threat, like being hunted for sport.
The brain/ amygdala treats threats to personal identity with the same fear response as physical threats.
Yeah this is the statement of a person who’s not been in physical danger before. The response to physical threat is so fucking far beyond that of a threat to personal identity.
I’m a conservative specifically because I know there is a whole different level of fear beyond social fear and the fear of work or boredom or identity confusion. I became a conservative the moment I encountered malicious violence for the first time, the first and only time I ever experienced mortal terror.
Realizing that there was an emotion I had never felt before, but that had been in reserve, ready to go when I got that close to being killed, that changed my worldview.
You know what kind of life experience makes a person’s amygdala bigger? Trauma. Having been through shit is what makes a person’s amygdala bigger.
That’s odd, I have experienced mortal terror a few times, and it somehow didn’t magically turn me into a conservative. Anyway, I’ll note that my comment contained no physical threats, yet still seems to have triggered a fight-or-flight response.
Remember that old saying “every accusation from a Conservative is a confession”?
Well, the next time you see someone respond to densification or 15 minute cities on this level, it’s because they were already thinking of ways to exterminate folks on the left.
Yeah next time you’re (a) actually conversing with a conservative and (b) they respond to your mentioning city density benefits by claiming you plan to kill them, you are green light to go on that conclusion
Give it a break man, fuck. This is memes.
We should do both.
Oddly enough, Ellis Hedican (the voice of Stormy) was a Fox News contributor and overall conservative back when the show first ran.
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 4•6 months ago
Sure why not? It would be cool to have “enclosed” cities (as in a big dome, only with multiple levels). Huge structures that are several miles across, but self-contained and multi-level. So you’d have houses and apartments on one level, and work spaces, offices, business, malls, etc on the lower levels. The temperature would be controlled at around 72 every day, and there’d be no need for a car, you simply hop in the elevator to go the floor you work on. And there could be ample rooms on other levels for farms and hydroponic gardens. There would be electric carts to drive you if you have to cover a long distance. You’d have everything you need and never have to leave “the dome” (except to go to the Las Vegas dome for recreation).
Or we could start by designing walkable cities
I went to CA for the holidays and was utterly dismayed by how unwalkable it was. It’s honestly tragic, I really took for granted being able to walk a few blocks for groceries.
Lol. California is huge and incredibly diverse. I live in San Diego. I can walk to 4 different grocery stores in less than half a mile. Additionally, I have a weekly farmers market down the street I can visit. Not to mention the Ethiopian market and Mexican market that are an additional couple blocks away. Wherever you were in California only represents that specific area, and not the state in total by any means. I’m sure the area you visited has plenty to be desired as far as walkabaility, but I’m sure it’s an issue divided along rural vs urban lines, not a state by state thing. Please don’t contribute to misinformation. Making a sweeping generalization about a huge and incredibly populous state only adds fuel to the misinformation fire.
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 2•6 months ago
I was more thinking about not having to deal with six months of snow (like we do in Utah) - being able to actually get to work or to a store without having to plow through two feet of snow. Walkable cities are great, Seattle is kind of like that - Salt Lake, not so much, it’s more of a jungle of highways and not much room for pedestrians.
I live where there is snow. Walkable cities would work.
a jungle of highways and not much room for pedestrians
Yeah, that’s the problem.
If only…
Wait, those actually exist, but do get hella expensive.
Kowloon walled city 2: electric boogaloo
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 1•6 months ago
Ugh that walled city of Kowloon. I don’t know how people can stand to be so cramped together. But when I was in China, there were high rises everywhere with small apartments and laundry hanging out to dry, so maybe it’s just something you get used to (?) I dunno though, with my claustrophobia.
Le Corbusier just came in his grave.
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 1•6 months ago
!! I’d like to think so.
Caves of Steel
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 1•6 months ago
Yeah that - uh, that sounds terrible. If nothing else at least make the whole thing open and airy with lots of light.
Anything to not be under The Naked Sun.
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 1•6 months ago
I dunno though, I’d rather be under the naked sun myself in all honesty. I’m just thinking about decades from now when “up” is the only way left to build, and the naked sun may be too hot to endure for long. Still, I’m much more into outdoorsy stuff myself, like kayaking and hiking, that I am into sitting inside on a nice day.
That sounds absolutely hellish as someone that can’t stand cities
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 1•6 months ago
Well hopefully it would be designed to be comfortable and have lots of “outdoor like” spaces like parks and gardens. I’m not too fond of cities either, I’ve always lived in a part of the west where things are open and we have lots of “big sky,” so i totally get what you mean. You can’t really imitate that with artificial means.
I am Wyoming born and raised, cities drain me of my very will to live, I can’t see the sky, the air burns my lungs, there is nowhere that isn’t artificial and drained of its natural soul. I just can’t live there and it kills me when people are pushing to make urbanization even worse
- tygerprints ( @tygerprints@kbin.social ) 1•6 months ago
I totally relate, I was born and raised in Salt Lake. It’s not the most urban of cities, but we have a lot of air pollution (and it gets trapped here in winter by the inversion). I really wasn’t intending to push for more urbanization - only for thinking about the far future when the planet may be so crowded and polluted and hot that we need to “dome in” our living spaces.
Trust me I’d rather have open air and open sky also. I’m not a city person at all. There is just no place as wide open and unspoiled as many of the lands we have here in the West, and I do cherish and appreciate them.
Did you learn nothing from Midgar in Final Fantasy VII?
Well, yes, but not because of the urban redesign.