I glanced at the clock as I reached for my purse flopped on the passenger seat. It was 10:56 a.m. and I needed to hustle. I got out of my car and noticed the dark blue BMW X5 parked directly across from me. Not because I generally notice BMW X5s—expensive cars don’t blow my hair back. I noticed it because I heard the fan running and thought to myself, Hmmm, that is an awfully loud fan. Then again, it’s an awfully big car. SUV. Whatever. It’s large and obnoxious and loud.
I headed into the La Jolla Ralphs to pick up a fruit tray for a work potluck I’d forgotten about in the giant wake of planning a 3-year-old’s birthday party. Despite my rush, I lingered in the store; I shop at Windmill Farms, so I felt like a simple girl from Kansas whose black and white country house had just been plunked down in the middle of Technicolor Times Square. Who knew they sold hardback books in there?!? Quickly convinced that Ralphs had everything, I actually began looking for Munchkins because, seriously: What better way to alleviate the inherent discomfort of an office party than with a performance by representatives of The Lollipop Guild? Way more palliative than sliced kiwi or mango, if you ask me.
But after touching all the shiny things in Aisle 9, I focused on my original task, found what I’d come for and clicked my heels together until I was back at my car where the extra-loud fan was still humming.
I started the ignition, opened the sunroof and windows and then had the horrifying realization that, Hey! That’s no fan! That bitch is running! I looked at the clock. It was 11:15. I squinted to see if somehow I’d overlooked a person inside. Maybe there was a baby strapped in somewhere? I couldn’t believe it. I had to know for sure if the engine was on.
I got out of my car—shutting it off first—walked up to the vehicle and leaned my ear toward the hood. Yup. It was on, and so was the AC. I moved to the passenger side, saw keys dangling from the ignition and a Black Lab-ish doggie in the driver’s seat. She lifted her head to look at me. I waved at her. And then went back to my car where I waited like a jealous girlfriend ready to set shit on fire.
I waited because I couldn’t live the rest of my life unless I knew what this believer in Michael Crichton science looked like. I needed to see the enemy.
As the minutes crept by, and as my party offerings began to ferment in the sun, I thought about the reporter from Channel 8 News who’d approached me the day before while I was gassing up. He wanted reactions to The King’s request that Congress lift the ban on off-shore drilling as a means of giving relief to working Americans, yada yada. He wondered whether I’d be willing to speak on camera. I stood contemplating his request, my little hybrid surrounded by three obscenely giant trucks. Nah, I told him. I don’t think so. But good luck.
I didn’t speak to him because I can’t stand to be taken out of context, and that has been my experience with speaking on camera. But had I done so, I would have told him that I thought George W. Bush should just stop talking now. It’s time. We’ve heard quite enough of his drill here and cut down that and they hate us for our freedom. I wanted to tell him that this false fix was on par with the blood money the government sent many of us this spring. I wanted to tell him that rising fuel prices, as much as they hurt, is exactly what needs to happen and that the real solution lies with Americans finally making the hard choices.
But we’re still comfy at more than $4 a gallon, and the choice seems to be: Stay the course. I keep hearing people bitch about the cost of gas while I also keep seeing brand-new monster-sized cars on the road. I stumbled upon a blog recently whose author featured excited posts about her new minivan. This car joins her other family car, “a big Dodge 2500.” She needed this second vehicle because she’s a mom (of one) and minivan = responsible.
Even more obtuse than her minivan pros (“The windows in the back roll down, like normal windows now! No more are they sealed shut, or puny little vents.”) and cons (“They’re uuuuuugly on the outside. And, you look like a dork from the outside.”) were the comments from readers, every single one cheering her on, obliviously singing the praises of their giant MPVs with multiple television screens.
People: Get over yourselves and rein it in just a bit.
It’s not so much irresponsible as it is reprehensible to drive economically and environmentally ridiculous vehicles while young Americans are fighting and dying and losing limbs and brain function and eyesight in a war that is in part—if not completely—about oil. Dare I say it’s amoral to do so at a time when our climate is drastically changing as a result of what we carelessly pour into the air because gaaawd forbid should Toto have to sit in the car with the windows rolled down, and, well, fuck you, Mother Earth—and future generations, while we’re at it.
Which brings me back to the arrogant ball of earwax who left his car running while he went to Pilates or Jamba Juice or Trader Joe’s or whatever for more than 30 minutes.
At 11:28, Mister I-have-an-excruciatingly-small-penis-let-me-wag-it-in-your-face came sauntering up to his idling wagon of overcompensation. He was on his cell phone. He was 40-ish, blonde, good-looking in a mocking sorta way. Wearing a black tee, blue gym shorts and a weathered blue ball cap that said “R-NY” in red letters, he instantly reminded me of the bully in high school who used to steal candy from the neighborhood kids.
I’d like to say I gave the man an informed and thorough tongue-lashing. But for once, I was speechless. I was stunned to silence as I watched him open the driver side door—the window of which was rolled down, by the way—get in, throw the car in reverse and drive off like it wuddn’t no big thang.
Evidently, it’s no cost to him, leaving the engine running. And he could give a rat’s ass about what it costs the rest of us.
(As published today in San Diego CityBeat.)
42 responses so far ↓
1 san // Jun 25, 2008 at 7:42 am
Can I just say: I would have waited for that irresponsible a*** myself, only to let him get away with it.
I wish I was braver. People like him just disgust me.
2 Jenn @ Juggling Life // Jun 25, 2008 at 7:42 am
I know exactly what you mean–idling cars really frost me.
I must say that I chose a minivan for my family of 6 over an SUV for environmental and not wanting to look like a jerk reasons. No, it’s not a Prius, but we’d have to buy two Priuses to get around and the police frown on having a 13 year old drive one of the cars.
Also, I am the queen of carpooling and bundling errands. I actually carpool with a neighbor for the weekly Trader Joe’s, Henry’s, Costco run.
Of course you could make the argument that choosing to have a large family was environmentally irresponsible, but I’d just put my fingers in my ears and sing “lalalalala!”
3 aaryn b. // Jun 25, 2008 at 9:14 am
@Jenn: I can understand the need for a large car if you have a large family. Two Prius’ would be silly and probably require more driving given your schedule and activity level.
The particular blogger I referred to has one child and already has another gas guzzler, so her reasoning for wanting the Minivan struck me as lacking in insight. And I was truly more appalled by all the other women yelling, “You go girl!” in her comment section. Like, not even once voice questioning any of it. Even with two kids, a Prius can meet the needs of a conscientious family.
I personally believe in zero population growth and do think that smaller family size is the environmentally responsible thing to do. Back in the day, people had lots of kids because they needed the labor on their farms and not all of the offspring survived. Today, there isn’t reason for large families. But! I fully support your right to tell me to suck it.
We can be friends and not agree on everything…right?
4 Christina Shaver // Jun 25, 2008 at 10:54 am
Had to respond to this post mostly because… really? Is it really that upsetting to see an idling car? (Warning that you may need to chalk this one up to the “we can be friends and not agree on everything” category.)
I guess I’m not making the connection on how turning off a car engine at Ralph’s is going to stop the crazy war we’re fighting. Too little, too late about that.
As far as climate change and global warming go, I get that. Don’t keep your car on. But again, for me, what difference does an idling car really make? An eensy, teensy, little, minute bit. Especially given that there is an entire country out there called China.
Sure, we each can do our part. We can all try to be “green” and get on that bandwagon. It’s the hip, cool thing to do.
But for me, from my perspective, as individuals it is impossible to affect the change that needs to take place. These are societal, systemic, governmental issues that a little peon like me can do nothing to improve, no matter how many hybrids I own or how often I use natural sunlight instead of my lamp or whether or not my car idles or if I grow all my veggies on my own.
Maybe I’m a cynic and a pessimist where this issue is concerned. Or maybe I’ve just got too much going on in my personal life to pay that much attention to an idling vehicle. Or maybe you needed to write something that jazzes things up to create revenue for your paper. But, I can say that I’m feeling bad for the guy who’s been judged so harshly just because he left his car on.
5 Jenn, aka JeSais // Jun 25, 2008 at 10:55 am
My best friend and her partner EACH have an SUV. “because you can see better when you drive”
I haven’t asked her lately about the vantage point– especially the view of the gas pump.
6 Jenn, aka JeSais // Jun 25, 2008 at 10:59 am
PS: Christina! you ARE cynic. One small step CAN affect change– Kaizen!
7 Tessa // Jun 25, 2008 at 11:23 am
OMG people - I do not know Aaryn - just stumbled on her blog from Stacy’s - who I grew up with in Texas - but Iread it to be enterained - not to slam her views… I do not know why someone would read her blog only to make their own judgments… I also do not mean to suggest that her blog is merely here to entertain - she has infomative views - but why accuse her of gimmicks to rev up her paper? Dude (does anyone intelligent say “dude”???) - it’s HER BLOG and she’s entitled to her opinion… I have no idea why I chose today to out myself as a faithful lurker of Aaryn’s blog - but don’t read if you don’t like her views - or at least have the courtesy to zip it! WTF?
8 Christina Shaver // Jun 25, 2008 at 11:36 am
It’s called a debate. If everyone agreed with each other on everything, it’d be a pretty dull place, no? And, she left comments open, so I’m taking from that she’s interested in a response. I don’t happen to agree with her assessment of the situation. I like Aaryn. I just don’t agree with her on this one, nothing personal. We’re all adults here…
9 Mary // Jun 25, 2008 at 11:39 am
Right behind you on that one, Tessa. The paper she writes for is free. She wasn’t “jazzing things up” to create revenue for anything. I’d read over my own comment before accusing someone of “judging harshly” - then I might realize how shortsighted and judgmental I sound.
10 Christina Shaver // Jun 25, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Actually, I assumed that City Beat was free. But, they still run on ads — “revenue.” The best way to get ad revenue is to have readership. The best way to get readership is give them something to read, like Aaryn’s column.
11 Leslie // Jun 25, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I am less annoyed (for once) by the man leaving the car running than I normally would be. I split my time between San Diego and Phoenix, and every year people leave animals and small children in cars and they end up dead from heat stroke… It doesn’t take long either. While I think it would have been more responsible for Mr. La Jolla to leave the dog at home, I’m glad he didn’t leave the dog in the car with no air…
12 Mrs. G. // Jun 25, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Take this guy’s attitude and multiply it by, I’ll be conservative, 200 million, and it’s not hard to spot a trend.
13 aaryn b. // Jun 25, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Thanks for all the comments, for coming to my defense and for speaking out. Everyone can express their views here (extra thanks to Tessa for de-lurking as a Knight In Shining Armor…I’m so flattered), even if they’re opposite of mine. I like the open discourse.
That being said, I’m drafting a response. Need a little time. But I’ll have it up soon.
14 Martha // Jun 25, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Sing it, sister!
15 Bonzize // Jun 26, 2008 at 6:15 am
Warning: This is a bit of a rant against the “Idlers.”
Yes, it does make a difference if one car is left idling. Yes, one does make a difference because for every idler’s ” one,” there are exponentially more “ones.” Climate change v. war - related? Yes of course - anyone ever hear of fossil fuels in the Middle East? You Idlers ever hear of oil over consumption? The only cause of war? Probably not. Are idling cars the only reason for climate change. No. But who are kidding, Idlers ? Even your children are put at risk. A study recently completed showed of the air quality around elementary schools when the ending bell is about to sound, significantly higher levels of ozone and carbon dioxide that children are exposed to - Your children, Idlers! Or nieces, nephews, grandchildren. The reason? Because people picking up the children keep their cars running. And that’s just one little study completed at some of Salt Lake City’s Elementary Schools.
No one should be so unconciously selfish when you are impacting others around you. Especially your children - or anyone’s children. They are all our children and our future. Wake up!
And being “green” is not hip-it is a necessity. It is a necessity for Idlers and non-Idlers alike. If anyone’s life is too busy to pay attention, you’d better get over that pretty damn soon before the world breaks. And people like Aaryn stop trying. I’m so damn mad at this attitude.
And, BTW, I do know Aaryn. I’ve known her for most of her life. What she does is honest and heart-felt. She’s an amazing person with a beautiful heart and beautiful soul. To accuse her of pandering for the sake of ad revenue is a personal and unjustified attack. And, Aaryn? You go girl! xoxo
16 Tammy // Jun 26, 2008 at 10:19 am
While I’m completely horrified that someone left their car running in the parking lot with the AC on, I agree with Leslie that The Idler’s actions are (at least a little) mitigated by the fact that he was being responsible for his dog. But still… leave the dog at home on a hot day and save the planet at the same time. His car could have been stolen (dog and all), and then he would not have been a responsible dog owner at all.
I’m embarrassed to admit that my family is about to purchase a minivan. We only have two kids, but both my husband and I both have large extended families. We’re constantly schlepping other people around (grandparents, cousins, etc.), and I’m gleeful at the thought of eliminating many of our discussions about how many cars to take. From now on, it will be one (gas guzzling) car. Still, it seems better than two (only-semi-gas-guzzling) cars on the road.
I am, however, disgusted by how much gas those things use. And I still can’t figure out why manufacturers won’t make a hybrid minivan. It seems that parents (the minivan’s target market) would care more than anyone about the state of our planet. After all, we have the kids that we’re passing this all along to.
17 Christina Shaver // Jun 26, 2008 at 11:24 am
“To accuse her of pandering for the sake of ad revenue is a personal and unjustified attack. ”
Let me be clear here, because somehow my words seem to be getting muddled. I did not accuse. I used the word MAYBE: “Or MAYBE you needed to write something that jazzes things up to create revenue for your paper.” It certainly is within the realm of possibility. I think Aaryn is an excellent writer — which is why, I’m sure her editors keep her on staff. If she weren’t writing things that kept people interested, as it certainly is doing here, my guess is she would have been canned ages ago.
I am not personally attacking Aaryn. I simply don’t agree with her point of view. Those are two entirely different things. I think she stated somewhere at the top of the comments that FRIENDS can agree to disagree. And this is what I am doing.
For me, I will restate, that as far as personal and unjustified attacks go, I happen to feel for this particular chap. He’s trying to do the right thing by his dog, but gets spurned in the article as having a small penis, among other comments.
I’m interested to read your response, Aaryn. And perhaps if I don’t agree with your rebuttal, I’ll keep it to myself. I wasn’t here trying to cause havoc with you or your pals who read your site. I was just offering an alternative point of view, and participate in what could have been an enlightening debate.
18 Scott // Jun 26, 2008 at 12:17 pm
To Christina Shaver:
Please accept this in the spirit of “friends can disagree.”
I think your attitude toward the “idler” is a perfect example of what ails this country. You imply that an idling vehicle is a trivial concern and that there’s nothing that mere “peons” can do to affect systemic change in America. This attitude completely ignores the realities of what happens when you take tiny behaviors and multiply them by tens of millions of people.
Truth is, just about every significant societal change this country has ever witnessed has been due to the behavioral or attitudinal changes of a huge numbers of peons. Indeed, how else do you expect a nation to change? By presidential fiat? We the peons have the power and always have. When 300 million people decide to change their ways, HUGE things can happen.
The idler is guilty of benign disregard for his actions. If he was the only guy in the country idling his SUV for 30 minutes at a time, no problem. But sadly, we have millions of folks who rationalize such behavior because it’s convenient or it’s “just a little gas” or whatever. When millions and millions of people behave in this way, the aggregate impact is huge.
At the end of the day, it’s all about attitude. Do we go through life considering only what is good for ourselves? Or do we consider what is good for our neighbors, our friends, our children, our towns, our nation? It doesn’t take massive sacrifice to make an impact. We just need to cut out the thoughtless, neeedless waste (taking 10 napkins when you need two, having the convenience store clerk put one bottle of aspirin in a giant plastic bag, letting your car idle for 30 minutes at a time).
It’s time for this country to wake up. Sixty-five years ago, Americans made real sacrifices. You had gas and food rations, and few people complained. It was patriotic to sacrifice for your country. Today, in 2008, you ask someone to not idle their car for 30 minutes and that request is considered by some (read: Christina) to be harsh criticism.
We’ve come a long way in 65 years. The wrong way, I submit.
19 Christina Shaver // Jun 26, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Thank you, Scott for actually debating! I LOVE it.
The thing is, the article WAS harsh criticism. Too harsh, in my estimation. The problem isn’t one guy idling his car. The problem, as so many people here have pointed out, is multitudes idling their car.
One person ain’t gonna make the difference here. But to ferret out one person and verbally crucify him, making him an example for all to behold… still seems harsh to me no matter how many ways you want to dice it.
Again, maybe I’m the cynic here, but I don’t think people will always do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. I’ll cite a couple of points: roadside trash and seatbelts.
I’m of the generation where tossing your banana peel or cheetos bag or coke can out the window of your vehicle was completely acceptable. The norm. Then people started thinking, hey, this isn’t such a great idea. And THEN they outlawed it. And you know what? I don’t see a lot of roadside trash anymore.
Same goes with seatbelts. It was once optional. Then we all became aware of how dangerous it is to not have a seat belt on when driving, and STILL people didn’t click it. But when it became law, with a financial penalty associated with it, well then people listened.
All I’m saying about the idling. About the recycling. About whatever “green” solution we want to impose. Make it a law, and you’ll get a lot more follow-through.
People need incentives. Sometimes negative incentives. But, if using your reasoning, I asked a million people to give me a dollar — it’s just a dollar. No skin off your back. Well, I’d be a millionaire. If it were that easy to get compliance, the world would be a far different place.
20 aaryn b. // Jun 26, 2008 at 4:50 pm
So, let me get this straight, Christina: What you’re saying is that if it were illegal to let your car idle—for any length of time but in this instance, for than thirty minutes—without anyone in it, then it would somehow be unacceptable. But until that time, ho hum, everyone’s doing it so it must be okay? Interesting. How do you think it would become illegal (and if things continue the way they are now, it will become a ticketable offense, just like littering and wearing seatbelts)? By the rest of us shrugging it off? Or will change come because those of us who care about things bigger than ourselves point out the absurdity of such actions? This guy deserved to be harshly called out and I don’t apologize for it at all.
I am still finishing my response to everyone—which I’ll put up soon—but so far, I’ve only heard from three people who weren’t also completely appalled by this driver’s behavior. And that includes the folks who have emailed me on this one.
I figured this would be lightning rod topic but for a very different reason. Surprising. And very interesting.
Thanks to ALL of you for reading and speaking your minds.
21 bonzize // Jun 26, 2008 at 5:18 pm
My incentive is the planet.
Peace and love, xoxo
22 Scott // Jun 26, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Christina:
I’d agree it was overly harsh criticism if Aaryn had called him out by name. But she didn’t. Instead she used him, anonymously, as a symbol for the selfish, thoughtless behavior that negatively impacts us all.
I see no way in which the gentleman was harmed. So to feel sorry for him, or to defend him, seems pointless.
I agree that some laws do modify behavior. But you’re citing specific, narrow behaviors that are easy to legislate and enforce. The issue of conservation is an entirely different matter. Washington, under pressure from the oil and auto lobbies, has refused to significantly raise the CAFE standard. It currently stands at under 21 mpg for trucks (the category under which SUVs fall). Given the toothlessness of the government on this issue, what other law would you propose to stop our minimally endowed SUV driver from idling his car for half an hour?
Beyond that, there’s a larger issue here, and I think it’s implicit in Aaryn’s original post: people need to take a long hard look at how their behavior affects energy prices, conservation, geopolitics, climate factors, and a number of other vexing issues that our country faces. The number of laws necessary to address all the ways in which people thoughtlessly squander resources would constitute a volume larger than the New York City phone book.
Sometimes good old-fashioned peer pressure is the road to change. Look at the civil rights movement. The Civil Rights Act didn’t change the course of our nation nearly as much as people of principle standing up and saying, “this is wrong.” In doing so, those folks ushered in a whole new era of thinking.
Christina, you seem like a decent, reasonable person. Yet you seem to cling to a somewhat nonchalant attitude of, “Eh, no big deal. We used to litter once and we figured that one out.” Well, I submit the issues to which Aaryn is referring are far more complicated and have potentially irreversible consequences. It is past time that this nation adopted a greater sense of urgency about conservation. Waiting around for Congress to pass a bunch of laws isn’t dealing with the issue; it’s avoiding it.
23 Tiara // Jun 26, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Christina- I can see where you’re coming from and am glad you decided to express your opinion. Discussion is a good thing.
However, I have one question for you (and those that maintain the same view): What ever happened to personal responsibility? Why do we need things to illegal before we admit what we are doing is irresponsible and change our actions? Littering and seat belt laws shouldn’t be needed, they’re common sense things! You get in a vehicle that moves faster than you can walk, use the safety devices installed in it so you don’t go flying through the windshield at a sudden stop. You’re driving down the road and finished with a bag of chips, put the bag aside until you reach a place with a trash receptacle! I personally hope I never see idling your car outlawed, because it would just serve as a reminder of how unconscious of their actions people have become.
Yes, I know there are many people that will not stop doing something until required by law. But until that point I don’t find anything wrong with openly criticizing him in this blog. It’s great that the dog wasn’t affected by the heat, but I would hope that anyone who reads this article will think twice before taking their dog on an errand that would require idling their car for 30 minutes to prevent heatstroke and THAT is the power of ONE affecting many.
24 Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy // Jun 26, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Hi Aaryn I was at dinner last night with Jen @ Juggling Life et al and wanted to stop by and say hello. I picked a pretty heady topic for my first visit!
But it’s good to see so much discussion. You’ve given people something to think about.
Nice to meet you!
25 edwin decker // Jun 26, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Ok, I have to take Christina’s side on this - sort of. While I do not entirely agree that there is nothing the individual can do about global warming, she is absolutely correct to point out how miniscule the individual footprint is, especially when compared to all these corporations who are polluting the planet with their carbon emissions and all sorts of other toxins, and then you have China and India, and really, that idling SUV was just the tiniest drop in the bucket.
I’m not saying the drop doesn’t matter, only that the level of outrage does not match the crime.
Furthermore, it is entirely possible that there was some reason he had to have that dog with him, in which case he did the right thing.
Perhaps, it was a one time deal. Maybe he even felt guilty about leaving the car idling. If it was something he did all the time, that would be worse, But I tell you, I don’t throw every aluminum can I open into a recycling bin. I sometimes use paper plates because I’m too tired to wash dishes. The other day, I threw a cigarette butt out the window because I didn’t want my wife to see it in the ashtray cuz I told her I quit.
Do I feel guilty about it, Yes I do. But it was the right thing to do? Just think how much more pollution I would create driving back and forth from the divorce lawyer’s office had I left that butt in the ashtray. It’s all relative people, that all i’m saying.
ed
26 Leslie // Jun 27, 2008 at 8:03 am
I have to say that I spent an good hour longer than necessary laying in bed thinking about this.
I like what ed has to say, because I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. I have embarrassed myself before by jumping to conclusions, and try to take a second and be objective. Maybe, just maybe his idling was a one time deal, where it would have taken him 30 minutes to take the dog home anyway. It’s unlikely, but ther is really no way to know. Every comment here has very good points that I can identify with.
I think my personal issue is much deeper than whether or not he is a regular-idler, and more sad that people don’t regularly do the right thing… whatever that may be
27 Scott // Jun 27, 2008 at 11:19 am
Let’s have a poll. When was the last time you left a car idling for at least 32 minutes (the minimal amount of time the gentleman in question left his)?
I can safely say the answer is “never” for me. And I once lived in Alaska where warming up your car was a downright necessity.
Ed, I’m curious about your value system. You deceive your wife about your smoking habit, throw a cigarette butt out the window, and somehow you come away thinking “you did the right thing .” Man, I’d hate to see what madness ensues when you do the wrong thing.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not perfect by any stretch. I fall well short of being the ideal green citizen. But you’ll never catch me rationalizing my shortcomings. My inability to consistently do the right thing is a failure to live up to my ideals. Nothing more, nothing less.
Your defense that, well, “think how much more pollution I would create driving back and forth from the divorce lawyer’s office” is the sort of glib, avoiding-the-issue response that drives me to distraction. I don’t think anyone–not even the most ardent environmentalist–begrudges anyone using resources for the important matters of everyday life. It’s the stupid waste that’s killing us. If we *all* did the little things (turning off the water while we’re brushing our teeth, turning off a few lights, etc.) we’d have less reason to sweat our legitimate material needs.
And again, I couldn’t possibly disagree more with the philosophy that an individual’s energy footprint is “miniscule.” That’s the kind of thinking that’s gotten us into this mess in the first place. When tiny “harmless” behaviors are repeated millions of times, day after day after day, the impact is enormous. The fact that corporations are not always good citizens does not excuse us from our responsibility to do the right thing. We must look square in the mirror and become the people we want to be. We shouldn’t make excuses for our failures. Rather, we should acknowledge that we’re human and vow to be better.
You and Christina strike me as too quick to throw up your hands and say, “why bother, the problem’s too big.” If we all adopted a similar attitude, the problem would indeed be too big. But we can tackle this problem. What’s more, we *have* to tackle this problem. Future generations are depending on us to step up and do the right thing. May we all avoid the ignominy of flipping through our grandchildren’s history books and seeing our generation described as the one that fiddled while Rome burned.
28 bonzize // Jun 27, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Aaryn,
I *heart* Scott.
29 edwin decker // Jun 28, 2008 at 12:19 am
excellent points Scott, can’t say I totally agree, but you make a strong argument through and through. Kudos.
30 aaryn b. // Jun 28, 2008 at 1:02 am
@bonzize: I don’t know who he is, but Scott’s heartable.
@Ed, who I do know: (said with love and respect, of sorts)-you’re an ass.
31 stacy // Jun 28, 2008 at 3:17 pm
holy shit, how did I miss all the hubbub?
32 Christina Shaver // Jun 28, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Here’s the deal, and then I think I may be “out of gas” on this topic: these are global issues we’re dealing with and to truly “make a difference” they require global solutions — regulations, laws, international agreements. Period.
This does not contradict the point that not idling your car in most instances is probably a good idea. It does not contradict the point that individuals should “do their part.” I’ve never indicated that these activities are not worthwhile. The individual contributions are irrelevant in the broader picture.
I still uphold that attacking and so harshly judging a guy’s moral foundation — regardless of whether we know him by name or by physical description — because his car sat on idle for 30 minutes, is plain wrong.
And that’s it from me.
33 Amyesq // Jun 29, 2008 at 11:05 am
Idling asshole = total dickhead. And unlike you, I would have said something not super aggressive but more in a smiley way. I am good (nasty) like that.
On the car thing, it can be a little bit hard sometimes with the kiddos. We just got a car and it was wayyy tougher to find something that fit the twins and their stroller than I thought it would be. BK (before kids) my Passat was my idea of a dream car. But the *&)_ stoller (the narrowest double one out there) didn’t come close to fitting in the trunk. We searched high and low and wound up with something, while smaller than a minivan and SUV, is still bigger than that with which I am comfortable. I call it my guiltmobile.
34 Tootsie Farklepants // Jun 29, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I’m more bothered by the dog being left in the car. If the a/c had malfunctioned or the car stopped running for whatever reason five minutes after he walked away, that dog would be dead.
35 susan m // Jun 30, 2008 at 1:25 am
This evening I went over to my club to work out. Even though it was after 7pm, the temperature was still around 110 degrees F. The security guard’s pickup truck was parked in the breezeway outside the ladies’ locker room, engine running. I couldn’t help but think of this discussion.
The guard was sitting in the locker room, flipping through a magazine. Was she on her break? Was it a 5-minute break, 10 minutes, 30 minutes? Or did she just sit down for a second to rest, and I happened to walk in at that moment? I don’t know and I’m not going to ask.
For me to jump to the conclusion that she’s doing the wrong thing is just… wrong. I’m not her parent, her boss, her teacher or her moral compass. She’s an adult. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she’s capable of making reasonable decisions. Better that I should pay attention to the things within my control: turning off the water, shutting off the light, making some small talk to acknowledge these actions, and setting a good example.
I remember Aaryn’s story about a woman who drove recklessly in order to get her child to the hospital. We don’t know what’s going on in other people’s lives. We don’t have all the information, and to assume we do is arrogant. No-one appointed us the Social Police. Let’s clean the low-e windows in our own glass houses before critiquing everybody else.
36 gerry rosser // Jun 30, 2008 at 4:47 am
I came via Kizz.
One day I posted on my blog that our nation should re-institute the 55mph speed limit. A commenter said she would drive 65 and I could drive 45 and we’d have it covered.
Don’t you know it is always somebody else’s job to to the right thing?
Oh, yeah, this idling thing is rampant in Florida, and it seems it is always large vehicles. Idiots.
37 aaryn b. // Jun 30, 2008 at 6:07 am
@Susan: Wow, is all I can say about your comment. Calling me arrogant, the “social police,” etc. I am a columnist, right? I was writing a piece about how I felt about an issue. And now—at the risk of ruining our friendship—I’m going to say the following:
It’s amazing what we justify in our little worlds to make us feel better about ourselves. The security guard is wrong to leave her car running while she’s not in the car and is sitting someplace flipping through a magazine! The irony, of course, is that she left her running vehicle in the breezeway of your country club locker room where all the ladies who lunch could choke on her fumes after being served clean towels by the only brown people in that town. That alone seems like a little poetic justice.
The thing is, her car would cool off again once she finishes her reading and restarts it. 110 degree temperatures in the desert is a handy excuse but remember, those kinds of temperatures are only going to get hotter with global warming and your security guard (and the guy I refer to) are extra helpful in making sure that the damage done to our planet is irreversible.
Of course, the security guard is a blue collar gal, probably making minimum wage or barely above it, subsisting on far less than you or I are accustomed to. While she protects your gated community, I’d wager to guess that putting food on her family’s table is the more immediate concern than is her carbon footprint. Change always begins with the wealthy and educated, and that means you and me and the BMW driver, Susan (going out on a limb to assume he’s educated). Which is what I’m talking about: Changing our behavior until that behavior becomes the socially accepted norm.
I’m keeping the windows (which are not low-e, unfortunately, I cannot afford that) in my glass house as clean as possible, Susan. What about you?
38 susan m // Jun 30, 2008 at 7:57 am
Oh my. Put down the flamethrower and delete my comment, wouldya? Let’s take this offline and talk it out over coffee when I get back. I wasn’t calling YOU arrogant, I was referring to all of us (I include myself) who critique without having the whole picture. I was trying to make the point that it’s hard for anyone to live up to the perfect environmental standard; we’re all failures in one way or another. I thought I framed it in those global terms but I can see where that didn’t come across. (Remember your blog post about plastic surgery? That wasn’t about me, it was about you. My comment here wasn’t about you, it was about me. See what I’m sayin?)
39 S // Jun 30, 2008 at 8:19 am
@susan, couldn’t have said it better.
I understand this is a column and you are voicing your opinions here. I do hope their is a fair amount of drama added to make your point.
Though I understand the outrage; the hostility and hatred emanating from your words is a little concerning. I would dare say that spewing hatefulness upon our Mother Earth is another poison we could all do without.
40 Scott // Jun 30, 2008 at 9:49 am
susan m:
With due respect, I think your whole argument misses the overarching point (though in a sincere and thoughtful way, I should add). Yes, we never really know what’s going on in other people’s heads or hearts. To prejudge someone based on the ephemeral data we collect on the street is risky and potentially misleading indeed
But let’s at least differentiate between “gray” behaviors and “black-and-white” behaviors. If the woman in the grocery store cuts you off in the frozen food aisle and gives you a snotty look, maybe she’s just a shrew and behaves like that as a rule. Then again, maybe she’s been demoted at work and her husband forgot their wedding anniversary. Should we cut her a break? Sure, I’ll go with that.
Yet clearly there are behaviors that don’t require much interpretation: A father slapping his four-year-old child at the mall. A guy throwing a McDonald’s bag out of a moving car. A perfectly healthy woman parking in a handicapped parking space (with no plate, no tags). Susan, how much more information would you need to reach a moral decision in these cases? Is every human action subject to interpretation? Can’t bad behavior just be … bad behavior?
The gentleman in Aaryn’s original post left a car idling for at *least* 32 minutes. It could’ve been 40 minutes. Or an hour. We’ll never know. I do know this: there’s no justification for leaving a car idling for 32 minutes. Are there are reasons to do so? Sure. But there are no justifications.
Susan, I agree with your implicit premise that we should focus more on setting high standards for ourselves than on judging the people around us. All meaningful change, even on a societal scale, comes from within. That doesn’t mean that peers and neighbors and, yes, total strangers can’t provide a valuable stimulus for the rest of us. Again, let’s look at the civil rights movement. Much of the progress in the ’60s was due to conscientious whites standing up and saying, “Enough. I will not by my inaction enable the continuation of a system that treats black Americans as second-class citizens.”
Aaryn is a modern-day Howard Beale, railing in her own unique way (via admittedly tough language) that she’s mad as hell and she’s not going to take it anymore. Hers is one of many voices we need in a healthy, evolving society. Some voices are thoughtful, others provocative, still others incendiary. When combined, they are the roar of the engine of change, which while not always pretty, is the engine that allows America to continually reinvent itself.
As George Bernard Shaw once said. “Progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
All of this is just my windy way of saying: Let’s not be afraid to step on a few toes where the future health of our nation is concerned.
41 Keeping the dialogue about The Idler open OR I can’t imagine you’re going to stay with me on this one // Jun 30, 2008 at 1:21 pm
[...] of The Idler, let’s talk about him: A number of people have given this guy a hall pass for his behavior [...]
42 Kizz // Jul 1, 2008 at 6:49 am
The last time I left a car idling for more than 30 minutes I was a teenager in an “Inspiration Point” situation in a cold New England town. At the time I probably could have made a case for the necessity of my actions but now I know it’s just stupid.
I agree with Tootsie on the dog. I live in a big city and I rarely leave my dog tied up to anything though she’s a big, tough looking thing (it’s just the look, she’s masking her inner scaredy cat) for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time. If she’s somewhere that I can’t see her I get antsy. When we travel I do occasionally have to leave her in the car so I roll down as many windows as possible to the extent she can get air without being tempted to jump out, make my trip to the rest area bathroom at a run and again, try for a spot where I can see her as much as possible. From the way this guy left the dog in the car with the windows down I can surmise that he figured a dog would be a theft deterrent device. If the dog is deterrent enough to keep the car from being stolen then he’s deterrent enough to keep himself (or herself) from being stolen, too, and could therefore have been tied up outside and the car safely locked and turned off.
I submit that this guy is probably not only not much of a citizen of earth he’s likely not much of a dog owner either. He’s not alone. Maybe it was just a one time deal for him, who knows, and it doesn’t really matter. He happened to be in a place where someone saw him and used him as an example of a whole slew of mindless behavior that we’re all seeing. He’s just one little man and maybe he can’t stand up under all that weight but on the other hand by giving himself up as an example for Aaryn’s post this great discussion and hopefully for the change of just a few more people he is perhaps offsetting his galumphing carbon footprint from the other day. I often feel hopeless about our progress but I still think every person counts.
I also think he’s damn lucky she didn’t post his name or at least his license plate number.
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