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Still trying to figure out how to access content behind the subscription even though I am a Vinyl member. Yall have tech support?
Which content?
Ah, that happens from time to time. Email Matt at matt@TheAutopian.com
I don’t know, man… I just re-read the article and I had the exact same feeling about it as when I first read it. Yes, it is very clear Griffin is joking and playing up the danger for comedic effect. The problem with the joke is threefold:
The joke was repeated enough times that however funny it was to begin with, it wasn’t anymore by the end. I didn’t find it offensive or insensitive, it just didn’t land. Which brings me to my next point…
The joke derives its comedic value from Griffin’s lived experience, which can make it easy to read as not-really-a-joke, not okay for those of us who don’t share said lived experience to laugh at, or both. Which brings me to my next point…
Sad as it is, said lived experience is, especially in the present climate, impossible to divorce from politics, so I don’t think Peter’s point about “raising the specter of politics” is well taken at all, particularly taking into account that you’re always gonna have a That Guy in the comments going out of their way to take this kind of joke very personally.
Now, what would I have done? Leave in a one-sentence disclaimer, make it shorter so it doesn’t read as uh… “trying too hard”, if you get what I mean (Hautewheels beat me to it: it has a “some of my best friends are X” vibe to it as written). I personally would’ve preferred an article with a different tone altogether (make the joke once, maybe a second time in an over-the-top kind of way), but I’m a believer in author autonomy and cannot in good conscience advocate for a major tonal overhaul by editors.
I recognize the lengths to which the Autopian goes to be non-political (minus the intersection of cars and policy), and as someone who is very politically active, I appreciate them – an automotive website is not an avenue for political discourse. I also applaud the boldness of this decision, knowing it’ll piss off people on both sides of the aisle. That said, in this case, no major action to “stay apolitical” feels necessary – nothing wrong with the idea of a disclaimer at least.
Point of clarification: The article as published did not bug me enough to feel compelled to comment, nor would it have if it had been published as written. I just figured this post was meant to invite discussion 🙂
Having grown up in a small (northern) town that has a significant number of people flying Confederate flags, I’ve seen the way strangers, mixed race people, and LGBTQ+ folks were treated there (and, really, I’ve been seeing that get even worse recently, rather than better). My sister lives in another small town with a very different culture and vibe (much more accepting and closer to the idyllic small towns people like to envision). Not knowing the vibe where they went (and whether they had any idea what they were getting into), I can’t say which type of town they were in. I can certainly dig putting in the note about both appreciating some of that culture and being appropriately wary. I can also understand not wishing to draw attention to it, especially since it can be read in a few different ways, not all of them positive.
I think that there’s really no right way to do it. David’s piece did include the bit about the seller pointing out his new AR. (Depending on the features, the AR was very possibly not California-compliant, which would not surprise me in a small town–I read that as both the implied defense if DT and Griffin were not on the level and a way to determine whether the seller was dealing with like-minded people, or at least people who wouldn’t be too taken aback by the rifle.) That’s the sort of thing that is both common and makes it fair to feel nervous.
If you acknowledge that justifiable trepidation, but have nothing more overt to point to, it’s going to frustrate people who like the rural life and haven’t experienced issues. If you remove all of it, there’s no flavor to the story. If you end with that coda, there’ll be people who think that coda disparages small towns and people who think it’s apologia for the worst parts of small-town culture.
tl;dr, I think the articles worked well as published and I think that whatever comes out can have people read too far into it.
I greatly appreciate that my whining was not dismissed, and the peak behind the curtain showed the thought that did go into how the piece may be taken.
It is more important, I think that you put thought into these things than you get it right every single time.
As I stated before, this is a thing I am probably more sensitive to than most; the NFP I work with has missed out on funding opportunities because of its location in what is viewed as a ‘spicy’ area.
Y’all are doing all the right things.
If anything, I would of left out the “politics aside” “left and right”
Plus, AZ isn’t really know for “good ole boys” and it’s mostly Miller Lite 🙂
I think you made the right choice to pull it. IMHO, the note had a bit of a “seriously some of my best friends are (fill in the blank)” feel to it. I know that wasn’t Griffin’s intent or meaning, but that’s how it struck me. No matter what you write or how you hedge, some people are gonna take it hard and there’s nothing you can do about it. I think the story was just fine. I mean, we’re all sometimes uncomfortable when we’re outside our comfort zone, right? It’s called that for a reason. And while we should all strive to widen our comfort zones and be as inclusive as possible, the fact is that we’re mere humans who have our failings, no matter how pure our intentions might be.
Yes! I this is the analogue I was rummaging around in my brain for.
In reading both articles and watching the video I feel like the main danger was late at night, middle of nowhere, no cell signal, and it’s Cali but still winter, and did they ever fix that issue with the Aztek random acceleration? Against all that, the ‘type’ of neighborhood didn’t come across as a big deal, other than the lack of people in it was part of the ‘danger’.
I think DT’s comment about the AK may be some stereotyping, but as others have commented, random guy showing up in his driveway, in a remote area, it’s dark, I mean if it were me I’d at least be like “let me lock my dogs up” as a hedge.
And in the end they got french fries so all ends well.
Oh, it’s not random anymore. It consistently accelerates up to highway speed entirely on its own. As it turns out, GM’s had the secret to self-driving this whole time! 😀
Yay? 😮
This is likely not a hard fix.
Why is nobody fixing a thing that is absolutely a hazard to both the operator and other road users!?
That would have to be a question for David. 🙂
I drove it when I visited Cali for the Autopian car show and its behavior was shocking. I was just trying to go down a steep hill from Mount Hollywood when the bloody thing started running away from me. Thankfully, I acted quickly by slapping the stick into neutral and nursing the brakes on the way down. I also found out that it didn’t rev over 3,500 RPM on its own, so putting it into a low gear did produce engine braking over 3,500 RPM.
David says it has gotten worse since then and, honestly, I’m not even sure how that’s possible!
This entire situation makes my teeth itch.
Please advocate that they either make it stop.
I thought your bras were leaking silicone oil/gel, not brake fluid.
Has david replaced the tps yet?? That sounds like the issue, and its a cheap fix!
It’s the lack of self stopping that bothers me. Somebody once tried to use a Buick as the braking system for the VW Bug I was riding in – it worked, the Bug broke.
Sounds like Teslas still have issues with this from time to time. Fortunately for me I don’t drive an emergency vehicle.
Typical GM, pioneer advanced technology and then abandon it for others to overtake them.
But seriously they need to get that fixed, even if it’s just a giant stop button on the dash that cuts the engine like in prototypes.