Bicycle Austin forum

tstarry

Member

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2010-02-22

Posts: 20

Ban speed limits

http://talesfromthesharrows.blogspot.co … imits.html

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: Ban speed limits

It's scary to me that some folks' logic skills are so poor.  The whole thing was beyond ridiculous.  An excerpt:

The street speed limit is the equivalent of imposing a height limit on a basketball player or a gluttony limit on a patron at an all-you-can-eat buffet. It's unnatural and it's anti-freedom.

No difference between speed limits and those examples.  Right.

tstarry

Member

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2010-02-22

Posts: 20

Re: Ban speed limits

this is satirical

the author of this blog often uses that tool in his writing

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: Ban speed limits

The reasoning reminds me of:

bike riders like me who don't obey many traffic laws because they're nothing more than a hindrance to riding and a major waste of time.

*** Riding my bike to school was by far the fastest way to get there, because I didn't have to waste time stopping for lights or signs unless there was cross traffic that required me to stop. And since I wasn't driving an industrially powered machine capable of great speed, that takes a long time to stop or change directions (compared to a bike), and weighing enough to kill anything it hit, I saw no reason to obey these laws, which should not apply to bicycles.

Not satirical in this case, just misguided.

Last edited by Jack (2014-04-25 17:01:59)

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: Ban speed limits

this is satirical

the author of this blog often uses that tool in his writing

Then it's bad satire, because it doesn't come across as such.  I wondered at first if he could be joking but it didn't seem like it.  There's no difference between his supposedly satirical anti-government ramblings and actual anti-government ramblings, which is the problem.  This Modern World is obvious as satire, that piece isn't.

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 631

Re: Ban speed limits

Then it's bad satire, because it doesn't come across as such

It did for me.

For starters, you must already know this, but any time somebody refers to "their modest proposal", they're referring to A Modest Proposal, and they're making it clear that they know what they're proposing is ludicrous and they don't actually believe it.

He came close to Poe's law ... but not that close, IMHO.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: Ban speed limits

Okay, fine, you all are smarter than I am.  Yes, I'm familiar with Jonathan Swift, and that reference could have been a good clue, but not necessarily, since people use that phrase without knowing where it came from, or they use it ironically when not actually being satirical (as I've done many times).  In any event, this piece could have easily passed for anything on FOX News, which is why it didn't seem like satire to me.  Satire should be incredibly extreme and funny (e.g., This Modern World).  This piece was neither, to me.

tstarry

Member

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2010-02-22

Posts: 20

Re: Ban speed limits

wow...sorry I shared it

I won't bother with any more.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: Ban speed limits

tstarry, please don't take it that way.  I just said the article didn't strike me as good satire, that's all.  Not everyone here agrees on everything, that's true everywhere.