Things That Make No Sense

Train races

SUVs. "Sport" Utility Vehicles. What is sporty about these clunkers?

They are ugly, heavy, and have a high roll center, making them terribly unstable. They handle for shit and look like crap. Why do people buy these stupid things?

You can't haul plywood in a Ford GT40.

You can't haul plywood in an SUV, either
That's why I have a truck. Although I've never hauled plywood in it.

I can tie 4x8 sheets to roof rack of my Forester.

Shocking announcement: You can put roof racks on sedans.

But seriously, how often do you haul plywood?

I still don't understand why people buy those things.

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.

Says the man with the $1500 patch cords?

I dunno, did you ask him?

_Howard wrote:

They are ugly, heavy, and have a high roll center, making them terribly unstable. They handle for shit and look like crap.

Not everything's a race.

Whether or not one is involved in a race, a car that has great, or even very good, handling is safer than one which does not. Maybe it's just my history that compels me to seek out good-handling cars, but I can assure you that the first time your ass is saved because of the ability of the car to get out of a potentially deadly situation, you well may come to the same conclusion.

This thread is "Things that make no sense." I was keeping with the intent of the thread when I proffered that SUVs make no sense to me. I still do not know why so many people buy them. I understand that for some people with specific needs, they are absolutely great. But nearly all people who buy them use them as everyday, run of the mill cars. When I ask someone why he or she bought an SUV, the answer is like your first response - I can carry plywood with it - or some such. But when you ask how often they do such a thing, the response if always, "I haven't yet, but I could."

If you really want to piss off an SUV driver, tell him/her that it's just a jacked-up station wagon.

I was never trying to be nasty here. I guess I should have started off by just asking what is the appeal of the SUV? An acceptable answer would be, "I just like them." That is always acceptable. Of course, it would also be nice to hear why a person likes them - for the purpose to which the person uses them.

I would not buy a Suburban or Durango or Explorer or Bronco or Land Cruiser or Sequoia or Armada or Pathfinder -- SUVs built on a truck bed. They are just pickup trucks with pretensions.

But I like my Forester -- and the RAV4 and Sorento and CX5 and Rogue because they're built on a car chassis, so they get better gas mileage and have better safety features. I find the 5-door body style is versatile and convenient for either people or cargo. I happen to like full time AWD because it is sure footed in rain or ice. These units are small enough to park like a car but large enough to carry a chair or massage table if needed.

As they say, YMMV.

There's a category of books called "YA", meaning young adult. It's for teenagers,basically. But Americans think that anybody under 25 is a kid.

Unless they're on trial, then they don't need to have reached the teens to be eligible for sentencing as an adult.

Look on the back of one of your credit cards. In extremely small type, it says "Call this number if card is lost or stolen: <number>." Do they think that the person who found or stole the card is going to call them?

For a while I drove and old primer grey 4x4 GMC, it was one of the big ones, too. I didn't really pick it for it, it was a vehicle I could afford and could work on. I didn't care much for it and sold it as soon as I could for exactly what I paid for it. It was too big. The baby was a mile back in the back seat, I couldn't just hand a passie back or something. It was a bitch to park and it got like a mile to the gallon- or so it felt.
My other old vehicle was a primer grey Chevy wide bed with a brake pedal that would sag just enough to leave the brake lights on (thus running down the battery) if you didn't prop it with a Brut cologne bottle. I adored that truck. It was bare bones, but it ran like a dream and never let me down.

Most of this world makes no sense to me. I feel alien quite often. But I figure that it makes no sense because I'm looking at it from a logical standpoint whereas other people are looking to create planned obsolescence or drama or profit.
Like why are we sitting here with a ton of unoccupied homes, being ransacked for everything from the pipes to the AC coils when we have this large amount of homeless people who would be appreciative of such houses?
Why is Washington state dumping all those apples when there are plenty of soup kitchens who could put them to use?
Why does the government require you to have things like ID in order to get an ID?
Why does the bank charge poor people who don't have "enough" in their accounts a fee?

Why are people so goddamned lacking in compassion for the most part?!

Jenni wrote:

Most of this world makes no sense to me. I feel alien quite often. But I figure that it makes no sense because I'm looking at it from a logical standpoint whereas other people are looking to create planned obsolescence or drama or profit.
Like why are we sitting here with a ton of unoccupied homes, being ransacked for everything from the pipes to the AC coils when we have this large amount of homeless people who would be appreciative of such houses?
Why is Washington state dumping all those apples when there are plenty of soup kitchens who could put them to use?
Why does the government require you to have things like ID in order to get an ID?
Why does the bank charge poor people who don't have "enough" in their accounts a fee?

Why are people so goddamned lacking in compassion for the most part?!

Good questions.

For which there are no good answers, for the most part.

News report about police looking for a man who "exposed himself" to a woman walking by.

Meanwhile a man will pay good money to have a woman expose herself to him.

NoCoPilot wrote:

News report about police looking for a man who "exposed himself" to a woman walking by.

Meanwhile a man will pay good money to have a woman expose herself to him.

I think that one is somewhat explainable by looking at how we evolved to choose lovers. Women typically find nothing attractive (on a subconscious level at least) about the vulnerability a man exhibits when he presents himself as naked or barely clothed. The exceptions to this rule are the super athletic types like Tatum Channing or Mark Whalberg who lack the appearance of vulnerability even when naked. Evolutionarily speaking we'd have no reason to pick a vulnerable mate.

On the other hand, men adore vulnerable women so our nakedness is a boon for the most part. The more naked we are the more a man can feel masculine. Sometimes I think men like that feeling better than the actual woman, lol. Evolutionarily speaking men would have no reason not to pick a vulnerable mate.



LaVey's writing first pointed this concept out to me. But it's pretty well backed up at least by anecdotal evidence and probably by some better as well. I never liked to see men in things like shorts and flip flops but it never occurred to me there was a pattern or reason for that. I've polled other women and they run the same for the most part. Flip flops and crocs are not a man's friend. Neither is shirtlessness, (unless you're sporting a six or eight pack) gym shorts or "wife-beaters".

Do you think women are less visual than men? That's kinda been the common wisdom.

I mean, look at who Heidi Klum married.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Do you think women are less visual than men?  That's kinda been the common wisdom.

I mean, look at who Heidi Klum married.

ha ha ha ha ha, oh you sweet innocent thing....
No. We are no less visual. The answer to the question lies in the observation that women don't necessarily marry the guy they look at.
Women have to calculate. Not even in a bad way but just as a way of surviving. And if our calculations say you will be a steady secure mate you don't have to be awesome in the looks dept. But the truth is, as a matter of sexual preference we absolutely do look. We just don't get caught looking.

Sliced bagels.

But they're not "sliced" all the way through -- you need a knife to finish the job.

Sliced bread doesn't require a knife. Sliced English muffins don't require a knife.

I wonder if the bagels will dry more?

Many years ago, Morey Bagel's Siding and Sheetrock company had a lot of spare material left over. What shall we do? he wondered. I know. Let's make some doughnuts!

Bagels. Phooey.