Current Events > In the 80s, conservatives cut seat belts out of their cars...

(+) Yeah! (+)

...to protest against mandatory seat belt laws.

https://www.businessinsider.com/when-americans-went-to-war-against-seat-belts-2020-5

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In the early 1980s, the public-safety battle was over seat belts. Most Americans didn't use them, and 65% opposed them being enforced by law.

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Yeah people were dumb in the 80s too


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Conservatives are still buying those pieces of metal that fit into the buckle lock to make the beeping stop.

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I said something similiar to one of my cousins who is a anti-vaxxer and he said "it's not the same thing though. we have proof that seat belts saves lives, but no proof vaccines does." It's absolutely unreal what some of these idiots say. I want to believe we're just living in a Poe's Law.

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sondast posted...

Conservatives are still buying those pieces of metal that fit into the buckle lock to make the beeping stop.

my cousin did this then he got into a car accident, hit his head on the wheel and broke his neck

(no airbags)

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Prestoff posted...

I said something similiar to one of my cousins who is a anti-vaxxer and he said "it's not the same thing though. we have proof that seat belts saves lives, but no proof vaccines does." It's absolutely unreal what some of these idiots say. I want to believe we're just living in a Poe's Law.

I...err...my brain just BSOD from that.

Like...how did you respond?

sondast posted...

Conservatives are still buying those pieces of metal that fit into the buckle lock to make the beeping stop.

Why the fuck would they need to buy that when you can just stick the metal piece you cut off into it. I mean, all cars have one.

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They actually make a lot more sense if you go under the assumption they're very bad at changing their mind.

They grow up hearing left and right that seatbelts save lives; whereas the first they hear about the vaccine (because this is exactly what was the truth at the time, when talk of a covid vaccine first started in early 2020) "we don't know yet if one will work, or exactly what it'll achieve" so that's what they stick with.

I've also found in some cases, the vaccine / lockdowns / masks / whatever aren't actually what they ultimately have an issue with. Back when I bothered with Twitter, there were a few regulars I recognized - most genuinely just seemed either malicious or stupid, but there was one where during a session of trying to actually talk some sense into him, it became clear the real reason he was so pissed about everything was that his business had basically been killed by the measures NZ took to crush covid. Of course this is a case of "explains, doesn't excuse", but yeah.

You were asking how you can possibly talk to these people? If you really want to - and let me be clear, I fully understand if you generally can't be bothered, I usually can't either - figure out the cause, not just the symptom.

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Ruvan22 posted...

I...err...my brain just BSOD from that.

Like...how did you respond?

I didn't, there was a different guy that responded to my cousin calling him the R word and my cousin went "I'm no R word, but did you know that vaccines can cause people to become the R word?"

It sucks because he's a smart guy, but he fallen down the Trump rabbit hole so far that I know no matter what I say, nothing ever will work. He's not an asshole, but VERY misguided and I unfortunately know there's nothing I can do to help.

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HOT TAKE: Seatbelts shouldnt be a law and neither should mandatory vaccines

If you die, you die.

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Cokewave posted...

HOT TAKE: Seatbelts shouldnt be a law and neither should mandatory vaccines

If you die, you die.

Nah that's stupid

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Cokewave posted...

HOT TAKE: Seatbelts shouldnt be a law and neither should mandatory vaccines

If you die, you die.

read the preamble to the constitution.

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Cokewave posted...

HOT TAKE: Seatbelts shouldnt be a law and neither should mandatory vaccines

If you die, you die.

Ehh generally non use of seat belt affects just you, whereas non vaccination affects others

Prestoff posted...

I didn't, there was a different guy that responded to my cousin calling him the R word and my cousin went "I'm no R word, but did you know that vaccines can cause people to become the R word?"

It sucks because he's a smart guy, but he fallen down the Trump rabbit hole so far that I know no matter what I say, nothing ever will work. He's not an asshole, but VERY misguided and I unfortunately know there's nothing I can do to help.

Oh man, my aunt has stubbornly fallen into that rabbit hole too. Her grandson has autism and she's convinced that vaccines caused it. So she's been full on anti-vax/qanon conspiracy theorist for the last 8 years or so. We don't even try to talk about Covid with her.

I'm fact, my great uncle (my aunt's uncle) just died from covid after being hospitalized for a month and a half. The first thing she says about it is that the hospital killed him so that they could blame it on Covid... Because "Covid is not real" I'd love to convince her otherwise, but is it even possible to reason with her at this point?

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NoxObscuras posted...

Oh man, my aunt has stubbornly fallen into that rabbit hole too. Her grandson has autism and she's convinced that vaccines caused it. So she's been full on anti-vax/qanon conspiracy theorist for the last 8 years or so. We don't even try to talk about Covid with her.

I'm fact, my great uncle (my aunt's uncle) just died from covid after being hospitalized for a month and a half. The first thing she says about it is that the hospital killed him so that they could blame it on Covid... Because "Covid is not real" I'd love to convince her otherwise, but is it even possible to reason with her at this point?

Part of me wants to ask her "Are you saying that every single COVID death was manufactured? And that tens of thousands of medical professionals and scientists are all in one big lie? What proof do you have of either of these?"... part of me knows my brain would get even more fried..

Ruvan22 posted...

Ehh generally non use of seat belt affects just you, whereas non vaccination affects others

Their body flying out of the seat due to lack of seatbelt and hitting someone else affects more than just themselves

Raikuro posted...

Their body flying out of the seat due to lack of seatbelt and hitting someone else affects more than just themselves

True...but not at the same rates