Matthew Crawford: The global war on motorists

[@RenatoRegalado]

Cars are not freeing. In fact they are the opposite. Learning to drive isn't some "Manly" skill. You can learn to drive very easily. After that, however, and especially in the United States. The Car has become a prosthetic device rather than an optional mode of transit. And so, rather than being free to go where you want, you're stuck in traffic and stuck in this vehicle for 30-60 minutes trying to get to your destination because nothing is close by anymore. I have lived in Texas, the motorist dystopia, where people die from traffic accidents every day, and I have lived in places like NYC with it's robust public transport system. NYC will always be more liberating.

[@humansarenature]

What a beautiful conversation. I felt incredibly relaxed and intrigued by this discussion, like I was there having tea and listening to you both. Thank you!

[@Dutchtraordinary_Living]

Dutch person with a relative strong background in Urban Mobility here. One hopeful note that I'd like to make. Yes, in The Netherlands large cities like Amsterdam are quite hostile to cars (not talking self driving per se), but you will experience incredible amounts of freedom here since a young age because the cycling infrastructure is so effective here. Additionally, better air quality, walkable neighborhood, are huges additional bonuses as well. Not saying that cars should be banned out of cities in its entirety, but The Netherlands is a positive example of how our future might unfold. NotJustBikes is a great channel on this from a Canadian guy that moved to Amsterdam and talks about this.

[@mithrandirthegrey7644]

I like driving but not in a cage - on a motorcycle. Nothing quite like an open road on a motorcycle. Especially when you have no real destination in mind - you just go where the road takes you. I ended up all the way in Italy on my motorcycle just taking random roads going south when I was a young man. Trip of a lifetime.

[@arminius6506]

Motorcycle isn't a pleasant thing as a daily mean of driver, and I'm saying that who owns a motorcycle 🏍️

[@mithrandirthegrey7644]

@@arminius6506 I never said that you should go shopping at IKEA and drive there on your bike. I said I enjoy riding motorcycles and I don't enjoy cars. Simple as that. You added nothing to conversation.

[@qualm43]

Matthew Crawford is my favorite author. The one thing he misses is how bicycles are actually the ultimate freedom vehicle. His take that motorized vehicles are somehow more pure than lung powered vehicles is simply contradictory. The urban dumpster fire that is L.A. would be a utopia if it had Dutch levels of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Obviously you'll need a car if you live out in the sticks, but for dense urban living, there is no justification.

[@sunseeker4775]

Yes, it is about power. Taking the power off the individual. I discovered this as a kid on roller skates ... total freedom and the power to achieve it.

[@realkandy3577]

Have not listened to Matthew Crawford until now but this topic and timing is crucial and MC is spot on with his views on the "take care of me" culture we're plunging into. I LOVE my gas powered Freedom Machine and 0 interest in EVs let alone AEVs!

[@jadebayliss9388]

It resonated with me totally! I feel disabled now from using my Google Map too much. With people dying from driving the most, I can see driverless cars being so dangerous it’s scary.

[@DDeCicco]

Matthew B. Crawford is one of my favorite public intellectuals. I would not have discovered his work if not for Unherd.

[@wendychee4978]

@DDeCicco. Isn’t he fantastic! Have you read his books? If not, please check them out…they are so insightful!

[@jonathanmahoney1672]

I read “The Case for Working with Your Hands” many years ago. Helped me understand much about myself. Highly recommended! 👍

[@DenianArcoleo]

I agree. But the real problem here is that the majority DO want to be remote-controlled. That's the problem.

[@realkandy3577]

I concur..

[@isaacmullins9804]

Only takes 20% to speak out and resist, according to Matias Desmet, to prevent this agenda from materialising

[@lawyerup2280]

They always have, and always will want to do what everyone else is doing. The Borg know this well... Resistance is futile.

[@GWalsh-on5xj]

They don't want to be "remote-controlled" they just want less traffic/hassle from getting from point A to point B. Unfortunately in the US because public transport has been ruined this means pushing "Self-driving" cars are the option being pushed since they increase car sales. Really just improving the methods to move around the country is the only solution: Buses, trains, metros, trams and bicycles.

[@andybrice2711]

I can see the appeal of living on a self-sufficient farmstead. And I can see the appeal of living in a fully-managed apartment where all my chores are performed by robots. Horses for courses. I wish we could concentrate on empowering people to live the lifestyle which suits them rather than trying to force our own preferences on others.

[@BRaff-hl4ip]

Sometimes maintaining my 20 year old Toyota can be a real pain in the butt, laying under the bodywork with bits of grit falling into my eyes attempting to fix something or the other. But now after watching this I feel like a 21st century motorist hero.

[@jwadaow]

Buy a pair of safety glasses.

[@cgsather3309]

How often do you really need to fix a Toyota?

[@Beckiner67]

You ARE a 21st century hero👍🏻

[@renevandehulsbeek8799]

Great talk. Always a pleasure to hear Mr Crawford talk about the importance of civil liberties, independent thought and self-determination.

[@keyboardking8008]

They don't need to take your cars , they can take your fuel

[@ClownCarCoup]

not if you have an EV

[@LSD04]

@@ClownCarCoupwhat do you think your smart meter is for?

[@ClownCarCoup]

@@LSD04 I’m off the grid. Solar ☀️makes you stronger 💪 good luck refining your own petrol!

[@jonnybowman9572]

There's plenty of ways to enjoy self-reliance that don't involve driving.

[@alcorfield1157]

Eighth Day by Hazel O'connor...... we are sleep walking into a dystopian nightmare

[@torino390]

This very real war on personal transport has more to do with control than it ever did about the environment.

[@ashleybennett4418]

Always gotta make everything a conspiracy don't you

[@torino390]

Lol. Whatever bud.

[@christianchellis9057]

It dosen’t have to do with the environment it has to do with rights to the pedestrian. The America cities are very unfair to pedestrians.

[@drinkingrobot2252]

I just want choices in my community where I can drive, bike, walk and take public transit. This is extremely rare in the USA.

[@chelps6411]

Anything rich people get-cars,planes,good food,second homes becomes a `problem `when middle income people also want it.

[@ximono]

Well… many of these things don't scale very well. They extract from and destroy nature in the process. It's not noticable when only a few are doing it, but scaling up into the billions begins to threaten the survival of species, including our own. And I'm not thinking of climate gasses. Just the footprint they take up on our planet, and the cascading effects alone are enough. So yeah, let's not do luxury for all. Luxury isn't good for us anyway.

[@bellelacroix5938]

In the dystopian nightmare I am living in Oregon as they are now dropping off futuristic-looking neon green scooters and encouraging private property to merge with government in order to build low income housing for "special" population w/no parking except for on the street. College town that keeps putting big box high-rises on every available corner downtown proper to rent to transient students. My daughter rents a house and her landlord is participating and building four housing units in her backyard now for only Latinos in the construction industry which seams kind of racist and like we are corralling them all together. And yes only skater dudes are riding these stupid scooters they have to pay for by the hour. They don't want us driving. And they don't care about the rest of the population that might need a ride or might need to use the sidewalks that are so bad I have tripped and torn both my knees over the last several years disabling me at an age where I should be enjoying my hard-earned freedom from government interference those of us that worked hard scrimped and saved for our little houses are now being castles and bullied to sell out as if we don't deserve to live in a home unless we rent out one of our bedrooms. It's scary.

[@ClownCarCoup]

perhaps Oregon should invest more in its sidewalks and bike/scooter lanes instead of ever larger roads and parking lots

[@demonic.lionfish]

​@@ClownCarCoupoh don't worry, the state of Oregon doesn't invest in those either. The roads here are the fucking worst and highway expansion projects just don't happen. It's a failed state, honestly.

[@christinarichie6171]

By design... America is the military arm so the tax money goes to fuel that complex..

[@rjdcarroll]

More than willing to establish the first chapter of the Freedom to Drive movement in North Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@-wordsmithourselves2wellne232]

The assumption is that people who prefer careless environments want passive aurtoritarian and controlled movement. Maybe the powers that be do but I know many of us don’t want driverless cars either. We want truly green and quiet cars . That there is a government agenda seemingly at play is damn scary and obviously the u dercirrent of the ULEZ protests but the cost benefit analysis on health would be interesting to really investigate. Personally in my inner city borough , having less cars and less fumes and less traffic jams has HUGELY improved our communities and neighbourhoods. People are friendlier and more people are walking. Surely there is a way to do both freedom for drivers and freedom for walkers and cyclists and health.

[@dantetomic7049]

In my idyllic little village, 50 years ago there were no more than a dozen cars ( village population 800 ). At the time there were at least a hundred donkeys, mules and horses. Today there are probably more cars in the village than people, some households having up to 6 vehicles and no proper parking space to speak off. And all the donkeys, mules and horses are all gone, and so is the most ancient of human activities gone, that being the activity of walking. Now, my neighbours start cars up in order to fetch milk or bread , driving to the shop barely a hundred meters away. This sort of driving needs to be stopped as soon as possible and when that happens, I will not be feeling sorry for the neighbours. Driving is a great pleasure to me and I believe many others, but some kind of sensibility must be introduced and put under control of authority.

[@nunyabidness3075]

I think the best way to stop the tiny trips is covert nudging. “Poor man, he’s not walked enough for so long, he now has to drive down the block to get milk.”

[@michaelmounteney2034]

You dare to suggest a modest curtailment of the Right To Drive? You must be a paedophile communist baby-eater.

[@staceyschmidt3149]

Authoritarily demanding that your neighbors bow to your will is NOT a good look, or a smart way to go about affecting change. Agree with the other commentator here that more of a "public shaming" is a far better way to create change, although starting with you yourself walking for anything within a decent distance goes farther than even that, likely. Get one more neighbor to join you, and then another, and another, and eventually the majority of the neighbors will be walking just by power of peer pressure.

[@dantetomic7049]

@@staceyschmidt3149 There are people out there, who simply don't give a dam about other people or the environment or anything else, but their own personal interests . The collective interest of the majority must be put ahead of the interests of the minority. However this rule doesn't necessarily apply to all aspects of everyday life. There will be times when a knowledgeable minority will need to impose their will over the majority.

[@ClownCarCoup]

bbbbut freedom!

[@ivormectin515]

His explanation for the ‘petrolhead’ phenomenon doesn’t really hold water given that we’re more than happy to make use of rail and air transport without any knowledge of how the machine works. I think it’s more about having your own space in which you can do as you want that drives the Luddite impulse. Design an autonomous vehicle that allows the passenger to bring their ‘personal space’ with them and their acceptance of autonomous vehicles will increase massively.

[@andrewlucas6214]

It,s about choice and that it’s being taken slowly away by coercion, using safety, security and sustainability lies. It’s only going one way.

[@gavtalk958]

As a Western expatriate living in Indonesia, I can tell you that the cities of the West feel decidedly stilted, mechanical and lacking in chaotic humanity in comparison to the unkempt and organic cities of Asia. As a human being (as distinct from a cyborg) I personally far prefer Asian cities, notwithstanding their many faults. Thanks for the discussion, gentlemen.

[@rodneyblackwell7477]

I spent 13 years in Jakarta and now living in Thailand and value the anarchy. Meanwhile the west thinks it's cities are on the edge of an apocalypse.

[@lindagarrido4353]

You should go to Rome! Lots of disorder and ‘humanity’ here. And no way will Romans give up their cars because public transportation is so bad and unreliable here.

[@GWalsh-on5xj]

It's cause those cities have significantly less cars. Cars =/ freedom, car-centric design removes freedom as it forces you to require a car.

[@andycalifornia426]

​@@GWalsh-on5xj European cities are not car-dependent, but you can't get around solely on a bicycle, and public transport that so many people rely on in Europe and places like New York - that's another "x =/ freedom" thing. Maybe the problem is cities becoming too big. But then, maybe one of the reasons Europe is doing better financial than most of Asia is because people have the ability to commute to work on something faster than a moped, making longer commutes a possibility, thereby opening job options for people.

[@campbellpaul]

They're stopping making affordable small cars for people that are reliable.

[@jonnybowman9572]

I can't drive anymore since getting epilepsy, so I know what it feels like to have that cherished freedom taken away; however, is it really so "inconvenient" to have to drive a bit slower in cities and to be nudged towards lower emissions? I disagree.

[@gmbs360]

Matt Crawford is an outstanding thinker and was instrumental in shaping my career - read all of his books as soon as you can.

[@fahdhussein6760]

Glad to see a thoughtful conversation on this subject.

[@shaunashton5434]

As humans we've always sought ways to improve how we move. We didn't have cars 100 years ago. And we've built a planet around it. My issue is the lack of alternative methods of motion which are anywhere near as effective or even workable. The biggest polluters are NOT the average individual.

[@renatofonte]

but the industry to supply car and fuel are!

[@martinliehs2513]

​@@renatofontea lot of energy to build a car, whether gas or electric. We have the capability to build cars, and many other "durable goods", to last a lot longer than they do, as part of corporate welfare and employment schemes. Perhaps it's time to look at the environmental costs of planned obsolescence?

[@maggiarma950]

@@renatofonte due to a lack of environmental care in the car industry or the fuel supply. The dirty fuel suppliers crushed the clean farmer fuel supply. Ford model T could run very cheaply and carbon zero on ethanol ...check David Blume's 'Alcohol can be a gas'

[@JonathanRossRogers]

@@maggiarma950 Yeah, it's great when fuel competes with food. What's cleaner about burning corn than burning petroleum?

[@derekwhite2929]

Can we have a war on applying the war analogy to everything!

[@Jay...777]

The motorist is seen as a big cash cow for govt & the private sector. Extraction is the name of the game.

[@natalieminnis]

One film he didn't mention that features cars that control people and mass "assisted living" is Idiocracy.

[@lukehunnable]

Also Minority Report

[@christinarichie6171]

We are in Idiocracy already..

[@jockez3581]

Very important topic. We need to stop the electric car compulsion too.

[@JosephStealin]

I’m not going to use these new fan-dangled pitchforks I move my hay by 🖐️ hand 🤚!!!

[@ChristineKenyon]

YES! YES! YES! Overland adventurer here, with a built out 4Runner, who also leads photography workshops to incredible places in the west. NOBODY is taking away my right to drive!

[@Requiredfields2]

Get a bike, start riding it. See what happens. Don't be afraid.

[@marcelgirard5162]

Before i consider looking into an EV, it will have to be double the true range, battery weight half, and can be charged just as fast as a gasoline powered car…so probably never.

[@JK-nk6tl]

Cars (free driving) is the last shred of freedom in modern society. And considering how restricted driving already is (traffic rules, speed limits, fines, taxes), I think hanging on to this last freedom that exist is something people are very reluctant to give up. It is not that driving is super important in itself, it is the fact that the last piece of human freedom is tied to it.

[@Beckiner67]

Agree

[@loislee2895]

I think you're right! And I think this is why people in the UK are so angry about these incredibly restrictive fines and zones.

[@jeromegerard3242]

It’s the last shred of freedom in modern society? You can’t think of any other freedom in your daily life?

[@olivierb9716]

@@loislee2895 ok but , uk peoples are moron

[@peterarsenault2671]

Just discovered your podcast. Excellent content! Excellent guests! Love it and will subscribe.

[@sivanm2130]

I enjoy listening to Matthew Crawford. It was deliciously ironic to hear the wild driving and car alarms in the background-that’s Oakland.

[@ClownCarCoup]

and who doesn’t love the lovely sounds of blaring car alarms? 😅

[@mikewho9964]

In a world of acronyms - FTD - freedom to drive is a great one - a line in the sand - so far and no further - start the website and they will come - me included

[@martinliehs2513]

For decades, our western economies have relied on the car industry to provide employment and grow the GDP. Look at the North American response to the 2008 financial crash ("cash for clunkers") that encouraged people to scrap old cars and replace them with new ones in order to revive the economy, and cloaking it as a "green initiative". I have always enjoyed cars, but have also thought that the industry itself is wasteful. The idea of "planned obsolescence" that came about after the markets for big ticket, durable goods became saturated in the 1960s needs to be examined. We have the capability to build durable (be they gas, diesel or electric) cars that can last decades and can be repaired, instead of the complex throwaway junk on offer today. The same can be said of many other items (household white goods, for example).

[@xavierwayne2031]

Thank you Freddie for getting Matthew back on the channel. Even though I can only see you through my screen, I still get this feeling of being present. This explains why it takes time to “digest” some of the thoughts and ideas. It’s because not everything is communicated through words. There’s some knowledge that is sent through non-verbal channels. It sits inside your subconscious mind and and waits for its “a-ha” moment. As someone living in London, I suspect it won’t take me long to have this knowledge unfolded.

[@paulantonio740]

I've read Crawford and thoroughly enjoyed this interview with Freddie. I enjoy driving and riding motorcycles but living in a large congested city neither is really enjoyable. Autonomous vehicles might be a solution but they're still going to crawl through traffic. Whenever possible, the best way to get around is on two feet.

[@pringlel]

Interesting conversation but one obvious factor was omitted, at least for a country such as the UK. I find the roads so congested that getting in my car to embark on an even short journey a dispiriting experience. And the problem gets worse by the year. Something has to give or the transport of essential goods and products such as food will one day grind to a halt. Cars in the UK don't represent freedom anymore, they represent expense and stress.

[@andoarike2843]

"Self-reliance" from driving a car? "Enhancing our agency"? OMG, this is total self-delusion.... Where is your self-reliance when the car breaks down and you can't find the part you need to fix it? How does it "enhance our agency" to be totally in thrall to ExxonMobil, BP, Aramco, etc? Could you really drill the oil yourself, then refine it so you can run your internal combustion engine auto on it, then build the roads, set up filling stations to refill you when you're empty. Automobiles and their drivers are utterly dependent on a vast and complex support system to keep them going -- a system that non-drivers unfortunately pay for, along with the environmental destruction that comes from fossil fuel pollution, and turning the entire landscape into a parking lot and 10-lane highway. This is the most foolish discussion I've ever heard on UnHerd.

[@anneokelly8413]

Well said

[@fyrish100]

Driving ,being on the move is magic ,cars are magic , what a freedom 🚗 🚘 🚙❤️

[@lukehunnable]

He called it an "ideal", not an objective reality

[@EffUsh]

Add to that the self-deluding assertion that there is something autonomous or independent or manly about driving. Totally in the eye of the beholder. Car drivers need insanely vast subsidies of everything: energy, space,oil. It's a mode of transport that only makes sense for someone that has something physically wrong with them. We have not even started to approach charging drivers the full costs of this passive, self-indulgent way of moving people around. Where can they go from the "War on Cars" rhetoric: Autocide? Will mark this conversation down as a great example of reality denial. Cars are going away girls, get used to it.

[@fyrish100]

So glad I’m 53 not 23 ,what a great free life I’ve had ,travelled wide ,flying ,driving ,going where I want ,when I want Our freedoms will be all gone in another 10/15 years

[@helmethead72]

Young people won’t care about the freedoms we enjoyed. They’ll actually condemn us for having had those experiences, and they’ll enjoy their virtual existence all the more. Artificial, virtual, call it what you like but bottom line is that it’s entirely fake.

[@pjflynn]

I am for freedom to drive..., if you can afford a vehicle, its registration, operating fluids including gasoline or diesel, maintenance and insurance. I have driven in several countries on four continents, enjoying most of it. TODAY, in my seventy-sixth year I cannot stand the stupidity of traffic and costs, so I ride my recumbent tricycle and/or walk all over. Occasionally I will take local public transport. Stringent driving qualifications must be imposed, especially in the United States where it is made TOO easy to purchase a vehicle.

[@edwardlsanders]

The discussion about replacing cars with automonous cars in California is very different to what's happening in places like the Netherlands. The netherlands is far more democratic as ultimately everyone has unrestricted access to all parts of the city with a £50 bike. What's clear is that more cities will strive to copy San Francisco over Amsterdam

[@Beckiner67]

Fantastic. Lets hope the same trip is possible for future generations.

[@-wordsmithourselves2wellne232]

Social engineering is the name of the game in all areas of governmental policy at the moment ….We seem to be walking blindly and acceptingly, into a world in which we would want to or need to ‘get out of dodge’ , fighting for cars but letting laws be changed that stop freedom of speach and movement seems ofd .

[@sunnyday6465]

I would like to mention that not everyone can bike, walk, even use bus services due to disability or age but still like to get out and about. A personal car is helpful here. I personally love to walk and bike.

[@DadaNoob0]

Yeah, and not everyone can drive a car due to disability, it goes both ways

[@demonic.lionfish]

The spirit of Ted K was alive and well somewhere around minute 27, lol

[@andoarike2843]

The so-called "freedom" and "personal mobility" gained through the automobile depends on a vast system of petrol extraction, a huge military machine to defend that extraction, millions of miles of pipelines, filling stations, public funded roadways, police, maintenance crews, etc etc etc. In NYC where I live, fewer than 50% of households own cars, but pedestrians must continually fear for their lives because of the complete domination of public space by the auto.

[@andoarike2843]

No, I don't. The driver's scare me and they're too expensive, anyway. @@jamesdelaney790

[@aleksisuper]

Exactly. Your legs are freedom. Cars are not freedom. Bound to governments paths. Bound to financial doom. Bound for bad health. Greatest trick the marketing execs in New York pulled off.

[@davidpaz9389]

Like a lot of New Yorkers you suffer from the disconnect that makes you believe that life does not exist west of the Hudson. Or if it does it could never measure up to NYC.

[@davidpaz9389]

Also the problem in NYC may not be the number of vehicles per se but rather the quality, or lack thereof, of the vast majority of people who inhabit that city.

[@winstonsmith9740]

What a great discussion - hugely thought provoking.

[@francoisbelanger6886]

Freedom of being stuck in traffic jam 12 hours a week!

[@davidpaz9389]

Not everyone can work remotely or in an office. Are tradesmen who need to travel to potentially multiple locations a day supposed to take public transit?

[@MrRobertkhall]

​@davidpaz9389 yeah, that's definitely who I see clogging the roads at rush hour: tradesmen in their utility vans trying to make a living the only way they can. Give me a break. Look at the roads, it's mostly single drivers getting to office jobs. It would be so much more empowering to have towns where people can walk or bus to their daily needs. Instead during the last 70 years we've had massive government spending and top down policies that heavily favor car-only towns. It's a massive drag on the quality of life for everyone, especially the elderly and children.

[@davidpaz9389]

@@MrRobertkhall Reading comprehension matters.

[@Peteruspl]

For 70 years entire infrastructure has been dominated by cars. Yes, there's metro, buses and bike lanes but if you count total land use and total cost (including land) - nothing comes anywhere near cars. Parking is absolute killer in terms of space. European parking lot is 5x2,3m (US probably bigger than that), if you need 2 of these per flat, then full office, theater, stadium, etc capacity, half the city is roads and parking. Then of course there's less area for actually useful services and they have to be spread out further, which makes walking impractical and public transit unfeasible at such low density. Downtown Chicago and some parts of US cities have been remade in exactly this way. Our society has tried to accommodate cars and it just won't work. Emerging consensus is not "war on motorists", its clawing back land use and infrastructure expenditures to proportional levels. There will be streets for cars to every house, but much fewer lanes and much better walkability and transit. Many great places to live already did this, most famously in Netherlands. Yes, it will be impossible for everyone to commute in personal car between house-work-gym-theater-etc-house every day, unless in small town or village. But that's not to take away freedom from the motorist, but its reality of land use. End of total domination of cars has a cost that instead of 60% car commuters only 20% or less will be able to drive all day around the city, but it has so much benefits that it simply is worth it.

[@daniellediamond5037]

Loved this conversation. ❤

[@OrwellsHousecat]

It's interesting that he starts up with the skateboard because that's where they want us to all end up

[@nunyabidness3075]

Might solve the problems with too many old people. How long will they last on skateboards?

[@ClownCarCoup]

might help with the obesity epidemic if we got off our backsides more often

[@juliamihasastrology4427]

That color is too drab for Freddy. He's a true Summer.

[@123weedave]

Thought that too. Is it an autumn green?

[@peterhardie4151]

The problem with cars is they extremslise a lot of costs onto everyone else. The space they take up makes everything more expensive, the health costs for drivers, pollution. Lets not forget that the happiest drivers are those in Holland as there are less of them because there are many convenient alternatives. Its braindead to think that driving 3 miles to do a task in a city is freedom.

[@tjarlzquoll9835]

Humbug. I have a 21 year old car that is fantastically reliable, and I have serviced and maintained it from new. But I can't make the oil, or the brake pads, or the wheel bearings, or a clutch. I'd have no idea where to start with any of these items. They are as opaque to me as a Tesla's programming.

[@andrewoh1663]

Excellent

[@robertholland7558]

The government would do well to realise they might not like what the population wants, that can be easily flipped onto the population not liking what the government wants. And the population is in the majority, by a huge margin!

[@MsSme123]

I think those two had been smoking something before the interview. Very slow pace and painful to listen too.

[@Davetricity-c5s]

Cars were never the problem big business is the problem always has been ffs

[@MrRevald]

Freedom to Drive. I'm in

[@Elenalouisa]

It's "Freie Fahrt für freie Bürger" - nobody really says this anymore, but thanks for the reminder.

[@zoot4358]

Was Freddie on shrooms towards the end of this convo? Making me cringe boy 😅

[@tommaisey9069]

I agree that personal transport and simple repairable machines are liberating. But there are several other ideas put forward here which don't feel logically consistent. Can't electric cars be made more simple than combustion engines, which contain thousands of components? I agree this isn't the way the market is going because of embedded computers and closed software, but it certainly could if customers valued self repair. Isn't it more liberating to depend on solar energy which can (theoretically) be harvested anywhere locally, rather than petroleum which exists in rare places and requires refineries and distribution networks? Isn't it fair to balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in dense cities, where traffic is totally out of control and cars already enjoy privileges of land use not granted to other transportation?

[@JonathanRossRogers]

1:00 And so many people like to call Americans backward for not using Metric units for everything.

[@Savoy1984]

WALL-E is scary how it looks like that could really happen, also it’s a bit of a Short Circuit rip off buy that is just a bonus.

[@BuchiOsorio]

If one thinks about the fact that once the heart and the brain stop - we are dead, but the biome of our entire body continues living and transforming. Then maybe, the closer we are to nature and human way of life, the beter we can enjoy life.

[@myla6135]

I'm not too sure about needing to understand the intricacies of how a car engine works as part of the exhilaration of driving. I think the exhilaration comes from driving itself and how you are intimately involved with certain movements that the car responds to beautifully. I love driving: not so much the stop start in a queue of traffic but that amazing smooth drive even through suburban streets where the car moves to your touch and does what you want it to. And when I get onto a motorway that allows me to speed up to 70mph (or maybe 80 but don't tell anyone) and just keep going at that speed it's simply wow. And I live in London and I cannot abide the blanket 20mph limits and Ulez in Outer London where there's little public transport, speed bumps and cycle lanes which are virtually empty all day. And I'm female and well into my 60s.

[@maggiarma950]

mostly agree but lets encourage cycling. Its a beautiful way to get around especially awat from cars to be fair.

[@bobibufi1389]

good video. It is however a difficult task to figure out how to tackle the problem without first answering truthfully the question - what is the root of the problem. Forget government offered explanations like - well we reached another technological milestone, we are giving you a freedom to do something more productive instead of driving etc. They want to limit your freedom of movement. Think old old times where only rich people had means of transport (carriage), a few lucky ones had horses, the remaining 95% of peasants had nothing and were not free to move without permission from their assigned landlord area (medieval Europe). They want your movement fully and remotely controlled, not only where to drive but mere act of driving decided and controlled by them. Think ahead - if there ever is an uprising in the future, then without freedom and ability move it will be impossible to create a bigger group. Small pockets of resistance here and there will be easily squashed.

[@bellelacroix5938]

My grandfather fought in World War I when he came home my grandmother had him move her into a new better house once-a-year said my mom during the Depression my grandfather sold used cars in my mom would drive cross-country with him delivering them so they had a lot of freedom and he did pretty well for a family of six and speaking of the open road my grandmother would periodically go on vacation from them all leave my grandfather 210 to the kids and drive to Mexico to bet on horses and kick up her heels they could not be contained and that spirit is in my blood my grandmother drove a 5 8 Bellaire my grandfather bought my mother a Model A for graduation and my mother bought me a 66 convertible for mine but she eventually made me self my brother for 900 bucks now he hasn't stock and drives up and down the town like he's the mayor cars are fun fun fun till big daddy takes your T-bird away.

[@ClownCarCoup]

nonsense every society on the planet invests more in roads than mass transit

[@KalomeraMante]

Loved the conversation, great, sharp foresight whichever way the road takes us, we have been made conscious and therefore responsable. Freddie as always so poised and respectfull he even wants a convenient rebelion 😂

[@patrickh9937]

Driving my 19 year old Toyota, I think I know how smokers felt in the 90s.

[@maggiarma950]

Given that it takes a minimum of 11tons of raw materials to make 1 ton of new car...keeping an older car going is the eco-warrior thing to do. Congratulations on your 19yrs of maintaining your Toyota! great cars.. mines 29 yrs..going strong. the Austin 7 does 70 mpg......effeciency of fuel use clearly has not been a priority for 70 plus years

[@johnl5316]

Freddie is looking gorgeous.......Matthew, the strong silent type

[@householdone7559]

9:50 - Disagree completely with him on people not wanting to feel like they are geared into this technology. People have been rabidly putting their entire lives on their devices (not phones any longer - you'll see how this terminology will change over the coming years). This device controls most people. And people are completely happy with that. They say they aren't but their actions betray what they say.

[@bellelacroix5938]

Brainwashed

[@RS-uh7rz]

Interesting discussion, as far as it goes. But then, there are so many related issues not mentioned. Air pollution, and the diseases it causes. Global warming. Opportunity cost of fossil fuel subsidies. Purchase and maintenance costs of cars sitting in lots and garages, with duty cycles of a few percent. The visually impaired and many seniors, with limited transportation options.

[@bellelacroix5938]

That's make sense I'm elderly and Visually Impaired and I don't have a running vehicle unfortunately but this is extending to homeownership and that is extremely frightening especially with the drug-addled homeless population they keep inviting in by decriminalizing drugs it's ruined our streets and downtown nobody wants to go there anymore I myself haven't been in years because I don't want to be bothered by scum like San Francisco where every time I go there my car is broken into and I'm hit up every 5 Seconds when I'm walking to and from a shop or a restaurant by some junkie.

[@DominicDSouza]

Love that these discussions exist and big thanks to Unherd and Matt. However, I disagree with the idea of a war on motorists. This is a paradigm shift on mobility. Eventually, we will get over our anxiety and wonder why we needed to manually do this...and by the way, kill and injure so many while doing so.

[@alex444000]

As far as I recall, Jane Jacobs whole point was that the life was sucked out of cities by making the cities car-centered, which made the streets inhospitable. Funny how a guy advocating car ownership is bringing her book to support his argument.

[@einafetsy]

You are correct - she opposed car-centered cities, pointing out the drawbacks of urban sprawl, traffic gridlock, and the decline in walkability and community cohesion. There are times when I wonder if people are fully aware of what they're resisting when they talk about things like a "war on motorists," a "war on the car," or the vision of a "15 minute city". It really does seem to originate from a mindset that is simply but profoundly averse to change. While the points addressed in this video hold significance as factors to bear in mind during the development of new technologies and approaches, it's crucial not to misinterpret them as valid grounds for halting or regressing progress. Instead, our approach should always involve learning from past experiences and leveraging that knowledge to propel us forward, rather than trying to preserve any particular phase of human advancement in a state of stasis.

[@-DC-]

Net Zero Politician is the only way forward now.

[@bradfordmercer7009]

Excellent, as always.

[@sophieoshaughnessy9469]

I will tell you Freddie that whenever I strain to understand peoples attachment to their guns, I do so using the example of my attachment to being a life long driver. It is a sort of personal living room on wheels that gives me spontaneity and agency. I’m pretty sure all those gun lovers feel the same way about the combustion engine. So there could be a joining of pitchforks:). Oh wait… they’ll use Guns😮

[@barkebaat]

17:40 - "So ... this is another case of ... kind of ... transfer of wealth ... "

[@redjacc7581]

just remember the fuel duty in the UK hasnt gone up for 13 years, the government could have made 80billion which could have done some real good.

[@escapetheratracenow9883]

Perhaps they knew they’d have riots on the streets nationwide if they reverted to Gordon Brown’s fuel duty escalator policy. He put duty up 2% above inflation every year he was chancellor and it led to the fuel protests and refinery blockades in 2000. People are broke, in debt up to their eyeballs, and they’re getting angrier with every assault on their standard of living.

[@shiina29]

This reminds me of when people thought riding trains would drive people insane because of the speeds, only this is more ridiculous.

[@nunyabidness3075]

Could you please tell me what both uses of “this” refer to in your comment?

[@JonathanRossRogers]

Nobody can shut down my horse Bob remotely and he's definitely always under my control. Those new-fangled automobiles go way too fast, spook Bob and put us all in danger!

[@jakesmith8497]

Enjoyable conversation. May I suggest getting on a motorcycle freedom seekers. No traffic jams and plenty of tinkerability.

[@jackiedelvalle]

How do you carry your week's shopping for the family (inc detergent, bleach, etc) one your motorbike? Supermarkets like Lidl don't do online and street markets/small local shops don't either?

[@jakesmith8497]

@@jackiedelvalle you can do half the weeks shop using paniers. Not as convenient as a car but do-able.

[@thesecretlifeofhuman]

People have young families and elderly relatives to transport.

[@jakesmith8497]

@@thesecretlifeofhuman true enough. Motorbikes are not for everyone.

[@pemarero]

I'm not a motorist and I'm not interested in cars at all. But the whole world economy revolves around this automotive industry. If this is going to be reduced drastically, a big chunck of the money flow will be useless, it will lose its value, and many people will be out of the income means. You can't go back to what was 50-60 years ago just like that, the whole technological progress and improvements of our lifestyle was going hand in hand. You can't stop it abrubtly without major negative effects. You need to have people cooperation on that, and at this point everywhere in the world the trust in the local and central governments are declining at some lowest records ever. We are not yet transformed in obedients robots, so those governments must consider this too. Just speak out in any ocassion and stop giving your vote to the same untrustful politicians, wherever you are! Have no fear!

[@Peter-rw1wt]

You dont need composting toilets actually. It is both simpler and more impossible, but the answer lies in what we are given.

[@AncientYouth64]

Did this guy do Shrooms before the show

[@jasonbrambach6957]

A focus on purely human needs/desires and almost zero on ecology has brought us to this place so it seems to me that your just splitting hairs on whether or not there is a “matrix” and who is in control. The greatest difficulty is that the effects of over a century of industry accelerating we have a poly-crisis. Our solutions are mostly coming out of the same mindset (matrix if you will) and that obviously won’t cut it. It’s going to be very hard for us as individuals to face our own egocentric, human-centric belief systems. Unfortunately many, many millions will have to do this before any diminution of accelerating harm to the planet will occur. Right now, appropriately, it’s often called “a race to the bottom.”

[@aquious953]

Spending five min looking into the history of the global warming movement, leaves one bewildered at the scale of misinformation being prescribed...

[@sunseeker4775]

This movement you speak of can only work with the assistance of a power source, fuel or electric. Thereby dependent on the system. Sadly.

[@michaelspie6026]

Freie Fahrt fuer freie Bürger

[@richardharvey1732]

Hi Freddie, always nice to see you again!, the caption on this video caught my eye and made me wonder what might be said, it looks as if someone cannot understand the difference between actual war and a political administration desperately trying to bring some order to the current chaos. Form many years now the average speed of all road traffic in the City of London has bee fifteen MPH or less so this new speed limit is more like a target than a limit!. Back to the war thing for a moment, how many motorists have so far lost their lives in this war?, how many citizens have lost their lives to cars?. Hearing what the poor man actually says about the way so many people are addicted to the concept of 'freedom' that they are blind to the cost, I was for several decades what could well be described as a virulent petrol head and long time speed freak it never at any time occurred to me that I had any God given 'right' to such extravagance, I never thought of it as justifiable simply jst did it anyway. This typical expression of mechanical masculinity is quite natural to humans but natural does not make anything good or worthwhile. Very much the same applies to most of the things that people desire, while it might be acceptable to expend some energy in pursuit of those desires there is no rerason they should be satisfied, often it is far better to just want something than it is to actually have it!. Cheers, Richard.

[@bh_486]

'A political administration desperately trying to bring order to chaos'??? Really?? Not control freaks at last being let off the leash? If a person was seriously concerned about bringing order into the world they would start with themselves. Idealists and ideologues are always running away from themselves. Away from their actual dullness. Away from their actual conforming, spoon fed, second hand lives. Which is all society provides them. They think it's 'revolutionary' to 'save the planet', because looking at themselves is so depressing.

[@martinliehs2513]

Interesting points, but as both a motorist and a cyclist, I have injured myself many times on my bicycle throughout my 58 years, but never while in my car.

[@debbiebayles1706]

Ashley Bennett, 4418. If we can’t drive we are controlled. In Kentucky the first thing, our democrat governor did when Covid came along was tell us we could not leave our state. The first thing he did was rush to mandate the greatest control

[@randygault4564]

GPS is good though, because you don't have to fight with decades and centuries of m0ronic street layout, and can just get about your business. Ideally, you'd fix the roads, but you may have noticed nothing gets built anymore.