Get attention from the BIG BOYS

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Smilie when you say that, pardner!

...snip....



I have nothing against people who buy a big truck because they need one. And that includes everyone who uses one as a tow vehicle. It's only the a-holes who buy one for the intimidation factor that I don't like.

...snip...

Well first off - howdy, pardner... :-)

How would you know? When I'm towing my AS, you know the purpose of my big honking pig of a 2500HD Diesel truck. When I'm not towing - am I an Air Hauler? Do I fit the stereotype? Am I an a-hole in that moment? (I am at many points in time... :-) )

Seems these days no matter what size vehicle one drives, there's much less general politeness. I've been cut off (in my Air Hauler :-) ) by Honda Civics whose drivers refuse to yield as instructed by signs entering the highway because clearly, they are more important than I am. Their time to get wherever they're going is more valuable than my time to get where I'm going.

Size and purpose of the vehicle doesn't seem to matter as much as the mental state of the driver - and just a few seconds thinking about other people and putting them first could go a long way on the highway, or in politics, or at work, or with family, or in life in general, etc....

By the way, Protagonist - I'm not offended - I'm really just curious about how someone knows anything about the driver when his pig-truck (my words for my beloved rig) is on the road but "off duty" ....

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Ron_CA

Yes I have a truck, a very nice truck. Yes, it is 4 wheel drive and guess what? it is empty most of the time. Why? Because when I haul stuff and get to where I am going, I unload the stuff. Duh. So unless you saw me hauling the stuff, it will be empty. It is also mostly clean. Why?, because I wash it when it gets dirty. Duh

Ridicule and scorn are hardly good choices when interacting with drivers of empty pickup trucks. Sheesh

I'm sure you don't use your pickup to intimidate or inconvenience the drivers of smaller vehicles, so I don't consider you to be worthy of scorn or ridicule.

I don't need to follow a pickup driver around for a week to know what kind of driver he is; I only need to be recklessly endangered by him for a minute or so. It's my experience in New Orleans metro traffic that the drivers with the least courtesy for other drivers are the ones who own the biggest, shiniest, and least dented/dinged pickups. They know the intimidation factor of a big vehicle and use it to good advantage.

Do not get me started on pickup owners who think it's fun to go joyriding on flooded New Orleans streets with no concern about where the water they're kicking up is going or the damage it's causing to other vehicles and to homes and businesses along the street.

Okay. I've finished venting. Thank you for your indulgence.

—on edit: in my driving career I've been the owner of four different pickup trucks. Most of the time mine was empty and shiny, too. But I didn't use its size to bull my way through commuter traffic.

[SeeMore]

"curious about how someone knows anything about the driver when his pig-truck (my words for my beloved rig) is on the road but "off duty" ...."

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Like Ron_CA, I can be seen running clean air at times but that is because the 320+ pounds of canine meat I haul almost every outing are lying down out of sight to those little cars below the bed's edge. However, I do drive like they are worth a million bucks each but that is low balling their value to me.

Do I qualify as another kind of guy when I swap out for my little two seater that gets 35+ mph?

[Jim & Susan]

WOW, what a thread! Sure took a turn toward the weird.

AIR horns are a good thing.

AIR haulers are a bad thing.

Some other drivers are from the shallow end of the gene pool.

To my fellow Texicans, (ok, we're not Natives, but Uncle Sam sent us there repeatedly) I completely get it. Got to the point that we thought there must be a requirement to own a Suburban. You want a big, comfortable ride to get from Dallas to Midland.

'Bout sum it up?

Jim

[rmkrum]

I have two pickup trucks. Both are used to either carry stuff or tow my AS. Both have tonneau covers so you won't know if I'm hauling air or stuff.

It seems the most disrespectful drivers around here are other pickup truck drivers. They don't understand it when I drive close to the speed limit, drive defensive, or signal my moves. I will admit to treating some of these fools with very little respect, but I'm not going to endanger others by being real aggressive. I like my pickups to stay shiny and relatively clean. Dents just don't look that good either.

I sometimes wonder what the huge, lifted, big tired 4x4 never in the dirt pickup owners are compensating for.....😄




Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[InterBlog]

Well, I don't have too much left to say about all that, because Protag said it all so well. Given that the first person to object to my comment was from the far north, I wonder is this a regional phenomenon, at least in part?

There is no mistaking these people here in the south, whether one uses a short-hand reference such as "air hauler" or something that might be more politically correct.

I am 34 years driving fault-free where accidents are concerned (I was unavoidably hit twice while my vehicle was fully stopped in traffic). There's only one way to drive for 34 years accident free (almost all of it in America's largest cities) and that's to be very diligent. I read what I call the autobody language of every vehicle that surrounds me at all times. The hyper-aggressive aimless and angry young males who drive their tricked-out trophy trucks can be spotted instantly when one knows what to look for. They can be distinguished immediately from reasonable people who drive trucks for practical purposes such as employment, rural lifestyle, or because they have a fifth wheel or because they simply enjoy trucks. Their exaggerated driving behavior cannot be mistaken for anything other than what it is - trouble looking for a place to happen.

And they scare the absolute bej*sus out of my teenager who is just now learning to drive. She is well accustomed to me bellowing, "AIR HAULER!" as soon as I spot one on the horizon. She's still learning to prioritize and apportion her attention span while on the road, and if she fails to register one of them in advance of them moving into proximity, she will be left panicked and trembling in the driver's seat after they get done violating her driving space. It has happened and it's a life-threatening situation, and it's certainly NOT a situation that I'm going to allow to transpire unopposed just because some people might object to terminology such as air hauler.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Well, I don't have too much left to say about all that, because Protag said it all so well. Given that the first person to object to my comment was from the far north, I wonder is this a regional phenomenon, at least in part?

Or we didn't bother to respond because your comment wasn't worth it.

My experience is that the problem isn't your "air haulers" or the SUVs or the trucks or the old cars or the Maseratis or the new Audis or the Smart cars. I see idiots in all kinds of vehicles. Doesn't seem matter what shape the steel is around them.

[cwf]

It boils down to respect. We can have a friendly discussion, perhaps even disagree here online in relative safety.

When on the road, there is no excuse for "I and my schedule/goals are more important than yours...move out of MY way." And, to some extent, this applies here on forums, too.

If you are hell bent on proving you are 'more important...etc'... go ahead... I don't want to be at the head of the line or anywhere in that 'waiting' line.

Now, the 'horn' problem.. the horn is a device for 'warning'/signaling other drivers. In general operation, the 'factory' is sufficient. However, there are those who have misused the horns and keyboards.... part of living... in our temporarily 'free' society.

[Ultradog]

Interblog,
If I made a post that stereotyped certain groups who wear their pants low and equated it to crime i would likely be called out for it.
If I made a post that stereotyped people of a certain sex and equated it to poor driving skills or a lack of mechanical skills I would likely be called out for it.
If I made a post about people of a certain faith and equated it in any way to them making money I would likely be called out for it.
If I made a post that stereotyped people with a certain sexual preference and equated it to anthing unhealthy I would likely be called out for it.
If I made a post that stereotyped Prius drivers and equated them to earth first leftys who belong to PETA, don't eat meat and have a lot of facial hair I would likely be called out for it.
So when you make a post that stereotypes people who drive air haulers and equate it to this: "They are easy to spot and as a group, I perceive them to be more aggressive than average. However, they tend to avoid the Interstate at all costs, because they don't want to be seen next to any truck that is bigger than they are."
And this:" It's bad for their weenie egos."
You should be called out for it.
Whether your perception is correct or not is not the point.
What is the point is your negative stereotyping in a public venue.
I know we all have stereotypes.
But for 40 years I have had to learn to be careful voicing my own stereotypes.
Because there is always someone to get offended. Yet all around me I see others voice their own negative stereotypes with impunity. As long as the group being negatively stereotyped isn't a protected class or category it is overlooked. I think your stereotype was inaccurte and offensive. So I called you for it.
Oh, and just for the record, No I don't drive an air hauler (which is a great term by the way) and no I don't have a shortage anywhere (which is another offensive, tired old stereotype like living in Mom's basement).

[Hittenstiehl]

What's most amazes me is that so many threads go south around here. One minute we're talking about horns (insert any topic here) and the next minute its bickering (asserting our humble opinions, just usually not so humble, more like forceful).

Just one less thread to read but really.........come on everyone.

[m.hony]

Been an air hauler for more than 30 years now- unless you count random junk like firewood and old car batteries-
Stock horn on the air hauler- acceptable-
Stock horn on the new Toyota Avalon- acceptable-
Stock horn on the Harley- acceptable-
Stock wimpy meep meep horn on the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder- unacceptable- but not enough of a problem/embarrassment to buy a new horn- maybe they'll hear the powerful custom aftermarket stereo-

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Ultradog

Interblog,
...
Whether your perception is correct or not is not the point.

...

It never is, when political correctness is the primary objective.

We have long since surpassed the point in our social evolution where ANY generalized perception, negative OR positive, is going to be offensive to SOMEONE to the point where they feel fully justified in their righteous indignation. I can sit here and type the sentence "On the whole, Asians are currently doing better academically than any other defined racial group in America," and somebody, somewhere, would throw their own personal tantrum because they find that sentence to be very, very offensive. I'm sorry, but it's also very, very true. Whether or not it's politically correct to SAY that it's true is another discussion entirely.

If some of y'all don't like "air hauler", would you care to suggest an alternative term? Maybe advance the discussion rather than simply taking offense?

Here are the practical constraints on the term contenders:

(1) It has to be no more than three syllables so that it can be uttered quickly under urgent circumstances.

(2) It has to accurately describe the clearly-identifiable group in question and the specific threat that this group poses, such that it is actionable in a way that reflects the reality at hand.

(3) It cannot be non-specific to the point of failing to convey crucial information. For example, I could not simply point and bellow "A$$HOLE!" to my jumpy teenage learner-driver, because that wouldn't describe anything about the nature of the specific threat she was about to face. For all she would know from that term, I could be trying to identify a texting driver, a sloppy driver, or a possibly drunk driver, rather than "a hyper-aggressive male driver who, like others in his mutually-defined peer group, chooses to drive a large truck for the sake of having an intimidating automotive showpiece rather than because of any practical purpose, and who engages in rampant psychological transference which includes the foisting of his own aggression and outrageous pomposity onto others, not because any of this is objectively justified, but rather just because he CAN, and because he really wants to both show off and pick a fight at 70 mph, a fight with someone, ANYONE, who doesn't manage to get forewarned to the extent that they have the opportunity to make the good decision to take immediate evasive action such that they fade into the background before he is able to fully fix upon them as his next target".

[Ron_CA]

Dale Carnegie you're not.

Sounds like maybe you shouldn't pick fights with drivers in vehicles larger than yours

[Brucet45410]

Freedom doesn't mean that you won't ever be offended.

Now, who's still for Freedom?

[xrvr]

Kinda like the expression I've heard before. AASO. Arrogant AirStream Owner. Not true, not PC and definitely not any different than other stereotypes. Jim

[jerhofer]

I appreciate the good horn info. Thanks for posting that information.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Brucet45410

Freedom doesn't mean that you won't ever be offended.

Now, who's still for Freedom?

I am. And if there's an arbiter of offensiveness lurking in this forum, might I enter my objection to the imposition of political correctness? In my view, it is one of the most extremely offensive practices we have in our society. It is second only to SLAPP suiting in the erosive impact it has on the First Amendment.

Additionally I'd encourage everyone not to take things so seriously and so out of context. Nobody has anywhere to go when that occurs. Let me give you an example of how NOT to take thread comments too seriously. I disclosed on this thread and others that my husband and I are gun owners. Sometimes I find tedious the many snickerings, jokes, and stereotypical references that inevitably arise when gun issues enter the conversation. At times I find those things a bit tedious, but for crying out loud, I don't take offense to them. If I took offense to stuff on that level, I'd spend a lot of my life simply taking offense and I wouldn't get much else accomplished. If on this thread I fell into the trap of taking offense to Florida being referred to as "The Gunshine State", then I'd be compelled to nominate my own self for the Weenie Ego Award for that particular day. Sheesh.

[kcollins]

When I was growing up you could tell farm folk from city folk by looking in the beds of their pickups. City folk had nice shiny clean paint, farmers had scratched, scuffed beds with rusty bits of baling wire and other debris lurking in the corners.

Don't remember being intimidated by either one, although I do remember my dad complaining about "farmers" driving 40mph on a two lane country road...

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi

Kinda like the expression I've heard before. AASO. Arrogant AirStream Owner. Not true, not PC and definitely not any different than other stereotypes. Jim

That's a good one! Remember, AASOs don't dig SOBs :-)

True confession - despite thinking of myself as above this type of reaction - having a massively loud horn would be a terrible temptation. Sure - great in true emergencies (someone about to back in to you but not seeing you, etc) but the moment someone inconsiderately cuts me off or otherwise "invades my space" odds are good I'm leaning on that thing - I'm guessing to remind the offender than in fact I actually AM the more important person on the road at that time (since he or she must have thought otherwise - this honking would set the record straight).

Unfortunately, you never know the state of mind of another driver and engaging like that could bring road rage reactions ranging from nothing to single finger salute (if you're very lucky) to brake slamming to attempts to run you off the road to physical confrontation to gunfire.

I'm not willing to be "dead right" - so I find myself trying a couple other responses (to be honest - not as calmly as this may sound).

First - I try to say out loud - poor fella/lady - they're not going camping today....sometimes that calms me down believe it or not...

Second - I find myself saying (loudly and with passion), "Hey - we're trying to build a society here!"

Maybe I could just get a loud horn to say that? :-)

[unifreck]

As the originator of this thread, I want to thank you all for your HORN suggestions and positive and negative comments about making any changes. Very enlightening "horny discussion". I never expected the lively personal opinions that resulted. Please go to your rooms and come out when you can have respect for one another. PLEASE!!!