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Comment by krath94 | Hacker News Reader

Everything you just said supports the person you're replying to's argument about a better public transit system.

What's next, Bernie, do you believe that car ownership is a "right"?

Here's the thing, all rights are arbitrary and granted by people to people. Some are easy to agree on (right to life) and some are more contentious (right to bear arms) but all are intended for the benefit of society. If it would be in the best interest of a functional society to grant the right to reasonable transportation to everyone, then it is something we ought to consider.

Some things that were previously considered rights are no longer necessary or desirable as society advances (the right to own slaves) while other things that were not previously considered rights (guaranteed access to the internet) might start to make sense as our world changes around us.

Point of order: The right to own slaves was just the right to own property, the slaves were just declassified as property. There are very few instances where rights have changed based on how you describe, because the societal inertia is incredibly hard to overcome. That being said, I do agree with everything you're saying.

Fair point. Then instead maybe it makes more sense to consider the inverse: the refusal to grant the right of autonomy to certain people.

You also bring up a good point that there are currently few instances where this has occurred, but that's sort of my point, that past standards are not always applicable to the future.

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