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Comment by andreygrehov | Hacker News Reader

I'm in the middle of the video right now, but honestly, I absolutely hate the look of station wagons. The author makes a lot of claims that I do not share (not all of them though). For example, I do find G63 a cool looking car. On the other hand, pick up trucks are ugly as hell. But for some people they are not. People are different and they prefer different things. That's what makes our lives interesting and varied.

It feels like the author wants to fix the problem by just saying "Hey people, don't buy SUVs. Hey corporations, don't manufacture SUVs", whereas a more strategic and "backward" approach is needed.

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> but honestly, I absolutely hate the look of station wagons.

Are you sure about that? Perhaps it's the $billions that US automotive manufacturers have spent to make you _think_ that. Or the peer pressure from having a vehicle that "stands out" from all of the SUVs on the road?

I'm not trolling here, I'm genuinely asking those questions.

> Are you sure about that? Perhaps it's the $billions that US automotive manufacturers have spent to make you _think_ that.

It's hard to answer that question. How do I know? My brain just tells me: "This car is ugly af, don't ever get one". My guess is that these cars are convenient, but I would never want to own one.

> People are different and they prefer different things. That's what makes our lives interesting and varied.

Agree, however, I think the a key point of the video is about how we balance our own experience vs. that of the community we live in. SUVs and light trucks have a cost and it's fair to question if that cost is worth it. He shed light in areas where I wasn't so familiar such as blind spots and child fatalities.

> It feels like the author wants to fix the problem by just saying "Hey people, don't buy SUVs. Hey corporations, don't manufacture SUVs", whereas a more strategic and "backward" approach is needed.

I thought his main argument was that people respond to incentives. That's why 40 years ago the Ford Escort was so popular vs. the F150 today. These incentives are driven by government regulation. He acknowledges that it is rational to buy an SUV when everyone has one because it's game theory. The way out is for society to regulate trucks more fairly according to their broader costs. There are reasons we need trucks and we should have trucks, but perhaps we shouldn't incentivize that to be the primary vehicle for everyone.

> SUVs and light trucks have a cost and it's fair to question if that cost is worth it

Yep, it's worth it. Question answered. for me at least.

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