I went with my fiance and some friends this weekend to an event one state over. He remarked that gas was about 12 cents more expensive there than it was here. One of the girls in our car commented: "At least gas isn't $4 per gallon."
My response: "That's like saying 'At least the dog only shit on the rug instead of rubbing it in'."
People who whine about gas prices are beginning to infuriate me because I know that gas will be $12/gallon before some of them give up their precious SUVs. I'm sick of polls asking people what gas price it will take before they change their driving habits, because I changed my driving habits when gas hit two dollars per gallon-- but it's not saving me much money, because I'm using half the gas at twice the price because peanut-dicks in H2s keep the demand high.
I used to drive like a lunatic. I knew exactly what manner of speed my car could reach on the low-traffic bit of highway between where I was and where I needed to be. Then gas started hitting 2 dollars, 2.20, 2.50. I told myself that fuel cost too much to drive inefficiently, and that I'd go back to driving like a bat out of hell when it fell back below two dollars.
Admittedly I still treat the speed limit as a suggestion, because going 55 on a flat road with no visibility issues and no other cars is fucking stupid, but I don't reach triple digits and coast the last few miles into town like I did then.
3 dollars per gallon? I don't visit my parents as much anymore, and I carpool when I do.
Almost 4 dollars? My car is staying where it is, I'm biking to my friends' houses and taking the bus to go grocery shopping. This weekend's drive could have been 4 cars with 2 people each, but we did it with one car and a van.
My mother has driven a little Geo Metro as long as I can remember. She buys extras, even busted ones from repo auctions, and she fixes them up to drive around. They get about 50 miles to the gallon. She's allowed to bitch about gas prices, because she's doing everything she can to conserve gas.
My father, on the other hand, drives a car that gets about half that. He insisted on visiting my brother recently, because my brother had left something at his house. Instead of mailing it for ~$20, my father drove here and back for about $40 in gas. My mother suggested taking a Metro; my father wanted to take a car with air conditioning.(My mother and I both roll our windows down.) He is not allowed to bitch.
If you drive a vehicle that gets less than 30mpg, without good reason*, you are not allowed to complain about fuel costs.
If you drive a Hummer or any sort of Hummer cross breed, an earnest discussion with your doctor will reveal amazing strides in penis enlargements, from pills to pumps to surgeries.
I'm angry that gas is a currency now-- When his car broke down, my father paid the guy who fixed it by filling up his truck. In high school, I paid for a friend's gas as part of flirting with him, like you might surprise someone with a CD you thought s/he'd like; now, a tank of gas costs more than a dozen roses.
Yes, gas companies raise prices because of looming hurricanes and whatnot, but they also raise them because they can. You'll note gas companies posting record profits this year-- I'm not talking about record gross income, mind you. Record profits.
Last time you drove by the gas station and said, damn, gas went up 10 cents this weekend, did you pick up an ad for a motor scooter?
Last time you filled up your car for the second time this week, did you map the distance from home to work to see whether it might be walkable?
Last time your debit card crossed your daily withdrawal limit because you got gas in the morning, did you swing by the bike shop?
Last time you debated not going on vacation because of gas costs, did you check your tire pressure, your oil, and your air filter?
I didn't think so. Suck it up, fuckwit, they've got no reason to lower gas prices when you keep buying it. Your whining is not part of the solution. You are not part of the solution. You're part of the problem. Shut the fuck up and do something about it, because I'm not going to pull over and help when I see you stranded on the side of one of those long gas station-less stretches of highway-- I will laugh my ass off instead.
*Good reason will be defined as "I live someplace where an SUV is actually a requirement to get out of my driveway" (this is true for one of my aunts), "I have more children than there are seatbelts in a normal car, including having someone sit in the middle of the back seat," (although I point out that this is your own fault), and "I only drive this vehicle when I have to, if I'm not hauling something then I drive an appropriate car."
