Here's one fresh from the "I was wrong" category: I used to pity the owners of vans and trucks, for suffering uninvited paint jobs. Some of them nicer than others. But now that I have had some time to think about it, I realize that I was wrong. Seeing how these vehicles are owned by businesses, and generally operated by random and reckless drivers with little regard for the safety of others, or even the condition of the van, it is a big safety issue that they can be told apart, and if need be: identified.
By having an instantly recognizable van, there is no getting around anonymously anymore, making the decorators of these killing machines nothing short of a safety squad. I salute them!
Free your spirit.
Another upside: if you don't want to have your truck designed by random strangers, you are forced to have it decorated yourself. Trucks have gone from crap to canvases:
(personal favorite, of course)
And on the reverse:
Atomkraft, nej tak / Nuclear power, no thanks.
Meat packing district yum.
One day when I was a very poor university student I found a dresser at the side of the road that was painted all black and then tagged like crazy like this, it felt like I discovered the most amazing treasure. I wish I had kept it longer, I used it while in school and just left it for the next person.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how exited you must have been! That kind of authenticity is not achieved overnight, it has to develop, and the more variety the better. How generous of you to leave it for the next one. :-)
DeleteThis is destroying other persons property. I admire your blog Sandra, but not anybody who (has to, for work reasons) drive a van is a reckless driver.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you like the blog, although you may not continue to do so after this comment.
DeleteFact is: a large percentage of them are operated by reckless drivers. At least once a week I witness these vans take crazy chances in traffic, putting pedestrians and cyclists at risk, they are almost always parked in the bike lane, leaving the doors open as they on- and offload, or just leave it there. And the nastiest accidents (like the ten year old girl recently killed at a pedestrian crossing by a reckless guy in a van) are almost always contributed to these kinds of vehicles. Oh, and the one by Tivoli recently, where yet another van caused another car to run down pedestrians waiting at the lights, and leaving a car upside down. Seriously: if you cannot control your property, you forfeit the right to keep it unmarked.
I think of it as justice of the streets, we are tired of the tyranny of cars.
Not all of these tagged vans drive recklessly, that's a gross generalization, Sandra. So you can't just write "Fact is", when it's based on your personal opinion. You can start the reply with "In my opinion" or "What I have witnessed personally", not "Fact is"! But I've noticed you don't like constructive criticism, so you will probably ignore this comment, like you always do when people don't see things your way.
ReplyDeleteFact is: people who write hateful comments under cover of anonymity, don't have the right to call anyone a coward, or have their bull crap published. Only comments I have ever ignored are from you and that other hateful lady from Germany.
DeleteAnd this will be the last time I feed you, troll!