Little Women... BIG SUVs

Smaointe · Post by **Smaointe** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 1:27 pm

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a truck driver.

Bit of a tomboy, I was

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 1:51 pm

[quote="Smaointe";p="162513"]I am 5'5".

I think most of your post was a bit of a generalisation, Miroku.
[/quote]

Of course it was. If I folks had to list all of the exceptions to their statement in any rant to coddle the egos of the easily ruffled, posts would go on for pages.

I have to say, my hackles go up when I am referred to as "tiny", but that is a side-issue.

I don't recall saying "Smaointe is tiny."

Truth is, there's a difference, IMO, between short and tiny. 5'5" is short. Tiny is someone who's like 5'5" and 50 pounds soaking wet with a 20 lb. dumbell in each hand.

Remember, it takes two people to offend someone... one to say something, and one to get offended. The offended party's response often says more about them than it does about the speaker.

Not everyone buys them "just because", and not all women are "utterly incapable" of handling them.

Hey crowd, gimme a "D!" Gimme a "U!" Gimme an "H!" What's that spell... DUH! Naturally in rural areas larger vehicles are going to used by most folks. I just moved to St. Louis from Cape Girardeau, which is a little slice of nothing in the Missouri bootheel. Many of the women there are quite capable of driving the large trucks and SUVs. As you so astutely observed, my post was a broad generalization. I'm not going to invest a lot of time tailoring a rant to make sure every person that's the exception to my observations knows they're excluded. I figure the folks that know they don't fit the stereotype will know it and those that might be a bit uncomfortable with it might fit it a little better than they think.

To clarify my position, yes, I was speaking of my observations in the urban area of St. Louis. If I remember from other posts, you're in Austrialia, where I would expect off-road vehicles would be in great demand, even for going not too far outside of urban areas. And I didn't mean to imply any woman under 5'5" can't drive an SUV. What I was referring to was these urbanite soccer moms who have absolutely no use for an SUV and could barely drive a car (not by virtue of being female, but because they're so wrapped up in other things they can't pay attention to the road), but feel some compulsion to have one. As discussed in another post about bad drivers, many people, not just women, are incapable of handling anything larger than a tricycle. I'm equally mystified by anyone that feels the need to own a Hummer that will never see so much as a dirt road. Yet, Hummers are everywhere in St. Louis.

The only Hummer I have ever seen that seemed appropriate for the person using it was a business-owned Hummer used by a landscaping company.

My statements in the future will likely be notoriously generalized. Just insert between the lines "some, but not all" or something similar. I'm not going to step on eggshells while standing on a soapbox for the sake of the thin-skinned. If I post a rant, folks, and you don't think it applies to you.. don't sweat it... it doesn't.

MissCheetah · Post by **MissCheetah** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:53 pm

The answer to your question is easy. Those with no need for them buy them because they are trendy. Those same soccer moms also run out and buy the latest shoes to hit the market. The men are the same ones who run out to get the latest gadget to hit the market. Not really a mystery. I think most of us who grew up in rural areas scorn the city SUV drivers, especially those who can't handle the vehicle.

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 5:26 pm

This is true. I've speculated occasionally how empty it must make a person feel to be a slave to trend. I mean.. right now, their SUV makes them happy.. they think. But maybe the next big fad will be eco-friendly hybrid cars. SUVs will be soooooooo passe. So then a thing that brought them perceived happiness will be a source of unhappiness, since they will be wanting to give it up and purchase what is trendy.

Aside from the unhappiness being a slave to trend can bring, imagine what it does to your disposable income.... <insert sound of vacuum cleaner or toilet>

Fixer · Post by **Fixer** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 7:59 pm

[quote="Smaointe";p="162513"]I have to say, my hackles go up when I am referred to as "tiny", but that is a side-issue.[/quote]
Yay for itty bitty Emma! /me huggles the Emma

Smaointe wrote:I think most of your post was a bit of a generalisation, Miroku. Things are different in cities, obviously, where there may be no practical reason for buying a large vehicle; but I'm concentrating more on your comments regarding the ability to handle the car, not whether someone is justified in buying one.

Where I live, a large percentage of families own larger vehicles because it is a rural (cattle) area and the roads are pretty awful (I nearly lose my little Swift down the cracks and potholes). Women around here MUST be proficient in driving these big cars. One of the girls that I work with is 19, my height, and had problems driving her new little hatchback because she was so used to driving her 4WD utility all the time.

Not everyone buys them "just because", and not all women are "utterly incapable" of handling them.

Come visit me and I'll take you bush-bashin' in the Patrol.

I believe he was more referring to women in American who drive them for status and a selfish feeling of safety and security.

WOMAN: OH dear! I just got into a car accident with a small Geo Metro. Thank goodness I'm not hurt. Too bad about that woman and her baby stuck under my car. Hope they don't get caught in my transmission, that will be expensive to repair!

Mav · Post by **Mav** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 8:02 pm

Smaointe is tiny!

(I should probally add that shes only two inches shorter than me)

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 8:03 pm

[quote="Smaointe";p="162513"]

I have to say, my hackles go up when I am referred to as "tiny", but that is a side-issue.
[/quote]
As a fellow short-arse, I much prefer the term 'fun-sized'.

Vidtani · Post by **Vidtani** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 12:59 am

whats funny is i am that little woman.

i am 5'6 and drove a ford bronco that had tires up to my thigh ... for 4 wheeling. and it also had a lift kit.

so i couldnt get into it until my dad put step things on it.

and this was by the way my first car ... it came all big and lifted for a good price thats why i had it in the first place.

yes ... well i crashed it. and the crash was to much cash to fix the dang thing.

so now i have no car and havent driven since.

oh well.

dolphincheddar · Post by **dolphincheddar** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 1:51 am

Even the short people are taller than me.

I'm five one and a half and probably as tall as I'm gonna get.
/me looks up sadly at all the tall people

Post by **Blaze** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 4:02 am

That'd be me, my dear. 6'3".

/me looks happily at the short people.

Smaointe · Post by **Smaointe** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 8:29 am

[quote="Smaointe";p="162513"]Things are different in cities, obviously, where there may be no practical reason for buying a large vehicle; but I'm concentrating more on your comments regarding the ability to handle the car, not whether someone is justified in buying one.
[/quote]

Everyone seems to have missed this point. I deliberately stressed it, and even emphasised it later...

My problem was not with people (and it's not just women) who buy these cars when they don't really *need* them.. it was with the comments regarding women not being able to handle large vehicles.

I agree completely that it is completely dumb for people to buy cars that aren't practical, ie having an SUV when you never leave your neighbourhood, etc. I was talking about the comments regarding tiny (5'5" and under) women (specifically) being unable to handle large vehicles:

The problem is you've got women so tiny they have to sit on phonebooks to see over the dashboard driving these things, and being utterly incapable of handling the vehicle.

My post was simply to clear up any misconception that 5'5" women need phonebooks or booster seats in order to drive

Also, I was not rude in my post, I don't appreciate rude replies. I don't consider myself thin-skinned, I wasn't upset over your comments - I know I'm short, and I don't particularly care. I was just adding my opinions. I prefer being spoken to as an adult, not a three year old.

If you post a rant, you should be equally prepared to have people disagree with you, without launching into condescension mode. If you don't want a discussion to follow your rant, perhaps it should go into a journal instead? Then you wouldn't have to worry about short women chucking tanties at you....

billf · Post by **billf** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 8:55 am

Miroku, I've been trying to come up with a response to your post since you made it, and thus far I have failed to come up with anything that you wouldn't try to BS your way out of. Fact is that this has nothing to do with women or short people, simply bad drivers in general. I've seen plenty of men who are average or above that in SUVs that they can barely handle. A friend of mine's uncle borrowed his Bronco once and promptly flipped the damn thing doing something stupid. It crushed my friend's vehicle.

My Mom who is about 5ft 2 or so drives an SUV and has never run off the road or caused an accident. The only time she has been in an accident was when some dumbass guy ran into the back of her Blazer at 40MPH in a 30MPH zone while she was stopped to turn into her driveway.

But all that is irrelevant. You are stereotyping and being sexist. Think before you post. We have over 100 people who post here on a regular basis and over 2000 registered users. Chances are if you start making such generalizations someone is going to be able to prove you wrong.

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:42 am

[quote="Blaze";p="164170"]That'd be me, my dear. 6'3".

Blaze looks happily at the short people.[/quote]

/me punches Blaze in the shins

dolphincheddar · Post by **dolphincheddar** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:48 am

[quote="Rorschach";p="164254"][quote="Blaze";p="164170"]That'd be me, my dear. 6'3".

Blaze looks happily at the short people.[/quote]

/me punches Blaze in the shins[/quote]

/me helps Rorshach punch Blaze

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 2:29 pm

[quote="billf";p="164242"]
But all that is irrelevant. You are stereotyping and being sexist. [/quote]

Nah.. I'm saving that for my "every Catholic girl I've ever known has been a complete slut and every Mormon chick I've known has been a psycho" rant.

We have over 100 people who post here on a regular basis and over 2000 registered users. Chances are if you start making such generalizations someone is going to be able to prove you wrong.

<the scene is set over a foreboding countryside in Hammer film style>

Oh no.. the angry mob is heading for the castle with pitchforks and torches to drive out the monster and prove him wrong! I didn't build him to have an ego that could withstand the idea of being wrong! His body was stitched together from the corpses of the strongest men, but his mind is that of a Democrat! Why, oh why did Igor have to drop that other brain? He will not be able to bear the thought of something even made in jest being called wrong! Surely he will perish! Why, oh why must everything I create crumble to dust around me????????

<snicker>

Suddenly, I'm reminded of a sound byte from The Brak Show of Brak saying "Oh.. bitch, bitch, bitch."

Man.. lighten up, folks. The rant was meant as "what's the deal with airline food" sort of thing. It's not like I was calling for genocide.

Sheesh.. touchy, touchy, touchy.

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