2.06.2007

How have you evolved enough to stand upright?

It has recently come to my attention that Lexus has made a vehicle that can parallel park itself.

.

This enrages me on many levels.

Besides the fact that it takes longer to program the bloody Lexus to park in a spot than it does for most normal drivers to actually park, and the fact that I doubt that most people that are unable to parallel park can line up a car to the extent necessary for this function to work, I can hear Darwin spinning in his grave. Our so called civilized society has 'evolved' to a level where the principle of survival of the fittest has been replaced by a survival of the richest. It no longer matters what abilities an individual has, nor what talents he or she chooses to hone. Rather, if you cannot do something, you can pay to get it done.

As a rule, this opportunity for wealth redistribution in exchange for a service does not bother me because it ensures that people can exploit their relative advantages, resulting in a system with more optimal production. (It also ensures that I shall have a job in the future.)

However, my soulless capitalist nature does not extend to roadways. Unlike classrooms, gender neutral washrooms, and the political correctness movement, roadways are not there for the sake of making everyone feel like they belong. In fact, if one cannot understand the concept of traveling the speed of traffic, or if one believes that snow prevents normal driving, or if one is afraid of turning left or changing lanes or driving near semi-trailer trucks, GET OFF THE ROAD!

And if you cannot figure out how to parallel park your bloody luxury vehicle, you do not deserve that parking spot; leave it for someone that has the minimal competence and coordination to turn their steering wheel while their car is in reverse. Park a little bit further away, walk the extra couple of blocks, and see if that provides sufficient motivation to learn to do what almost every sixteen year old can accomplish.

One might think I am over-reacting, after all, advances in technology have been implemented to help mankind exceed its physical and mental limitations, to enable individuals to be lazier, and in general to make life easier. However, there needs to be a limit to the extent upon which people rely on technology, and I think that this is that limit. Allow me to argue by analogy: if Lexus had been undermining natural selection in this manner on a more global scope, maybe the dodo wouldn't have gone extinct, or maybe the the gimped tiger that was left for dead by its mother would survive without learning to hunt or fend for itself, or maybe being a vegan would be a viable lifestyle choice. But who really wants a world that is full of dodos, gimped tigers, and vegans? Fake parallel parkers are no different.

To summarize, I am irked that Lexus is undermining evolution.
If you see a Lexus parallel parked in a spot that you wanted, blame technology.
And why would someone give up eating real ice cream?

No comments: