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by beachstartup 3626 days ago
although i agree with you, the argument breaks down because (at least in the us) most people don't know how to cook, and most people don't know how to drive or know anything - literally nothing - about how a car actually works. there are entire states where it's even illegal to pump your own gas.

have you looked at what people buy, even at high end markets like whole foods? it's an endless sea of prepared and packaged food. it's how they make most of their profits. whole foods isn't even expensive for real ingredients.

competent well rounded people like that are in the tiny minority. i would guess 10% or less. the cross section of people who are capable of both like you or i and others on hn has got to be minuscule. in fact i would bet the anti-car pro-Soylent contingent is bigger.

2 comments

> most people don't know how to drive or know anything

That's a little like the sort of statement you hear from people that get into auto accidents, but always because someone else did something wrong.

I'd recommend listening to podcasts or something if getting behind the wheel becomes an exercise in grading other drivers' skills. I half suspect that using your phone and texting friends while driving, to take your focus of other drivers, is safer than getting agitated enough about their incompetence that driving turns into a competition.

uh, i'm not even sure what the question was, but distracting yourself with your phone is not the answer.

sounds like you're probably one of the people i'm talking about.

Okay.
No.
> there are entire states where it's even illegal to pump your own gas.

??? Seriously? Can you document that? Because I have never heard of that.

Or is my sarcasm detector on the blink again?

Oregon and New Jersey have laws, adopted for safety reasons long ago and still in force, prohibiting self-service at gasoline pumps.

See, e.g., http://www.bergencounty.com/trivia-and-fun/why-you-can-t-pum... -- focused mainly on the NJ law.

Resident of NJ here, it's been like this as long as I'm alive(34 years). Now, how much it's enforced, on the other hand...