[mikeash]

My general guideline for comment threads is that when somebody starts pulling out individual sentences by themselves to quote and then argue with them, they're no longer contributing and can be ignored.

I didn't think it would apply to articles too, but here we are.

The article goes over a huge number of factors and details about life in this area. Why did you think this one piece was worth pulling out and making an obvious comment on? "If you can't afford a ticket, don't speed." Well duh. Who are you talking to? That woman isn't reading your comment, and I'm sure she already knows what you're trying to tell her anyway.

[freehunter]

A couple of those fines were for speeding

That was Bolden’s second arrest. In 2009 she was arrested in the town of Bel-Ridge for a warrant on a speeding ticket.

The Foristell warrant stemmed from a speeding ticket in 2011

“These are people who make the same mistakes you or I do — speeding

Both were speeding tickets that he had neglected to pay.

a warrant stemming from a 20-year-old speeding ticket.

Speed seems to be a major factor throughout the entire article. Would removing the one thing solve the problem? No. Would it help some people? Undoubtedly.

It's not picking out one sentence. It's picking out one thing that the article said over and over again is a major factor in people going to jail over minor offenses.

[mturmon]

What I notice is that you have not only isolated on one very circumscribed part of the article, but you have also chosen to blame the people getting tickets for infractions that have little to do with traffic safety.

You have therefore missed the point of the article.

I frequently observe this kind of "rational" skepticism in analytical people who are studiously avoiding something uncomfortable.

[freehunter]

It's well known that speeding decreases your travel time linearly but increases your braking distance by far more than that. Generally if you double your speed, you quadruple your braking distance but only half your arrival time.

So no, it's not "rational" skepticism to avoid something uncomfortable, and yes, it has everything to do with traffic safety. Maybe you missed the part of the article where the person prone to speeding tickets got arrested following an accident? It didn't say she was speeding at the time, but speeding doesn't help avoid an accident at all.

[mturmon]

I observe that you'd rather discuss speeding than racism.

The tendency to divert uncomfortable conversations about race is one of the reasons our nation has arrived at this point. It has become a coping mechanism for us.

[mikeash]

Impressive! Not only did you place blame on the victims in general for this whole situation, but you've now managed to blame the victim for a specific incident which is clearly described as being another person's fault. That takes some real effort.

[mikeash]

I'm referring specifically to the act of quoting and responding to a single sentence. The representativeness of that sentence doesn't come into it. I'm not saying the act itself is inherently wrong, I'm saying that in my experience it's a reliable indicator that someone is no longer saying anything useful.

Again, who are you talking to? These people aren't reading your comment. You wouldn't be telling them anything new anyway. They already know that they shouldn't break traffic rules if they can't afford the fines. I'm certain it's not a problem with lack of knowledge in that area. None of us are under any illusions that it's OK to speed if you can't pay the ticket. So what's the point of saying what you said? All I can come up with is that it makes you feel superior.

[freehunter]

Who is any of us talking to? There are many comments here on this very thread that are talking to no one (including the top voted one about Finland. We don't make the traffic laws, who cares what Finland does?).

The point of Internet forums is to have a discussion. It would appear we are having a discussion. ChuckMcM even linked me to an interesting-looking book. That's the point of Internet forums.

[mikeash]

My point is your comment doesn't make any sense when directed at this community either. It's just a pointless statement of obviousness, phrased to communicate maximum superiority.

[freehunter]

I actually have a reliable indicator as to a comment's value as well. If the person says they have a reliable indicator of a comment's value and use that to dismiss anything the person says (yet still finds the need to post a comment in response), in my experience that's a reliable indicator that the person is no longer saying anything useful and just wants to increase their post count, usually so the account has value when they sell it to a marketing company.

So what's the point in commenting if you don't think my post has any value? All I can come up with is that it makes you feel superior.

[mikeash]

I had the obviously foolish hope that I might be able to correct your behavior.