Listening <> Obeying

[kevin_standlee]

Another thing I keep hearing as a theme from the Peninsula NIMBYs who cry "build a 50-mile long tunnel without disturbing our cities in the slightest or build nothing at all!" is "They're not listening to us!"

Well, actually, I think the California High Speed Rail Authority is listening to them. They're just not obeying. The two things are not the same.

Assume for a moment that you had a teenage child who had qualified for a driver's license, and you decided that you were going to give that child a car. You can afford to buy a low-end new model car, and tell the child you're going to give him/her that car. The child yells, "But I only want a Ferrari!" If you gave the child the small car you can afford, and the child screamed, "You're not listening to me!" would you not consider the child just a tad foolish?

It is not a perfect analogy, I grant you, but it's close. It's sort of funny, really, because some of the very loud complainers are members of the various city governments along the Peninsula, and surely they must have plenty of experience of listening to the requests of their citizens without giving those citizens what they request. After all, the requests of any given group of people are likely to be mutually contradictory, so you have to pick and choose from among them.

Local example up here where I am. A local Subway sandwich shop wants to build a drive-up window. People who live in the area near the shop don't want it built. The Salem city council will have to eventually decide who to back: the area residents or the owner of the store who is providing employment and business taxes to the city. No matter what they decide, the other side could whine, "You're not listening to me!"

Grow up, people!

Comments

[querldox.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way about how so many things are phrased as "demands". Particularly when it's something/ones who are relatively powerless demanding something from someone with power. Perhaps it's just me, but if I got something phrased as "demand" rather than "request", I'd tend to pay less attention to it.

[trinsf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what you said. I was just tweeting with someone about this recently -- demands that Caltrain do this or that, because the people want it. I said, "How would they fund that?" and the response was, "They should be able to figure out the funding. If this is what the riders want, they shouldn't ignore the riders."

Yeah. Well, a subset of the riders want all the seats in every car removed and replaced with bike racks. Another subset of the riders want all trains to be local, and they're opposed by a subset of the riders that want *only* "bullet" trains.

I reminded of the religious joke: "God hears all prayers, but sometimes, the answer is no."

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

As I get ready to drive down to LA Again for the Second time this summer - I just want the damn train built!
And actually, it will be coming pretty near to our house. 280 noise is always mildly noticeable (kind of like waves in the ocean). We can already hear jets land when the air inversion is right. I'm sure I will hear the new HSR when the inversion is right as well.
Such are City Noises. You live in the city, you get noises, you also get convenience. The train station and the airport are 15 minutes away. Before TSA we could leave the house less than 1 hour before a flight and have no problems catching it.
And although the Peninsula won't have many train stops, still it will be very convenient. More convenient than SFO. And so, they should stop being NIMBY and get ready for the new mode of transportation.
Open. Open. Open.