Coal Rolling

I think this guy is an idiot.

I'm all for rebellion - against things that are bad for us, bad for society, bad for the future of all mankind. I'm for rebellion that doesn't hurt other people. 

Some people call Travis Spruitenburg an "anti-environmentalist". I call him an anarchist, and not in a cute, sexy Jax Teller/Sons of Anarchy sort of way. This guy and his "club" have made it clear that they hate President Obama and if he's into saving the environment, they are into wrecking it. Obviously they don't have kids. Well, maybe that's not true. Maybe they have kids, and they just don't have brains. Because having kids does not require brains. But that's a discussion for a whole different blog.

And just because I feel gross and dirty even posting the above photo, I'm going to add this one to make myself feel better.

Whew, that felt good. Not just posting it, but knowing that I'm contributing to the dumping a whole lot less than I was a few weeks ago. Okay, one more.

Ahhhhhh. Namaste.

Even though I live in a very conservative outskirt of suburban Orlando, my daily ventures are into the more progressive parts of town. Every time someone cuts me off, I assume it's because they are an awful driver, like so many Orlando drivers have seemed to be since long before I drove an EV. But perhaps I'm being naive. In other parts of the US, and perhaps right here, EV hate crimes are a growing issue.

On the night of June 8, in Novato, California, John Bixler set fire to four new Volts parked in the lot at a Chevrolet dealership, causing over $100,000 worth of damage. No other vehicles were burned. Police caught Bixler a few days later and he was already a "person of interest" suspected in the arson. Coal Roller hate crime? No article states that outright, but the connotation is unmistakable. 

Five months ago, $50,000 worth of damage was done to a Volt parked at a Cheesecake Factory and the surrounding space in Seattle. 

Google "I hate electric cars" and you'll find a plethora of websites devoted to the topic, as well as multiple Facebook groups where people can rant and whine and share pictures like this to represent the modern electric car:

I mean, honestly, how backward can a person be? Don't answer. Rhetorical question.

This is something I did not really consider when I was in the market for my first EV. There are many factors that contribute to this oversight. The list includes but is not limited to the following:

• I hang around with educated people. In general, educated people make data-based decisions, not I-feel-this-way-but-don't-know-why types of decisions.
• I think a lot about the future. I am very concerned about how we are leaving this planet for our children, their children, etc.
• Even though I know people my age who don't know how to use computers or cell phones, I am not in that group. If there is new technology, I own it.

So in a world where the ignorant are post-happy with pictures like these:

Is it any wonder that we have to look out for the haters?

If you see someone driving electric and you think that's awesome, feel free to smile and wave. If they don't wave back, don't take it personally. Some of us are so busy calculating our EV efficiency as we drive, we barely have enough energy to watch the road, much less the nice person smiling and waving. Yet, you're welcome to be in the club even if you're not behind the wheel of an EV yet. And if you have questions, please ask! Most of us love to talk about the technology and decision-making process. Only through collaboration do we learn.

Charge on!