Honestly Does It Really Need To Become This Bad?

[Redwarf]

It's one sided shitty journalism like this that just pisses me off.

 

It's the hardcopy equivalent of Today Tonight Tomorrow or ACA. (Which I might add I'm forbidden to watch by Mrs Dwarf lest I throw something at the television in a fit of rage.)

 

"Oh whoa is me, I did something wrong, behaved like a f@$kwit and now it's someone else's fault. Now I'll get my own back by going to the papers and spinning a line."

 

HTFU, and get a monthly bus ticket.

Edited July 26, 2011 by Redwarf
syntactical issues.

[agius]

It's one sided shitty journalism like this that just pisses me off.

 

It's the hardcopy equivalent of Today Tonight Tomorrow or ACA. (Which I might add I'm forbidden to watch by Mrs Dwarf lest I throw something at the television in a fit of rage.)

 

"Oh whoa is me, I did something wrong, behaved like a f@$kwit and now it's someone else's fault. Now I'll get my own back by going to the papers and spinning a line."

 

HTFU, and get a monthly bus ticket.

 

it can be one sided that dude could of been acting like a dickhead, but what if he wasnt?

 

what makes you so sure?

 

there could be hundreds of cases like this one but we'll never know because people stay quite about it..

[Redwarf]

it can be one sided that dude could of been acting like a dickhead, but what if he wasnt?

 

what makes you so sure?

 

there could be hundreds of cases like this one but we'll never know because people stay quite about it..

 

.... and if he was? That's the thing. Balanced journalism would have presented both sides of the story in a measured and balanced way.

 

You're assuming the police were in the wrong. I'm assuming wonderboy here is in the wrong.

 

We're both making assumptions. Mine is no different to yours.

 

However if you think there's "hundreds of cases", I suggest you purchase a tin foil hat.

 

Police aren't omnipotent and do have oversight to prevent what could be seen as corruption, as much as people think they do not.

[Sloth]

I'm glad that when I got my "hoon" fine years ago they didn't automatically impound for 30 days on the first offence.

 

In my case I turned onto a road and probably jumped on the throttle a little too hard too quickly, I lost traction on the inner wheel while turning for a fraction of a second, I barely noticed, but apparently the nearby police car did. I then turned into a slip land drove through a giveway sign (as it was 11pm at night, the road was clear and I had full visibility for about 1-2km down the road) drove under a tunnel and into a shopping center carpark (to pick my ex up from work). The police officer boxed me in, and issued the fine stating on the fine that I'd "failed to have complete control of the vehicle". He also commented that I didn't stop in the slip lane and my car sounded loud while driving through the tunnel. He said I was lucky I didn't get defected or have the car confiscated.

 

In my opinion he was just bored, getting to the end of the shift and wanted something to do. I admit there was a slight slip of the inner wheel while turning, but nothing significant and I wouldn't call it "hooning". There was no malicious intent in what I did. But maybe in his opinion taking a corner at more than 1km an hour and not stopping at give way signs on (clearly) desserted roads is unsafe driving. He stated that he could "take the car off me" but I'm assuming that since I wasn't actually doing anything and it would've been a mountain of paper work he didn't bother.

 

I guess one of my issues is that while lots of things are clearly hooning, some of it is slightly subjective. Sure in the situation where the person accelerates quickly to take a gap you can state that he should've waited, but there are intersections where if you don't have at least some acceleration or assertiveness you will never get in/through. There's also the issue that you can't really do anything if they say you are hooning, if you argue back you are just in for a world of hurt; they will then find something on the car to defect it etc (I've heard some stories of police saying things to that effect).

 

In my case I didn't bother saying anything back, there was just no point. I paid the fine I was issued before the due date like I was told. BUT THEN the week before it was due I received a check in the mail from Civic Compliance refunding my money. I thought obviously the police officer had changed his mind and decided it wasn't worth putting the ticket in the system. Unfortunately I had a busy week that week and didn't get a chance to call up and confirm, and received an overdue notice the next week (the day after the fine was due) with a $15-20 overdue fee. When I called up Civic Compliance to ask what the hell had happened I was told that "the police officer reissued the fine on the spot, and I had paid the incorrect fine", I explained that I hadn't received the reissued copy, and that they still had my money (hadn't cashed the cheque) but the person on the phone yelled at me (since I was a filthy hoon) and told me the only way I would get out of paying the $15-20 overdue fee was if I wrote letters to the head of the police, the ombudsman and took it to court.

 

I'm not saying that I'm the best driver in the world, but I think that things are slightly stacked against people these days. The vibe is that most people (especially young ones in sports cars) are all deliberately doing the wrong thing and flaunting the law. I can see why the hoon laws were put in place, I've seen some terrible things done on the road, but from what I have heard the majority of people who are caught by the hoon laws (while they might be doing something wrong) aren't the true targets of the laws (the real targets being those people that drive unsafely in traffic, around people and other cars etc and generally endanger lives). I guess you can argue though it's quite hard to catch the people who are endangering lives, as the police can't have 100% presence on the road. At the end of the day I don't think there's a right answer, someone is always going to be unhappy about it (whether it is the drivers/enthusiasts or the people who want to see something being done about the problems).

[Chillin]

Just take it on the chin i say, fair enough you may have been hard done by. But if you speak up people will notice and you will get a name for yourself withing the system. Then possibly targeted by the boys in blue.

 

I'm young, i get targeted. Nothing i can do about it because by law i must display my plates.

Treat all police like a distant relative and they should let you off with a slap on the wrist

 

'Hooning laws' is just another tax, targeted at those who take interest in cars.

[carbonboy]

Taking the cruddy journalism out of it for a moment, I agree with our new anti-hoon laws.

 

*dodges flying rotten tomatoes*

 

If things have gotten this bad that these laws have actually been passed...get the message people!

[Sloth]

Just take it on the chin i say, fair enough you may have been hard done by. But if you speak up people will notice and you will get a name for yourself withing the system. Then possibly targeted by the boys in blue.

 

I'm young, i get targeted. Nothing i can do about it because by law i must display my plates.

Treat all police like a distant relative and they should let you off with a slap on the wrist

 

'Hooning laws' is just another tax, targeted at those who take interest in cars.

 

Yeah, I completely agree. Nothing you can do about it. Stuff about life will always suck, nothing you can do about it, just gotta accept it and try to still find a way to enjoy yourself.

[GJM85]

There is only one thing to do when your hard done by. Lay a cable on the bonnet of a police car. "NATHAN! Your a bloody legend." >book< "No you not, your a f@$king fa**ot!"

[altezzaclub]

If things have gotten this bad that these laws have actually been passed.

 

Nah- they've lowered the bar. The endless hunt for more and more things to harass us over, fine us over, make us behave as they want us to... Its just a power trip from those in power.

 

They know they could stop it all if they wanted to. Governors on cars that won't let us go over 40kph, even go back to a man with a red flag walking in front of each car. Sounds inpractical and inefficient, but so are most they laws they pass.

 

They will continue the push to get us out of private cars altogether, its part of a bigger picture that sees us all living in giant apartment blocks in cities and using public transport while the green forestland outside is a playground for our masters....

[Redwarf]

[B.L.Z.BUB]

Horses. Problem solved.

 

[carbonboy]

even go back to a man with a red flag walking in front of each car.

 

Sounds inpractical and inefficient, but so are most they laws they pass.

 

They will continue the push to get us out of private cars altogether, its part of a bigger picture that sees us all living in giant apartment blocks in cities and using public transport while the green forestland outside is a playground for our masters....

 

Wasnt that some law in the U.S created when women were first allowed to gain a motor vehicle licence?

 

Can't argue with that :laff:

 

.....:blinks:..... Conspiracy theory much? :lol: Hopefully I'm dead before that happens.

[agius]

I'm surprised how deep this conversation has gotten

 

no doubt its a very delicate situation

 

i couldn't agree more with sloth, altezzaclub and ke70dave

 

especially altezzaclub's theory of the whole conspiracy act.. life as we know it is just getting more and more controlled

 

I'm probly going to shoot off topic for a bit here

 

but every single thing we look at came from an assembly line and has ether a line of numbers or a bar code on it

 

think about it us humans are the only thing close to not having some kind of numbers stamped on us, although we have birth certificates and id's etc etc

 

the day will come when we to will have to be scanned some way or another to enter a shop to buy a loaf of bread.

 

control is everything.

[carbonboy]

I'm probly going to shoot off topic for a bit here

 

but every single thing we look at came from an assembly line and has ether a line of numbers or a bar code on it

 

think about it us humans are the only thing close to not having some kind of numbers stamped on us, although we have birth certificates and id's etc etc

 

the day will come when we to will have to be scanned some way or another to enter a shop to buy a loaf of bread.

 

control is everything.

 

Getting a little bit The Matrix-like isnt it? :laff:

 

I don't disagree that it may happen, again I hope I'm dead before this happens!

[philbey]

"Oh whoa is me, I did something wrong, behaved like a f@$kwit and now it's someone else's fault. ..."

 

 

what makes you so sure?

 

Let me guess, herald sun, right? The Hun is exactly what reddwarf said, printed version od ACA and today tonight sensationalist crap. It's the only paper I dislike more than the Advertiser. Just look harder and every week there's some totally one sided "I dinnt do nuffin rong, I is bein unfairly picked on" in the paper.

 

No kidding, I've seen articles in the Hun that are nigh on unreadable.