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Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

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Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#31

Post by louhike »

aaronem wrote: post #27
scotty79 wrote: post #16

> Most of the time I'm completely invisible to the people I drive. Perhaps we're all conditioned not to speak to the hired help. ... or to strangers.

Sure, because we're all six years old and walking home from school.

What is the use of this comment? To ridicule him? It looks like (seeing your other comments) you are just angry because people are criticizing the driver justifying why they would not talk to him. Maybe they are in the wrong, but you are too agressive and your message will not get through.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#33

Post by PuffinBlue »

vacri wrote: post #22
PuffinBlue wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you've mis-read the tone, or just plain don't understand/have experience of the military mindset. This isn't a pity piece, he not expecting something from his passengers or expecting them to wonder about him. In fact, I'd say that's the whole point of the piece - how he knows he an outsider, a nobody in a world of somebodies, a dispassionate observer, one who recognises his own lack of humanity to his charges…

> he not expecting something from his passengers That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. Like when he talks of his Combat Infantry Badge, and the only two options available are 'not notice' or 'notice and not care'. Plenty of people would notice and care a lot , but not want to get into a discussion that they think would lead to an argument. He's basical…

>That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them.

In fact you are judging the writer through the window of your own experience. You see judgement, but he didn't actually judge anyone.

What the writer did was comment on behaviour, about how people didn't notice the thing that was of pivotal importance in his life but instead the black and white version of the Uber logo, something unusual yet familiar to their own.

He's really just making a comment on behaviour rather than a judgement on human nature. He's highlighting how we tend to be drawn to things that are important to ourselves and not look to what others might be displaying that are of importance to them.

I get the overall impression the writer is a man who knows himself and his lot in life. He's under no illusion about his utility to Uber as a PR piece for instance. There might be a twinge of bitterness under it all but the piece seems quite careful to avoid that and instead reveals a man resigned to his current situation but so self aware as to not be a prisoner to it.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#34

Post by skywritergr »

I totally sympathise with the man, and i believe that this is an extremely well written article. At the same time though i want to mention that plenty of times when i get on a taxi i'm super tired, maybe distressed and really in no mood to talk to anyone. Glaring outside of the window saying nothing is my favourite thing to do, but many people might prefer watching pictures on Instagram from their hometowns and smile. As someone else said "C'est la vie"

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#36

Post by vacri »

aaronem wrote: post #26
vacri wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he not expecting something from his passengers That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. Like when he talks of his Combat Infantry Badge, and the only two options available are 'not notice' or 'notice and not care'. Plenty of people would notice and care a lot , but not want to get into a discussion that they think would lead to an argument. He's basical…

> he is projecting a lot of motivation onto people that doesn't necessarily exist Oh? I'd say you're projecting a lot of motivation onto him. You're not exactly making yourself look like the most charming person in the world, either; however you excuse it, your behavior expresses contempt: Sometimes people who are rendering me a service say things that don't entirely accord with my view of an ideal world. I could lea…

The irony in your comment was delicious, thank you.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#38

Post by vacri »

PuffinBlue wrote: post #33
vacri wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he not expecting something from his passengers That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. Like when he talks of his Combat Infantry Badge, and the only two options available are 'not notice' or 'notice and not care'. Plenty of people would notice and care a lot , but not want to get into a discussion that they think would lead to an argument. He's basical…

>That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. In fact you are judging the writer through the window of your own experience. You see judgement, but he didn't actually judge anyone. What the writer did was comment on behaviour, about how people didn't notice the thing that was of pivotal importance in his life but instead the black and white version of the Uber…

Where did I say that I wasn't judging him? Of course I'm judging him, just like you and aaronem are judging my comment and I was judging yours. The point of my first paragraph was a counter to your comment, not the article. While I agree that he sees himself as an outsider, I disagree that he is expecting nothing from passengers.

And, as I said, he considers the non-conversation about his medal to equate to either not noticing or not caring, which definitely aren't the only options on the table. He's a bit hurt that no-one wants to engage with him about it, so the only reasons he allows are 'uncaring strangers'. Throughout, while he considers himself an outsider, he's miffed that people aren't engaging with him... but I never really felt that he was understanding where the passengers' motivations were.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#39

Post by dsr_ »

It's a good companion piece to the Fred Wilson blog post on the Gig Economy: if we took care of our veterans, if we treated poor people like we want to be treated, if we didn't make rules for the economy that let wealth grow at the expense of the poor: then Uber couldn't exist in their current business plan.

Saying "at least Uber lets people make some money" is an excuse for exploitation. It may be true, it may be better than nothing, but it's not actually a good solution.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#40

Post by vacri »

crdb wrote: post #29
vacri wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he not expecting something from his passengers That the author is passing judgement on the non-talkers shows that he is expecting something from them. Like when he talks of his Combat Infantry Badge, and the only two options available are 'not notice' or 'notice and not care'. Plenty of people would notice and care a lot , but not want to get into a discussion that they think would lead to an argument. He's basical…

> most cab conversations are exactly the same I know you said "most" but I have had plenty of conversations with cab drivers that I remember years into the future. Two examples: - a very elderly man picked us up in London, he was cheerful and chatty in his 1940s-war-broadcast-style accent, turns out he spent a chunk of his life as an engineer in what you might call "frontier" countries. So many stories. He had plenty…

Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge people who do like to talk, and more power to you. I just loathe small talk, and find the signal-to-noise ratio too low to do it with cab drivers or other people you spend only a few minutes with out of circumstance. I'm just trying to provide an angle on why some people don't like talking to drivers, as the article felt like it was unduly blaming them for not entertaining the driver enough.
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