There's always money in the banana car
Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
41–50 of 136 posts
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would advise you not drive a homemade fruit car around your town if you are this terrified of the attention it will bring. He clearly said in the article that he enjoys the encounters. He is doing this on purpose.
Him enjoying the attention doesn't make the actions of the police right or just. He enjoys the attention, they are abusing their authority, Both things are true.
> they are abusing their authority
It's perfectly reasonable to question whether that vehicle is street legal when it passes by on the road. It would be my first thought. It looks like it's mounted on a boat trailer chassis, and the windshield appears to have questionable effectiveness at high speeds. Pulling him over to ask about it seems like they are doing their jobs. Especially when I am also a driver on the same road.
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#43> Often officers simply wanted photographs. Other times they invented reasons to start a conversation. Who knew that abuse of privilege could be fun! But then I think it's only natural that the LEOs of a banana republic would feel a magnetic attraction to a giant banana.
He's calling the adventure "The World Needs More Whimsy Grand Tour." Sometimes it's ok to have fun. Nobody drives a big banana thinking they're not going to attract attention. It's part of the fun and whimsy.
You have a point, but stopping a car as a police officer is a much less consensual interaction than having a quick chat at a red light. It's a very forceful way to have a friendly conversation.
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, the attention of armed people with the authority to order him around. See how ridiculous that sounds?
I would advise you not drive a homemade fruit car around your town if you are this terrified of the attention it will bring. He clearly said in the article that he enjoys the encounters. He is doing this on purpose.
I got a lot of attention on a trip of mine. People would walk up to me at gas stations to ask about mt my trip and it was super cool.
However we interacted as equals and I was free to refuse the conversation or end it when I wanted. I was free to set boundaries.
I would not feel the same if stopped by cops.
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#45Discussion yesterday (168 points, 92 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48601420
I missed that, which is a pity as it's a fruitful story and I must have slipped up as it looks quite a-peeling. Certainly I clicked on this story as it stood out from the bunch.
These cops using their authority to stop him is a bit of a slippery slope. If he's too tired to humour this monkey business, he can't just peel off.
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
He's calling the adventure "The World Needs More Whimsy Grand Tour." Sometimes it's ok to have fun. Nobody drives a big banana thinking they're not going to attract attention. It's part of the fun and whimsy.
You have a point, but stopping a car as a police officer is a much less consensual interaction than having a quick chat at a red light. It's a very forceful way to have a friendly conversation.
squints have you met any police?
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#47> Often officers simply wanted photographs. Other times they invented reasons to start a conversation. Who knew that abuse of privilege could be fun! But then I think it's only natural that the LEOs of a banana republic would feel a magnetic attraction to a giant banana.
He's calling the adventure "The World Needs More Whimsy Grand Tour." Sometimes it's ok to have fun. Nobody drives a big banana thinking they're not going to attract attention. It's part of the fun and whimsy.
Cops pulling someone over is never "fun and whimsy".
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll happily live in a world where this is the extent of police authority abuse.
If you tolerate small abuses, and let people get accustomed to abusing their power in small meaningless ways, the abuses will only grow.
I can assure you, pulling over the banana stand is not the road to death camps. The death camps are.
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wanting to attract attention and wanting to be constantly interrupted by law enforcement are not the same thing. This is the "well if she didn't want to be raped, she shouldn't have worn that skirt!" argument, and it doesn't look any better here.
He said that he enjoys it. Why not just let him have fun in his banana car if he wants to? HN commenters seem to be the only people upset about this. He specifically said that he enjoys the banter and photo-ops with the police.
Because no one is allowed to have fun, obviously.
Re: Giant Banana Pulled Over: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s of Times
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
He's calling the adventure "The World Needs More Whimsy Grand Tour." Sometimes it's ok to have fun. Nobody drives a big banana thinking they're not going to attract attention. It's part of the fun and whimsy.
Cops pulling someone over is never "fun and whimsy".
Not saying I enjoy it. Not saying that I’d drive a giant banana either. But if I saw a police car, pull over a giant banana, I would think it was hilarious. That’s the definition of whimsy.