It's about time! I have been a curmudgeon about this ever since I saw my first "To the left, to the left / Passing only in the lane to the left."
Not only are these signs not that funny, but they're likely to be confusing to lots of people -- immigrants, the elderly, those who aren't up on pop culture and have no idea that it's a nod to a Beyoncé song. Road signs should be clear and direct.
Traffic officials should save their lame attempts at humor for their social media accounts.
these are not the ONLY signs. They’re signs that usually are used for showing construction or travel times or burn bans or other weird things the government wants to convey.
“Immigrants” aren’t stupid, and despite what some might think, do have the full ability to engage in normal human behaviors like humor.
Edit: I think some of you are confused about this story. This has nothing to do with the normal road signs that are meant to be used for navigation etc. These are things which are usually blank, and sometimes turned on for information about road construction or things like that: https://www.kbtx.com/2024/01/17/no-joke-feds-are-banning-fun...
Some people in the DOT realized they could put something kind of funny on them to encourage people to do stuff like wear their seatbelts, or not speed, or put messages discouraging drunk driving.
The person you’re responding to is talking specifically about the 'funny' signs, not the "signs that usually are used for showing construction or travel times or burn bans or other weird things the government wants to convey."
> “Immigrants” aren’t stupid, and despite what some might think, do have the full ability to engage in normal human behaviors like humor.
Nobody's saying they're stupid or don’t have a sense of humor, just that they may not have the cultural prerequisites to immediately understand certain jokes. Especially in a medium that is terrible for telling jokes.
I don’t think the implication was that immigrants are stupid or unable to engage in humor, but rather that English might not be their native language and that they may not be as familiar with pop culture references.
> do have the full ability to engage in normal human behaviors like humor.
Sure, nobody is saying they are here. What we are saying is that it can be likely that it would take someone who is ESL more time to parse humor or a joke, or the elderly, or even those with English as a first language. That time is best _not_ spent while you're operating a multi thousand pound weapon down a highway at 70MPH, where reaction times are a must and this is distracting.
I am immigrant, and I like "stupid" simple messages. Renting car, driving car in strange environment, dealing with speed limits, road signs in foreign language, new weather like snow... It is all already pretty stressful.
I really do not care about your stupid local humor while driving. I do not follow TV or pop music. I do not get the "references". The same way you would not get Chinese humour.
> "To the left, to the left / Passing only in the lane to the left."
I would probably read only the first part, and assume right lane is closed. Or even worse, I would be like "oh shit they drive like in UK"!!!!
The Beyoncé example is maybe not well known enough, but most of the time something that makes you smile is good: it's easier to remember an idea from a catchy funny phrase than a generic administrative wording.
At least those seem to be additional signs, they add some information, they don't provide main/mandatory/security information.
>Same reason I dislike google doodles; not only am I not up on pop culture, I very much don’t want to be.
"I don't own a TV"
Google doodles are hardly "pop culture"; they often honour scientists, artists etc. The point is to raise awareness. Seems like a strange thing to outwardly "dislike".
They ought to ban overly long messages that require being broken up into multiple flashing parts, or any other flashing of the signs, or any overly bright luminence of the signs.
I've seen so many traffic jams caused by flashing signs, overly bright signs that get too much attention, or multi part messages that people get distracted by.
"hands on the wheel, not your meal" is concise & slogans have a ring to them, there's a reason political campaigns want simple slogans to stick in someone's mind
> “Why are you trying to have the federal government come in and tell us what we can do in our own state? Prime example that the federal government is not focusing on what they need to be.”
My guy, you're welcome to decline Federal highway funding.
In practical terms this is like saying "you're welcome to decline food". Part of the argument for limiting federal government in the first place is to prevent this kind of arm twisting.
> In practical terms this is like saying "you're welcome to decline food".
And that's true. Federal road funding for highways comes with some specific regulations and conditions, on signage, minimum bridge heights, etc. To extend the food analogy, if someone's gifting you free food, it's probably a bit rude to complain you don't like the parsley garnish.
> My guy, you're welcome to decline Federal highway funding.
Everyone keeps blathering about "states rights"... but these have been moot ever since the Minimum Drinking Age Act, in which the federal government got its way by what is essentially extortion [1].
No, you're not free to decline conscription. You'd go to jail.
Similarly, "free speech" doesn't mean you can't be fired for it, but it does mean you can't be criminally punished for it. Nothing in the Constitution requires the Federal government to pay for a state's highways.
Some states declined the ACA's Medicaid expansion, at great cost to their citizens. I'd fully expect some to do the same with UBI if administered in similarly state-managed but Federally-funded fashion.
Readit News
Not only are these signs not that funny, but they're likely to be confusing to lots of people -- immigrants, the elderly, those who aren't up on pop culture and have no idea that it's a nod to a Beyoncé song. Road signs should be clear and direct.
Traffic officials should save their lame attempts at humor for their social media accounts.
And honestly, a little humour shouldn't be worrying.
“Immigrants” aren’t stupid, and despite what some might think, do have the full ability to engage in normal human behaviors like humor.
Edit: I think some of you are confused about this story. This has nothing to do with the normal road signs that are meant to be used for navigation etc. These are things which are usually blank, and sometimes turned on for information about road construction or things like that: https://www.kbtx.com/2024/01/17/no-joke-feds-are-banning-fun...
Some people in the DOT realized they could put something kind of funny on them to encourage people to do stuff like wear their seatbelts, or not speed, or put messages discouraging drunk driving.
> “Immigrants” aren’t stupid, and despite what some might think, do have the full ability to engage in normal human behaviors like humor.
Nobody's saying they're stupid or don’t have a sense of humor, just that they may not have the cultural prerequisites to immediately understand certain jokes. Especially in a medium that is terrible for telling jokes.
Sure, nobody is saying they are here. What we are saying is that it can be likely that it would take someone who is ESL more time to parse humor or a joke, or the elderly, or even those with English as a first language. That time is best _not_ spent while you're operating a multi thousand pound weapon down a highway at 70MPH, where reaction times are a must and this is distracting.
I really do not care about your stupid local humor while driving. I do not follow TV or pop music. I do not get the "references". The same way you would not get Chinese humour.
> "To the left, to the left / Passing only in the lane to the left."
I would probably read only the first part, and assume right lane is closed. Or even worse, I would be like "oh shit they drive like in UK"!!!!
At least those seem to be additional signs, they add some information, they don't provide main/mandatory/security information.
But something that keeps drivers’ eyes on the road is safer. It’s a trade off: a minor increase in excitement for a minor decrease in safety
Deleted Comment
Same reason I dislike google doodles; not only am I not up on pop culture, I very much don’t want to be.
"I don't own a TV"
Google doodles are hardly "pop culture"; they often honour scientists, artists etc. The point is to raise awareness. Seems like a strange thing to outwardly "dislike".
- What is "right of way"?
- Would a Beyoncé reference confuse you while driving?
I've seen so many traffic jams caused by flashing signs, overly bright signs that get too much attention, or multi part messages that people get distracted by.
> “Why are you trying to have the federal government come in and tell us what we can do in our own state? Prime example that the federal government is not focusing on what they need to be.”
My guy, you're welcome to decline Federal highway funding.
And that's true. Federal road funding for highways comes with some specific regulations and conditions, on signage, minimum bridge heights, etc. To extend the food analogy, if someone's gifting you free food, it's probably a bit rude to complain you don't like the parsley garnish.
Everyone keeps blathering about "states rights"... but these have been moot ever since the Minimum Drinking Age Act, in which the federal government got its way by what is essentially extortion [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_...
My guy you're free to decline conscription and impressment and the draft. You'll just end up dead or in jail!
Similarly, "free speech" doesn't mean you can't be fired for it, but it does mean you can't be criminally punished for it. Nothing in the Constitution requires the Federal government to pay for a state's highways.
Wait until you see what happens if universal basic income becomes a thing.