[PRCo] Re: Too Nostalgic?

[James B. Holland]

> Matt Barry wrote:
>
>> No.  Not "way too much."   The webmaster of the site has an obvious 
>> leaning towards the motorization of Pittsburgh public transit.
>> And typically, anyone who didn't like the streetcars, brings up the 
>> subject of how they didn't mix well with other traffic.  So, while I 
>> may have over-reacted to the caption, I reacted based on the rest of 
>> Shawn's website.
>> And I am more nostalgic about the lines, than technically astute 
>> about mechanics of the cars, etc. 
>

             Been mulling this over, Matt, and see another side 
here.       Not challenging your observations i.e. this website, but 
lets just take that one photo caption alone:::::::       '''17xx fights 
its way through traffic.'''       This can be an extremely positive 
statement!       In other words, rather than shrinking from the 
challenge at hand the TrolleyCar is faithfully performing its duty in 
the face of overwhelming odds and is thus  '''Fighting Its Way Thru 
Traffic!'''       Thank Goodness For That TrolleyCar!

             I definitely understand your second statement    ----    
people who don't like TrolleyCars use traffic to downplay the 
cars.       And we can become conditioned to that so when we hear 
certain words we automatically think the other party is talking against 
TrolleyCars when that may not be the case.       Let me give a very 
specific example.

             I personally know someone who reacted negatively when 
around people who were laughing and having a good time  -- just normal 
folks, not intoxicated, but enjoying each others company and also 
laughing.       He avoided these situations like a plague.       He 
finally connected this to a childhood experience  --  he was seldomly 
included in family life, would be assigned chore after chore after chore 
at home all the while hearing the other members of the family laughing 
and enjoying each other!       He wasn't allowed to join in the laughter 
and developed a negative reaction to the same over time.       Once he 
realized this he was able to outgrow his fear of people laughing!       
Unfortunately, I know of another similar situation that is being played 
out right now  --  father remarries and step mother abhors #1 son.       
But son is older and may survive this more successfully.

             Laughter, which should be joyous, triggered an opposite 
reaction by conditioning.       And we are conditioned by people always 
using  '''fighting traffic'''  negatively so that when we hear those or 
similar words in relation to trolleycars we automatically think someone 
is speaking negatively of the Trolleys.

             My impression of Shawn is that his website relates his work 
experience  --  he probably started on buses and then went to 
trolleycars and doesn't really know or understand trolleycars but wants 
to share his experience.       But personally, because of other problems 
at the site, I really don't like it much and don't pay much attention to 
it.       Hope that lifts some of the negativity from this site for you, 
Matt!! :-)


Jim__Holland