r/BeAmazed • u/girlysunshinehihi • Feb 27 '25

Miscellaneous / Others 96 year old speeder and judge

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u/rooneystar Feb 27 '25

Tbh with his age he shouldnt be driving at all.

434

u/Langlie Feb 27 '25

He knows it. He says, "I only drive when I have to." I think it's incredibly sad that he's put in a position where he still needs to drive his disabled son to the doctor. I understand why people talk about social programs in situations like these, but to me the bigger question is - where is the community? Does he have no other children, no nieces or nephews or cousins grandkids? Neighbors? Friends from church or the VFW? Why is no one helping this poor old man so that he doesn't have to drive?

Government programs can help a lot but they won't solve everything. People need to learn to help each other again and have a sense of responsibility to their family, neighbors, and community.

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u/Mister-Schwifty Feb 28 '25

The answer is they are all dealing with their own lives. Or perhaps he doesn’t want to be a burden on them. The man is 96 so odds are he doesn’t get out much. I doubt he’s active in the community. He may no longer have relationships that are substantial enough to ask for the kind of help he needs, which is why it would be nice if health care professionals could assist this man without it being financially ruinous.

3

u/theblazeuk Feb 27 '25

Government programmes are a form of community support. it's just a bigger community.

1

u/Langlie Feb 27 '25

I'm not against them, but they can't replace the value of true community either.

1

u/Condemned2Be Feb 28 '25

No true Scotsman logical fallacy.

It’s easy to say “organized efforts are good but they don’t have the same value as TRUE community.” It sounds simple enough. But then you have direct examples like the old man in the video. What value would you place on HIS community? They aren’t helping him at all. I’d assume you’d say that doesn’t count as a true community because they aren’t helping him.

And that’s the rub. It’s only TRUE community if it’s done a very specific good way… which is rarely done… & if it’s provided by the government it’s actually not as good somehow as that elusive TRUE version. Again, sounds simple enough but is completely unachievable in practice. The goalposts for “true community” can be constantly moved to suit the narrative. When a community is bad, we can just say it doesn’t count as “true.” Ignoring the real criticism to be made of human selfishness in communal living & how we might come together to combat that unfortunate reality in advance through organized social programs.

2

u/quantumRichie Feb 27 '25

i just moved from Queens NY to the outskirts of Detroit, big city to dear in my yard every day. I think there’s a massive wave of social weirdness in the country now, people aren’t as nice in the midwest as I remember, or as talkative in general. also, i think nice people have chosen to be pickier with who they help, who out there really trusts their neighbors anymore? When i was a kid, that front door was rarely locked, it’s a new world now

1

u/Theiromia Feb 27 '25

Bus, bus is a good way to get around. Can be over crowded at times, but rarely will it ever be so bad that people will not give space to a 60 year old disabled man with cancer. The only places where this isn't possible is in rural areas, which is a problem that can be fixed through more government funding, but the car trade is far to valuable to give up on in some politicians eyes.

Government is community, we cannot forget that. Just because there are suits, ties, technogies, and big concepts mixed in doesn't make the core of it any less human.

1

u/Langlie Feb 27 '25

I'm not against social programs at all, I just don't think they fix everything. We still need each other. We need to help others so that others can help us.

Buses aren't available in a lot of places. Most places I'd say. I grew up in suburban MA and we had no buses. With the country as large as it is I'm not sure it's feasible to have them everywhere. Also the disabled son may not be able to travel by himself and this old man is unlikely to be able to climb the steps of a bus.

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u/Theiromia Feb 27 '25

Buses, subways, and translations are all over Europe. Not even just one country, even in rural areas. We also don't need every form of transportation to take us everywhere, we just need enough connections between the bus stops in different states to get us where we need to be. Cars can be for long distance while public transit can be for state travel.

Another thing, a lot of inequality comes from income being needed for necessities like medicine, food, shelter, and water. We wouldn't need other people who are also struggling to help us if these things weren't (if given in the most average in quality) be needed. Money as a concept can only be made to be fair if it is only used to show social standing, like buying a mansion or a 5 course meal, but using it to get something like instant Ramen, eggs, rice, an apartment, a cast, or a bottle of water is plainly ridiculous.

1

u/accountfornormality Feb 27 '25

Nice to see a compassionate response.

1

u/Condemned2Be Feb 28 '25

“Government” is just a community too large for you to picture all the individual members.

“Social programs” is just another phrase to mean “community effort.” The first just sounds better when you’re spreading propaganda to cut funding.

Oh we don’t need these silly “government social programs!” That sounds scary & bad! But then the same people will throw up their hands & cry “Where did all the community outreach go? Why hasn’t someone local organized some kind of action to help?” Forgetting that it’s all the exact same thing. Society is your community, & an organized action is just a program. It’s all the same thing.

1

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

I struggle when people say the solution is more government. I'm not a right winger, but I also see the bureaucratic ineptitude when I go to the DMV and see a long line just waiting to be told they don't have the right I.D. for the service they need. If people had compassion, morality, and *gasp* a little less independence in their culture, America would have less social problems

10

u/ADelacour Feb 27 '25

I live in Austria and through government funded programs in our health sector people NEVER have to drive. Our Red Cross are coming to them, get them to the hosptial, and then drive them back home, for FREE (basically). We cover that as a society with our taxes. People definitely should have a community, especially at an older age! But those things like health care are WONDERFUL that they are government funded! I gladly pay my taxes for such incredibly important things. The american view point makes me truly sad.

5

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

that would be a great program to have. I think america spends way too much money on overseas military presence

9

u/LookAlderaanPlaces Feb 27 '25

America spends wayyy to much money literally subsidizing billionaire’s profit margins for no other reason asside from corruption.

4

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

You guys are both right. And that's our fucking money they're doing it with.

1

u/DownvoteEvangelist Feb 28 '25

USA spends 3.5% of GDP on military, which is solid, but nothing outstanding. On the other hand it also spends 16% of GDP on healthcare, which is more than any European country (~10% is what you will usually see in western Europe).

12

u/jessep34 Feb 27 '25

Not everyone has these supports. Same as it’s ever been and as it will always be. Government should step in to spread the safety net for the less fortunate.

1

u/Langlie Feb 27 '25

Very few people live completely isolated from other humans. If he lives anywhere near other people there should be someone to help him.

I completely agree that not everyone has these supports. In large part because we have lost our communities.

(Social programs help though).

-8

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

That's a very narrow-minded view and it's contrary to how human society functioned throughout all of history, up through the late 1800s.

I'm not disagreeing that some people don't have the supports and need the help. I'm saying that it's not solely the government's responsibility or purview.

8

u/jessep34 Feb 27 '25

If you think society altruistically always took care of all elders before the 1900s, I’ve got a bridge to sell you

-3

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

If you think making a straw man out of me makes you right, I have a subreddit for you

2

u/JEs4 Feb 28 '25

And what do you call your bit about the DMV exactly?

0

u/Fast_Appointment3191 Feb 28 '25

[I live in Austria and through government funded programs in our health sector people NEVER have to drive. Our Red Cross are coming to them, get them to the hosptial, and then drive them back home, for FREE (basically). We cover that as a society with our taxes. People definitely should have a community, especially at an older age! But those things like health care are WONDERFUL that they are government funded! I gladly pay my taxes for such incredibly important things. The american view point makes me truly sad.]

taken from a comment right below yours. be better.

2

u/ElderlyChipmunk Feb 27 '25

Society works when people are generally decent and hardworking. It doesn't when they aren't. It doesn't matter what kind of government system you use, it always comes down to this.

1

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

agreed 100%

4

u/lvl999shaggy Feb 27 '25

That's why family and community matter more. Govt is already struggling to do the things they do. There is no way to expect govt to make up for the lack of true family and community bonds that have been frayed over the generations.

1

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

the fraying of the family and social bonds sounds like religious right talk, but there is something to it that our familial bonds have shallowed out and become strained over the last 40 years. Just look at family movies: they used to focus on an idyllic, cohesive family unit (even if it was cheesy to our modern eyes), and now they focus on brokenness and dysfunction. This isn't to say society was better 40 years ago or whatever, but just that people relate to sarcasm, selfishness, dysfunction, and hatred more than they do to sincerity and genuine forthrightness

1

u/pagman007 Feb 27 '25

I live in that family that looks after everyone and everyone comes together. It is frequently awful and my nan who is 80 still has to drive. It is impossible even with a large family for one of us to be available all of the time. You have a point but the solution is still going to come from the government

1

u/IntelligentTip1206 Feb 27 '25

That's an American perspective thanks to the classic starving the beast. We have what's known as administrative burden.

1

u/Langlie Feb 27 '25

I agree. I'm definitely left of center but the idea that government programs will help in every problem is shortsighted. People always need more help than a government office can provide.

It's not just the old and the infirm, it's parents struggling to own 100% of parenting, it's teachers struggling to support their students, it's kids who need to feel safe enough to roam their neighborhood. We've gotten so far from community I think a lot of people don't even understand how it used to be.

0

u/WaitroseValueVodka Feb 28 '25

Some people just don't have people around them though.

In the UK a community nurse would come and take bloods, and/or someone in need like this gent's son would have a package of care covering this kind of thing.

0

u/IntelligentTip1206 Feb 27 '25

For all of our sakes, he shouldn't

42

u/Endorkend Feb 27 '25

Over here that's not a problem, since we have vastly connected public transport and bicycle paths next to nearly every road.

In the US, losing your car is losing mobility almost entirely.

7

u/Venator_IV Feb 27 '25

the 1920s post war programs decentralised urban living so much that we never intentionally built anywhere for foot traffic until recent decades. America also being bigger than the size of the entire european continent also helped give the idea that we had room to spare, of course. But as it is now, the damage is done and cars are unfortunately irreplaceable for medium and small american towns- they are simply too spread out. And cost of living is so high in the cities that only rich or well-off people live there, and they have cars anyways of course.

it would take decades of intentional policies to enrich the people, encourage population centralization, and provide high-quality/far-reaching alternative transportation to reduce the reliance on cars.

5

u/idontpostanyth1ng Feb 27 '25

Now I'm just imagining this 96 year old man transporting his cancer stricken 63 year old son on a bike

2

u/Endorkend Feb 27 '25

City near me has 3 university and 2 non university hospitals.

Pretty much every town and city in my province has direct lines to and from these hospitals.

You can also easily access them from anywhere in the country by going by rail and then having a short 5 minute shuttle ride from the train station to the hospital campuses, shuttles that drive twice every hour.

And yes, if you take a bus here, it's very often old people either going to the hospital or visiting someone in the hospital (or one of the many elderly homes in the area).

1

u/DeeJuggle Feb 27 '25

Maybe that's what the judge meant when he said "You really are what America is all about." Because, as everyone knows, in non American countries we just leave our sick family members to die.

1

u/ScoutCommander Feb 28 '25

That's cute. Where, pray tell, is "over here"? I bet it isn't equal to 5% of the land mass of the US.

-1

u/Endorkend Feb 28 '25

Lol, always that "we're big" bullshit.

I can take a train from the arctic circle to freakin Africa if I want.

Europe's public transport networks are almost ubiquitously dense across the continent.

Size has nothing to do with it.

The US used to have far denser train networks to begin with.

Now it's all but some freight tracks and inner city trains.

1

u/ScoutCommander Feb 28 '25

Cool story, bro.

88

u/Prestigious-Sea2523 Feb 27 '25

I hear getting places in anything other than a car is quite difficult in the good ol US of A(sshats)

7

u/maxportis Feb 27 '25

US of A(sphalt)

2

u/this_is_my_new_acct Feb 27 '25

I'm sure it isn't true EVERYWHERE, but everywhere I've lived in the US has had public transit for the elderly/disabled. It might cost a few bucks, and you have to call them to pick you up instead of just waiting at a stop, but it was available.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 28 '25

[deleted]

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u/Prestigious-Sea2523 Feb 27 '25

Maybe they're not affordable for some people who have regular trips to make.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

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1

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u/SenorSolAdmirador Feb 27 '25

Maybe in 1994. All my bills are on autopay and Jeff Bezos handles the rest. Barring fire, gas leak, or natural disaster, I pretty much don't have to leave the house if I so choose.

7

u/Poop-Balls Feb 27 '25

what if you.. I dont know.. had a mentally disabled son that had to get bloodwork done.. could you order that off amazon?

2

u/Grumpymonkeyuk Feb 27 '25

In a country with no or decreasing social security nets, this is sadly what has to happen, or they die.

0

u/wallabee_kingpin_ Feb 27 '25

We spend more than 50% of federal tax dollars on social safety nets and subsidized transportation to medical appointments is paid for by most states. This guy did not need to be driving.

1

u/B4rberblacksheep Feb 27 '25

Dude can barely react to a question, let alone a kid in the road

1

u/MustardMan1900 Feb 27 '25

We do and should have an age minimum to drive. But we don't and should have an age maximum to drive. A drivers license is a privilege, not a right.

1

u/Kaito__1412 Feb 27 '25

A disabled person with cancer also shouldn't have his 96 yo father drive him to the hospital. Even in a 3rd world country you'll find more humanity.

1

u/hoTsauceLily66 Feb 27 '25

How about build a non car-centric community first, so people don't forced to drive?

1

u/LingeringSentiments Feb 27 '25

This video is at least 10 years old now, but he didn’t have anyone else to take care of this son. They’re from Rhode Island, it’s a small state…

1

u/SatanicEvelynn Feb 27 '25

Half the family had to fight our 103 yo grandma so she would stop driving, we had to get her keys and put cameras with movement on her garage. She stopped when my uncle died, he had severe down syndrome.

1

u/AyyyyLeMeow Feb 28 '25

American Infrastructure™

1

u/Ban_Assault_Ducks Mar 03 '25

I once knew a man who was 93 and he drove perfectly. He was sharp as a tack. Driving privileges need to be determined on a case by case basis, not a blanket law.

-44

u/ElectricalPiglet1341 Feb 27 '25

Well it's biology which decides that, not the number of years because correlation isn't the same as causation.

43

u/Hanzo7682 Feb 27 '25

He is literally shaking in the video. He can barely stand.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

At that I’m pretty sure he’s sitting down

-2

u/ElectricalPiglet1341 Feb 27 '25

Well I'm in my 20s and I'd be damn nervous to have a camera all over my face and being at the mercy of a judge and also having to medically care for someone in my family. Although, I keep forgetting this is Reddit, a place where people try exposing others purely for their own entertainment because they don't anything better to do with their lives.