Wilding and hill jumping - fruit of the same poisonous tree -

[hedgehog]

Last week four young men were killed a mile from my house because they were "hill jumping" - racing a car to the top of a steep hill so it goes airborne at the crest. Two of the men were employed at chain sandwich shops. The other tow were unemployed. Among them , they had fathered at least five children. The oldest was 23. This is in a small city/rural area which has seen factory after factory close over the last 30 years.

Then I read about "wilding" in Chicago.

There are too many young people who have no opportunity to become self sufficient, self supporting adults. This is not to excuse bad behavior, but would we be seeing so much of it if everyone had a chance to at least get on the ladder and work their way up?

We don't need more guns on the street, we need real jobs!

[talkingmime]

1. 35 years ago I used to do something similar. I ran my 70 Maverick up the entrance...

... ramps to corn fields and went SERIOUSLY airborn into the corn. I just kept going, not knowing if there were trenches, or even when I would emerge. Usually a road just appeared before me and I made a sharp right turn. I think the mud helped. Then I'd spend the next few days pulling corn leaves out of the air filter and other engine parts.

I guess that was the 1970's verson of "wilding".

[hedgehog]

2. If it's not too instrusive, when and why did you stop?

[talkingmime]

3. Um, maturity? I also got married and had kids. I drive in a sane manner now.

Well, mostly. Sometimes I just can't help outrunning a loud go-cart in my Pontiac minivan just to humiliate the driver. Not often, but sometimes. I always win. Mostly I'm one of those polite drivers who wave people on at 4-way stops and let people into the lane when they need to, slow down so a truck can get in front of me on a highway, that sort of thing. I ran a CB for many years and I know how hard it is to change lanes in a truck with a shitload of assholes whizzing by.

But you know, when somebody is asking to be humiliated, nothing says humilation more than a minivan outrunning a go-cart with a spoiler on the back and a subwoofer bigger than the trunk. Some things just have to be done.