What Would You Do? Oppo Edition!!

"PatBateman" (PatBateman) 07/21/2020 at 16:21 • Filed to: What Would You Do?, Car Show, STOP READING MY TAGS

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Imagine, for a moment, that you live in a nice quiet suburban subdivision just outside a major top five city. It’s still being built out, with new homes and commercial sites (read: upscale strip malls) both just completed and still under construction. There are a few VERY large business parks that have several big box stores, with mall-sized parking lots, and there are a couple of smaller store fronts with a few hundred parking spots. A sleepy area, with most people getting on the neighborhood FB page to complain about dog poop on their lawn being the most exciting of discussions .

This area is also a hot spot nationally for new COVID cases, with mask orders and the banning of all gatherings larger than 10 people in place .

Now, on a Saturday night, imagine that one of those smaller store front parking lots being suddenly filled BEYOND CAPACITY by several hundred cars, with several hundred people from said top five city (read as: NOT from our area) wandering the parking lot, mostly without masks. An Instagram-promoted illegal car show, in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, with the top demographic that have been shown to be surging in new cases (20s-30s, males).

So, Oppo, I ask you this:  

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Would you call it in to the county Sheriff’s Department to have them drive over and break it up?

Would you consider that to be a “snitch” and just ignore it, despite cars leaving the meet and driving at LEAST 80-90 MPH in 40 MPH speed limit zones (on streets lined with sidewalks, through intersections that are normally locations of accidents at normal speeds)?

Would you take the current COVID-19 quarantine laws into consideration and insist that they be ticketed because they’re the reason why this second wave is occurring ?

Or would you do nothing and ignore it?

Give your answer and use a couple of sentences to explain your position. Others might ask some questions, be prepared for a courteous defense.

MonkeePuzzle > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:27

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worse than being a “snitch” is another 3 months in lock down.

send em home. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:29

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you know.....its been a really long time since there was a mass shooting in a crowded place over there....

(yes im fucking joking....i’d probably do nothing...im tired and out of fucks)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:30

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My first take is live and let live. BUT I do not condone street racing that can and will have an effect on people not involved in the car meet. I’d call that in, I have no sympathy for people doing 80 mph o n a 40 mph commercial district street.

SiennaMan > MonkeePuzzle 07/21/2020 at 16:32

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This is the correct answer.   When I looked at the picture, before reading the whole question,  my first thought was "setup a rally stage"..  

For Sweden > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:32

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Snuze: Needs another Swede > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:33

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I think i f they were being courteous I’d probably just leave them alone, but I’d call the police if they were raising hell (which it sounds like they were with the unsafe driving, etc.)

PatBateman > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/21/2020 at 16:34

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Just to be clear: the stree ts with the 40 zones go through the residential areas. There are two of them that go through the ‘hood.  The rest are 30 zones.

Ash78, voting early and often > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:35

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Calling the cops on 10 kids in a mall parking lot would be snitching.

This is civic duty.

I’m telling you, I just don’t get why the message of “You can have your ‘freedoms’ back if you don’t f*ck this up!” hasn’t gained more traction. If people want to see what oppression really looks like, let’s just let COVID get 10x worse than it is now.

feather-throttle-not-hair > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:37

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I mean, i’d probably put on a mask, walk down there and then check out people’s cars while staying the hell away from any of those little pockets of people.

That’s assuming i lived where the photo was being taken from. I would not under any circumstances have my car anywhere close to that, and if there were actual crowds (again, just going off the one photo) i’d avoid the whole thing.

I also don’t think calling the cops and having it shut down is particularly unfair. I mean, fuck these people overall. But selfishly i would want to see a few of their cars, because...i’m interested in cars.

PatBateman > Snuze: Needs another Swede 07/21/2020 at 16:38

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I drove by to see what was going on after the neighborhood FB page lit up with comments. Every spot was taken with a car, I could hear all the revving and cranked up music from inside my truck with the windows up.

I’m just happy that I don’t live in one of the houses that back up to that lot.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:38

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Honestly? I’d ignore it.

It’s all well and good to puff out our chests and say we’d go take on those punks single handedly, but the reality is, there’s probably no one on those sidewalks at night during a pandemic, and these yahoos are going to congregate some where no matter what , and it just happens to there that night.

Of course they shouldn’t be there, or in a group that large, or driving fast, or yada yada yada. Bu t they are and they’re going to be. We’ve all been young at some point and if I was 22, I’d probably be there too having a good time.

Let’s spend more time being worrie d about things we can control.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:38

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I was going to post a “vote from the rooftops” graphic but pretty sure I got put on a watch list while looking for the pic. Probably best I leave it alone.

PatBateman > feather-throttle-not-hair 07/21/2020 at 16:40

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To clarify: that’s not the actual meet up that I saw.  The parking lot that was used this past weekend is way smaller, and was far more packed.  There was one pocket of people: the entire lot.  

PatBateman > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: 07/21/2020 at 16:41

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Now I want to google image that.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:45

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Yeah. I think a car show * could* be a nice, socially distant, safe activity in these times . Being outsides apparently drastically cuts down on potential spread, and if everyone wore masks it would could be almost harmless.

But also screw people being jerks at these events , cranking up the music, speeding, street racing, etc.

PatBateman > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 07/21/2020 at 16:47

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I was 21 once as well. Luckily, it wasn’t during a global pandemic, in one of the hottest hot spots in the country.

One of my business partners has a 21 year old who went to a meet up like this in Austin. He then brought the ‘Rona home to his stepmother and sister. Like I said, in my area, positive COVID cases are surging and it’s mostly in Millennial men, because of shit just like this. It’s absolutely maddening, because while they’re experiencing light flu symptoms, their parents are getting put in the hospital.

I said all that to say this: I didn’t do anything, either.  I thought about calling the SO to break it up and to make sure that they aren’t using the roads around here as race tracks, but I didn’t.  

Tripper > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:48

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I’d call the local PD. However I’m even more likely to have turned off long before getting close enough to see what was going on. I’m assuming that you’d be able to see some sort of large gathering from far away during a time when no one is supposed to be out. I’m the type to be like, “I dunno wtf that is, but I know that it’s not for me.”

If I rounded the corner and saw it, or if there was recognizable danger from far away, I’d call the man.

PatBateman > Snuze: Needs another Swede 07/21/2020 at 16:49

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If everyone was wearing a mask, I very well might have gone IF they had rolled up to any of the LARGE strip mall parking lots on the exterior of the neighborhood.  But they didn’t, and it was packed, and young adults are invincible and don’t need to wear masks apparently.

nermal > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:52

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The bros have already done the same thing. The correct answer on a personal level is to choose to either join in the fun or GTFO.

No arrests or tickets unless people start rioting and breaking shit, or another Mustang plows thru a crowd.

Darkbrador > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:54

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I’d call the FBI and Detective Brian O’Conner ...

Taylor Martin > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:58

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I wouldn’t call it off, but I certainly wouldn’t go. As much as I like looking at cars, it’s not exactly worth being in large crowds. The only reason I wouldn’t call it off is because these kinds of people, the ones oblivious to the consequences, are just going to keep doing this kind of stuff no matter what. It’s just another reason for me to stay home and avoid stupidity.

If I lived in the neighborhood I’d certainly call in if they were causing a massive disturbance, which from your post/comments it sounds like they were. Being that obnoxious is just as selfish as not wearing a mask.

The cars look great from the picture, even if that isn’t the picture of the meet in question. I’ll keep browsing online and looking at my own car thank you.

jminer > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 16:58

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Snitch away! This comes from someone who’d normally shrug and walk away but right now those fuckers need dispersed !

My bird IS the word > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:07

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I’d attend. Being alive is for suckers.

Edit: I also have a nato spec NBC mask

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:17

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I think calling the cops is only snitching when it’s a victimless crime. Packing a strip mall while ignoring social distancing and mask guidelines is selfish, not to mention the pseudo stunting/street racing.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2020 at 17:19

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The eu roppos are back to car shows and this country is still d ucking around

MonkeePuzzle > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:26

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it appears to be a sniper situation

PatBateman > MonkeePuzzle 07/21/2020 at 17:29

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AH yeah that’s not what I was expecting.

My mind went to porn.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:30

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Just like a ton of other things going on right now, there’s no right answer to the questions. There’s a shit load of WRONG answers, but no right ones.

Luckily for me, I’m not 22 anymore either (not even close), so I also know not to go to meet ups and other stu pid things like that.

wafflesnfalafel > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:35

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Well, if you hesitated I guarantee a half dozen other folks didn’t and immediately called it in so it likely is a moot point.  I’ve only called the police for “disturbance” issues a few times and in every single case the local police folks have told me, oh yeah, a bunch of folks have called to report that already.”  I would call it in. Even completely regardless of the covid19 issue, you just can’t let your community be a target for that kind of thing.  If they come back next week because the police didn’t show this time and hit some kid while showing off, I would regret not calling the first time.

Future next gen S2000 owner > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:39

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I had this happen, to a lesser degree, at my old house. I went to bed.

smobgirl > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:42

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Roundabouts where I live, it wouldn’t matter what you did because the cops don’t give two shits about social media car meets and the routine street racing that follow. With that experience, I probably wouldn’t do anything. If I thought it would help I’d  call in the street racing though.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:44

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Go home and ignore it. The cops are going to show up anyways. It’s a matter of time.

Large gatherings with annoyingly loud cars get police attention fast anyways.

feather-throttle-not-hair > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 17:46

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In that case, fuck em. I probably wouldn’t call the cops myself, but I’d certainly support such an action.

Actually I might call them. I dunno, that sounds pretty awful.

onlytwowheels > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 21:29

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I know I would say something to someone that looks like the organizer of the gathering. I’d probably hold my phone up and say “the sheriff and state police are on their way!” I have used this tactic in several situations over the years. Usually people that are rational eventually get the message and disperse.

Would I actually make the call? Depends on the response I get.

If it stops the potential spread of covid and prevents illness or death, wouldn’t it be the right thing to do?

shop-teacher > jminer 07/21/2020 at 22:08

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My thoughts exactly.

shop-teacher > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 22:08

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I'd probably make the call. This is not the time for that shit.

Under_Score > PatBateman 07/21/2020 at 22:24

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Let them be. The biggest mistake is living in a city prone to natural disasters and flooding like Houston.

The media just talks about the events, camps, etc. that have lots of cases because it allows Gen X’ers and Boomers to dunk on millennials and Zoomers. It keeps people scared when they don’t need to be. If we lived in fear, some of y’all wouldn’t be driving rusty 80’s cars or eating rare meat.

There have been hundreds of thousands of young people going to beaches and parties without masks and social distancing that have been fine, and those around them have been fine, too. People who have stayed home and barely leave (wearing masks when they do) have picked it up, while people out and about all the time have not.

I agree with GTI guy. They’re young, they’ve likely had a social toll (jobs lost, schools online, recovering from places being closed in-person), and they just need a chance to enjoy each other. Some people may get sick, some may not. I was appalled by some of the things my peers did in college, but I’m now of the attitude “just let them be.” 

pip bip - choose Corrour > PatBateman 07/22/2020 at 03:45

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call the police

PatBateman > Under_Score 07/22/2020 at 08:15

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I don’t buy into media reports unless I see the raw corresponding data. I’ve seen the raw corresponding data, and review it daily: it’s Millennial male s that are driving new cases in my county. It’s not Boomers in their retirement homes, or over- 40 Gen Xers who have a hard on for dissing anyone that loves avocado toast and habitual brunch-eating . The data is real, and is irrefutable.

As far as Houston is concerned, we don’t have earthquakes (California), horrible blizzards (Chicago, New England), or constant tornados (Midwest); just some occasional flooding from storms blowing off the gulf and a robust economy that keeps attracting people from out of the state/country to live and work here.

¯\_()_/¯ 

Under_Score > PatBateman 07/23/2020 at 22:10

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Yeah, it’s tough. I’m in the Atlanta suburbs, but I only know of a couple people that got corona. I know there’s the worry of others catching it, but the good thing for young men like me & the guys in Houston is that corona may suck, but it’d suck like a cold or flu. Even having a runny nose or a cough sucks.

And you’re right about being better than California! That’s a place you have to wonder “what geographically brought people there?” I think the images of Harvey in Houston kind of tainted my view of the area (sorry). We rarely deal with natural disasters in Atlanta, so anytime a place deals with an issue (Midwest tornadoes, Houston hurricanes), I start to associate those places with natural issues. I guess we could say the same about NYC & Miami with corona.   I’m not scared of corona, but you bet I’m scared of the threat of natural disasters. Just the thought of having to pack & evacuate is scary to me, and I’m very thankful to have never had to do that.