Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for December 24, 2024

Yeah, Condensension always goes over so well.

PS. I poirpoisely mispelled a word or two. :)

I’m guessing there will be no Christmas-themed strip tomorrow. Or Hannukah-themed one the next day.

On sunny days I often wonder why don’t all those cars have matte finishes not blinding everyone.

The cars of the 1960’s were beautiful—long and streamlined, with “fishtail” fins. Then came the Arab Oil Embargo of the mid ’70’s, and cars became “compact”. Today, most cars are hybrid or electric, with LED headlights, so there’s far less need for Arab oil—but IMO, they’re as ugly as army tanks!

Sorry, kid, but these failures are too self-centered to care about others. They only care about their image and stroking their fragile egos. Fortunately, nowadays people have become aware of this and are working towards vehicles that are more planet friendly. Even EVs are becoming more favorable, but they feel the transition is too quick and just need it stretched out to better prepare for it. I agree with it. I fully support EVs as well but most households, cities, and roads are not accommodated for them very well or at all. We need to work on those first.

Well, at least they’ve made them less prone to rollover … and the turbocharged four cylinder engines they’re using make them more efficient. At any rate, the market has spoken – people like the taller driving position, ease of entry and exit, and the, yes, utility of an SUV.

What comes next is you get your EV keyed.

Yeah, our problem is we didn’t scold working people enough…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Making the world better one SUV-shaming ticket at a time. This is why she is my fav character of this strip.

Things that keep me from wanting or buying an SUV:1: Fuel and tire costs. Filling that big tank costs money $$$ My Buick takes 18 gallons, the average large SUV 25 or more, and much lower mileage I average 30. Filling up every 2 weeks is much nicer than every week. A new set of 15" tires every 3 years cost me $240. ONE tire for an SUV avg. $150-200+ and way up $$$$

2: Safety: That glaring blind spot in front, Not being able to see everything that is in front of me is a deal-breaker. That blind spot has killed many small children /pedestrians. It’s not worth the liability risk. Add rollover risks into the mix and you get a hard NO from me.4 wheel drive does mean you can drive in any conditions, i used to work in a ski valley and hardly a week went by when some moron rolled their SUV down the ravine, thinking it could handle the heavy snow (28 feet average a season!)

,3: Maintenance costs: Bigger vehicles means more wear on parts than a vehicle a mere 1000lbs lighter. Especially the transmission and suspension, which are susceptible to extra wear from being in a heavier vehicle.

4: Size, I drive to work during the week, BY MYSELF, we are a nation of single driver commuters, a giant vehicle for ONE person make absolutely no sense unless you are overcompensating for a physical/mental shortcoming. (Here’s a clue: the fact that WE SEE YOU driving one means "We know what’s really up and are pointing and LAUGHING at YOU " I know I certainly am! And although I am not contributing as much to global warming as you are, I’d rather not join the herd in making it worse.

Alex doesn’t mention it, but there’s also that warm, satisfying feeling of having rammed her superiority up somebody’s nose again.

“Merry Christmas, honey! I sold my watch to buy you a Cadillac Escalade!”“And I shaved my head bald to buy you a Chevrolet Suburban.”“Cool!”

Sorry, honey, what comes next is most likely littering.

Considering that SUVs are built on truck frames to take advantage of differences in safety standards, any claims of superior crash performance have serious flaws in their foundations.

Social warrior heal thy self.

A stinging rebuke from a selfish fellow citizen. Yeah, that’ll do something. I wonder how many pictures of herself ticketing she posted online.

Luxury cars of the 30’s had special trunk compartments to hold picnic hampers.

And does anybody out there know what a running board is?Anybody under 30,I mean

Yet no one dares to remove the SUV exception to gas mileage requirements. I lived in Marin where it was not uncommon to see near-empty, stopped school buses being passed by SUVs carrying one kid to school.

Buy electric. They can’t accuse you of gas guzzling. (Though some people are trying to make it even worse.)

Alix, stop wasting paper!

Ah, youthful naiveté

My electric company tries to shame me for using more than my neighbors. It is such crap, my 900 square foot house uses more than my neighbors 3000 square foot house? I went paperless on my billing, and they still mail me the efficiency crap, wasting paper and my time. And they charge me $ for environmental fees. More crap.

Com Ed should change their name to Commy Ed.

Glad it’s almost Christmas, ready to quiet down ! Happy Christmas Folks !

Clearly, this strip pre-dates hybrids by a couple of decades or more!

Today Alex is driving a Cybertruck to her daily hate Jews protest. Reminds me of the line, “Deadhead Sticker on a Cadillac”. Stop worrying about what others do, take care of yourself.

And then revenge.

Yeah…I’ll do all those things when you learn to dress like an adult and not a self-indulgent slob so….never mind.

Once upon a time. Now they go out and buy another SUV

She gives too much credit to the human race—and a Merry Christmas to you all.

Everyone needs a goal in life.

Idealism goes head on into egoism.

Once the thing is purchased and on the road, it’s too late for that, Alex. A polite leafleting at the entrance to the dealership, on the order of “Please bear in mind…” (but not the shouted abuse) at the abortion clinic, would have more hope of a hearing.