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posted by n1 on Monday August 25 2014, @12:27AM   Printer-friendly
from the money-to-burn dept.

Conspicuous Conservation, the ostentatious display of objects that mark a person as eco-friendly, has become popular over the recent decade, with example of wealthy people making a point of being seen driving a Prius, putting solar panes in silly places and even wearing shoes "suggesting" you worked on the BP oil spill cleanup.

On the opposite side of the coin we are starting to see some rather deplorable examples of Conspicuous Pollution, the most flagrant of which is called "Rollin Coal".

These kids, (they are almost always 20 something rural guys) will spend anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 modifying their pickups for the sole purpose of belching huge clouds of black exhaust; adding smoke stacks and smoke switches (which either trick the engine into thinking it needs more fuel, or dump diesel fuel directly into the exhaust manifold).

This is not just a handful of guys. Elizabeth Kulze posted an article with links to “an entire subculture” on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram. “It’s just fun,” one coal roller says. “Just driving and blowing smoke and having a good time.”

 
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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @02:10PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @02:10PM (#85331)

    Being an owner of a BMW I can safely tell you some of what you say is true. It however is not the BMW that does it. I see this happen many times to people who had little to no money suddenly get it. They equate wealth with that they are better. What you are describing is an entitlement attitude. Having a BMW just means you have the money to buy one. The being a dick was already there you just didnt have the money to do it. I have seen soccer moms loose their cool over a hamburger that had onions on it and their snowflake 'cant have onions'. The funniest one I saw was some lady who screamed out 'dont you know who my husband IS'.

    HOWEVER, my previous car was a chevy. Once I got the BMW I noticed something *very* odd. Everyone around me drove much more aggressively. As in 'are you aiming for my car or something?' I am constantly challenged. People constantly ride my ass. People constantly cut me off. People get to the light and rev their engine like they want to prove that some 70s 440 charger can smoke the tires off a BMW. *every day* *multiple time a day* When I rent other cars this attitude 'goes away'.

    Priuses, like BMWs and Audis, are one of those cars that scream, "My driver is a douchebag!"
    You know what makes for a good up and coming 'douchbag'. Someone who makes sweeping generalizations about everyone to make themselves feel superior to someone else.

    My BMW took me 10 years to buy and I have had it for 10. It really is a better car for day to day use. I have drove just about every other kind of car out there. Most cars made in the US are cheaply made (3 chevys, 4 fords experience talking here, 2 toyotas). They put this crazy awesome engine with a decent drivetrain then shelack a layer of plastic on it that breaks in 3-4 years (usually just out of warranty).

    Unfortunately it costs a fortune. On top of that I have to deal with dickheads like you who have something to prove. Unfortunately that 'something to prove' is jealousy. I earned my car. Please keep your sweeping generalizations to yourself.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @04:03PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @04:03PM (#85362)

    > Everyone around me drove much more aggressively.

    I've been considering purchasing a low-miles used BMW (a 2010 335D) and if I do, plan is to debadge it so there are no visible logos and then swap out the famous "kidney grill" for one that is matte black except for a small piece of chrome that goes around both kidneys, the effect being to make it not obviously a BMW. I might even put a honda or volkswagon badge on it just to help preserve the illusion. When you get down to it, sedans of all brands are pretty generic. Debadging won't fool a fan, but those guys are unlikely to have a grudge at BMW drivers. For everyone else, it ought to blend into the background as just another unremarkable 4-door car.

  • (Score: 2) by M. Baranczak on Monday August 25 2014, @07:13PM

    by M. Baranczak (1673) on Monday August 25 2014, @07:13PM (#85426)

    The nice thing about all the rich assholes buying new BMWs: they always have to have the latest shiny bling bling, so they get rid of their cars pretty quickly. Which means that you can get a used one pretty cheap. And these cars are actually really well made, so you can keep them running for a long time.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @07:55PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @07:55PM (#85438)

      Unfortunately BMWs have very high resale values. So cheap used ones are few and far between.
      Cheaper than new, definitely but the prices are inflated by brand loyalty.