My good friend Robert C. Benchley, the genial humorist who died 12 years before I was born, told me over lunch today there actually is something he loathes, people who feel a need to speak on your behalf when you’re perfectly able to do so yourself. He notes that often times the irksome matter is something that is not a bother — or you would have spoken up — but the helper is trying to show strength by appointing himself as spokesman. Here is how Mr. Benchley puts it:<\/p>\n
“They represent the worst element in our civilization — the Brother’s Keeper.”<\/p>\n
Actually Mr. Benchley in the early 1930s essay “Awake, Awake,” was referring to houseguests who are cheery early risers while their host is neither. Context gets in the way, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n
Today’s Wall Street Journal<\/em> finds people complaining about the quietness of hybrid cars. The battery in them takes over when the car idles so at intersections it is possible that blind pedestrians may walk into a Toyota Prius or Honda hybrid. Their drivers naturally would stop, honk or swerve if they saw a person in front of them, especially if the white cane was present.<\/p>\n The cars have been sold in America since 2000. The article notes that police and insurance have no statistics on whether gas-electric hybrids have struck or killed any blind people these seven years, but we do have anecdotal close-shaves. In a case noted, the guide dog noticed the semi-electric car. Arf!<\/p>\n Fortunately, the Journal<\/em> found an advocacy group to quote:<\/p>\n “The National Federation of the Blind … says all hybrid vehicles should emit a sound while turned on and is calling on the auto industry to make changes. The group says the sound should be loud enough to be heard over the din of other ambient noise.”<\/p>\n Drivers are obligated to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Drivers have horns. Hybrids’ very quietness demonstrates their energy efficiency. Artificial noise at already noisy intersections is absurd. We can see now the NFB calling for noisemakers to be added to the shoes of joggers and wheels of bicycles.<\/p>\n If Mr. Benchley were alive to hear about this, why I imagine he would order another drink. -30-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My good friend Robert C. Benchley, the genial humorist who died 12 years before I was born, told me over lunch today there actually is something he loathes, people who feel a need to speak on your behalf when you’re perfectly able to do so yourself. He notes that often times the irksome matter is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-body-home-street"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2898,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2011\/07\/paneling-for-the-benchley-den\/","url_meta":{"origin":279,"position":0},"title":"Paneling for the Benchley Den","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"July 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"This column also was published in the July 2011 newsletter of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Once again, an NSNC columnist conference astounded its audience with information and fun. The June 23-26 session in Detroit catered to would-be and published book writers, gave fresh tips to free-lancers (and in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "I'm Your Vehicle, Detroit"","block_context":{"text":"I'm Your Vehicle, Detroit","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/nsnc\/detroit-2011\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2263,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2010\/10\/but-seriously-folks\/","url_meta":{"origin":279,"position":1},"title":"But Seriously, Folks","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"October 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The following is my column for the October 2010 edition of the monthly newsletter of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Defining and analyzing humor is a pastime of humorless people.\" -- Robert Benchley To avoid betraying my idol, Mr. Benchley, I'll rationalize. This is not analysis but a lesson\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Course of Words"","block_context":{"text":"The Course of Words","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/course-of-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3986,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/11\/well-meaning-writers-target\/","url_meta":{"origin":279,"position":2},"title":"Well Meaning Writers a Target","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The essay by Angie Albright, \"Blogging IS Real Writing,\" posted Nov. 28, 2012, at Arkansas Women Bloggers, impressed me and, judging from social media reactions, many of my fellow scribes. It follows exactly from the title, an apologia for the form. I agree, blogging is writing, but skip the defensive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":420,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2008\/04\/hydrangea-sweet-bird-of-youth\/","url_meta":{"origin":279,"position":3},"title":"Hydrangea, Sweet Bird of Youth","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"April 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This tale is in honor of Robert Benchley, on account of the day. For those of you who don't know much about him, Benchley's nickname in his Hollywood days was Dick Cheney. Copyright 2008 Ben S. Pollock DATELINE MIRTHOLOGY -- Saturday I rushed into the yard for some early spring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Body, Home, Street"","block_context":{"text":"Body, Home, Street","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/body-home-street\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3921,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/11\/brick-endorses\/","url_meta":{"origin":279,"position":4},"title":"Brick Endorses …","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I don\u2019t get this stuff about sports\u00adman\u00adship. You play to win, don\u2019t you? Say I\u2019m play\u00ading short and Mother is on first and the bat\u00adter sin\u00adgles to right. Mother comes fast around sec\u00adond with the win\u00adning run \u2014 Mother will have to go down. 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