Hitchhiking Should Be Cool Again

Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker?

I don’t think I ever have, but then again, I feel like I might have done so uneventfully in college. Obviously the stereotype is to gasp is horror at the mere mention of giving a ride to a complete stranger sticking his thumb up on the side of the road…. but are the chances of a violent crime all THAT high?

READ HOW THE CARDINALS ARE PISSIING AWAY PUJOLS PRIME

Wikitravel describes hitchhiking as “one of the cheapest ways to travel” and “a great way to meet new friends”. They also tell us that “People who do pick up hitchhikers tend to be very friendly.”

I’m friendly? Why aren’t I picking up more hitchers?

Probably because I’m a little anal retentive about the cleanliness of my car. To be honest, hitchers don’t really scare me. Most of the time they’re gaunt and weak- so thrashing their faces if they get out of line wouldn’t be an issue. But the dirty bags and (usually) worn fatigues would be a huge issue I’d have to overcome.

I’d probably just end up being resentful about the whole deal and not patting myself mentally on the back for do-gooding. Then I’d spend like 5 bucks on vacuuming and air freshening my car so the whole thing is kind of a loss-leader.

READ HOW THE RAMS ARE STL’s PROBLEM CHILD

On the other side of this, I’d like to think that if I ever needed to hitch a ride, people would be lining up to get me in their ride.

NOOOOO! Pick MEEEEEE! They would holler from their windows while lining up on the median to take me to my destination. I would choose the lucky driver and disappoint at least 5 other car operators missing out on the chance to win my affection.

If anyone ever passed me up- I’d be pisssssssed. You asshole! Do you not know how awesome I am? I’m doing you a favor by giving you the opportunity to shuttle me to and fro. Asshole.

I guess the moral of the story is that hitchhiking needs to come back into the public conscience as an acceptable form of public transportation like busses, taxis and subways. Plus the word hitchhiking… that’s just cool as shit.

If you have a story about hitchhiking, please post it in the comments. I’d love to get some feedback about this truly American institution.

On to the Friday Links…

• 20 ways to open a beer bottle without an opener. LINK HERE
• Top 10 moives set or filmed in St. Louis. LINK HERE
• St. Louis criminals are torching homes to collect vintage brick. LINK HERE (HT: JB)
• I’m sure those are some sort of food I’d never eat, but man, that guy. LINK HERE
• It’s just going to be one of those years for the St. Louis Rams. LINK HERE
• You will NOT use your apple products as this museum! LINK HERE
• I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: God Bless The Onion. LINK HERE

That’s it. That’s the post. Remember that if you want to bitch at any writer in particular, to use the right hand sidebar and contact them directly. Gives you the chance to interact with your favorite writers and me a chance to not forward on their hate mail.