Author: George Helon

Today, more so than ever before, mobile phones are not only an essential part of peoples’ lives, but for some they are an extension of their lives; indeed for many more, mobile phones are their lives – they are glued to them 24/7!

For drivers a mobile phone in a vehicle is a wanton distraction, period!

Drivers using mobile phones to speak and text with others and checking their social media status and likes when driving are playing Russian roulette with the lives of everybody.

This past week I have been almost rear-ended on three occasions, rammed twice and cut-off at turns by distracted drivers more times than I can remember.

Thank God I have a crash-cam!

The high number of fatalities and carnage on our roads is a slaughter, not so much the result of sheer stupidity, unintentional mistakes, dumb carelessness, uneducated drivers, or ignorance of the law, but rather the culmination of calculated arrogance and a premeditated contempt for the law! Consequence, it seems, is little considered!

You have witnessed the bad behaviour of drivers on the road all too many times, and so to have I: young or old, man or woman, fully licensed driver or P-plater, truck driver, car driver, cab driver, tradie, lay person or professional, it makes no damn difference!

Driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fatigued, speeding, using a mobile phone, failing to give way to emergency vehicles, distracted, or just blatantly flouting the road rules, drivers just don’t get it – do they?

No matter how good a person thinks he or she is in handling a motor vehicle, other drivers can be unpredictable, erratic and impulsive.

Accidents will happen – it is only a question of when, not if, and as to whether a collision will result in just an accident, damage to life, limb or property, or fatalities?

The likelihood of serious accidents and/or fatalities on our roads is further compounded by reckless and culpable drivers.

Culpable drivers are known for their sheer audacity, arrogance for the rule of law, and wanton stupidity when it comes to them intentionally taking chances.

One only has to watch RBT (Random Breath Test) on the television to see the ludicrous and idiotic lengths that speeding, distracted, drunk, drugged and fatigued drivers will go to ‘avoid’ not only apprehension, but detection, roadside speed cameras, breathalyser and drug tests.

The extant premise of thought and action seems to be that “if I can see it, I can avoid it!”

And fortunately for many law-abiding road users, that “catch me if you can” mindset and stratagem adopted by culpable drivers is self-sabotaged by their predictable body language, diminished co-ordination skills, reduced reflex responses, glazy eyes and impaired intelligence; all of which are no match against the training, wits and diligence of our police service.

Drivers just don’t get it; they openly flout the law, laugh at the penalties and joke about losing points – their bravado knows no limits.

Using a mobile phone when driving is illegal, everybody knows that and everybody (well most) understand the morality of right and wrong.

Tougher penalties need to be considered for drivers who continually give a finger to the law.

I am not talking stiffer fines and the loss of demerit points, I am talking about hitting drivers where it really hurts!

Drivers and front seat passengers caught using mobile phones should immediately be forced to surrender them for a period of at least seven days for a first offence, and so on.

Inconvenience is about all people understand, but sometimes you just have to be cruel to be kind.

Efficient communication devices, mobile phones were made to make our lives easier, whether by connecting people in an instant, banking, productivity, medical support, entertainment, or for social gratification; but yet in bringing us closer together, mobile phones have pushed us further apart as we have become so anti-social and care little of those more than a finger-tip away.

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 20 July 2020. Revised: 14 March 2025; 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 4 January 2022.

Ever noticed most animated and cartoon characters have only four fingers – well, three and a thumb?

The four finger rendering preference of animators is called the ‘four-finger aesthetic’.

Originally cartoon characters were hand-drawn with four fingers to save time, but more so money!

Online you can read various justifications and excuses for drawing cartoon characters with only four fingers: tradition, simplification, the characters are not human, the hardest part of the body to draw is the hand, efficiency of resources, etc.

But hand-drawn and painted cartoon animation has been eclipsed and made obsolete by the advent of digitally created 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI).

So this begs the question as to why Japanese anime characters are rendered with five fingers on each hand whilst animated sitcoms like The Simpsons continue to feature their characters with only four fingers?

Children with four fingers or missing limbs, through no fault of their own, are often the target of ridicule, they are demeaned, bullied – ostracised!

Given the producers of The Simpsons – Gracie Films and 20h Century Fox Television – recently caved in to criticisms of character and racial stereotyping by announcing that non-white characters will no longer be voiced by white actors, why do they continue to offend and mock the disabled, deformed and amputees like myself by continuing to render animated characters with four fingers?

Time for The Simpsons to finally grow-up and the producers to recognise that four-fingered cartoon characters are a tool for bullying and there is no place for them on our screens!

“D’OH!”

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 14 July 2020. Revised: 14 March 2025; 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 4 January 2022.