I used to drive a 1991 Suzuki Cappuccino - a tiny right-hand drive kei sports car. The first couple of years I drove it, the police pulled me over on a regular basis - no tickets issued but lots of questions asked.
One time while I was waiting for a light, an officer knocked on my window (which is somewhat startling)... I rolled it down and he excitedly asked "What kind of car is this?!"
I'm presuming the original headline was some variant of "Giant Banana Pulled Over in Montana: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s Of Times" (originally submitted URL, since changed).
jacobgkau 5 hours ago [-]
Mainly because the colon from the original was omitted, imo.
alentred 5 hours ago [-]
> World Needs More Whimsy
100% that! When did everything get serious and look-alike? Anyway, I am taking off, shopping cart racing in the mall...
Henchman21 4 hours ago [-]
In the early 2000s the media ecosystem decided to re-tell every story, but darker & “grittier”. Then 9/11 happened and the darkness became permanent. It would be nice if we were coming out of that phase!
WJW 3 hours ago [-]
Oh don't worry, if history is any indication it shouldn't be much longer than 30-40 years from now. Basically 2 generations from the previous shift.
In the meantime, be the change you want to see! You don't have to be darker&grittier yourself just because the media ecosystem has decided that's where the current fashion is.
lubujackson 1 hours ago [-]
Straight out of Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go": https://a.co/d/0778Ou0A
If you are a parent of a small child, you will be amazed by the depth and fun of this book. I am always surprised it is not more commonly read.
init2null 5 hours ago [-]
Every time he gets pulled over for a selfie it's an abuse of power. If he can't ignore it, they shouldn't be doing it. Wait for a random encounter in a parking lot or gas station like the rest of us.
An illegal detention is still an illegal detention if it's being done nicely.
ssl-3 3 hours ago [-]
In one of the vaguely-parallel timelines, a defendant is being asked by a judge why they didn't pull over and responds with: "I thought they were going to try to give me an ice cream cone, and I'm lactose intolerant so I didn't stop."
x______________ 3 hours ago [-]
Finally! A nice story about cops pulling over a 23-foot banana motor vehicle for years without any consequence other than spreading joy to the people involved and years of fame!
No? You could also pull the public tax dollars spent card, or other crimes not being pursued while you're at it but it won't help sour the mood!
ceejayoz 3 hours ago [-]
> A nice story about cops…
This is not a nice story about cops.
andy99 3 hours ago [-]
Meh, you might technically be right but the world is better if everyone can have a bit of fun, even police. I’m not super sympathetic to the “I was minding my own business driving a giant banana when the police pulled me over to ask me about it” argument - this guy seems fine with it too, but it’s not like there’s any reason to drive it other than for the attention.
And the “I pulled you over because you peeled out” - I mean it’s fun. Anyway, if it’s harmless I don’t really see the problem.
ceejayoz 3 hours ago [-]
> the world is better if everyone can have a bit of fun, even police
Police have plenty of ways to have fun that aren't Fourth Amendment violations.
If you wanna give out free ice cream cones, station a cruiser with a sign saying so. People can come to you just fine, without the "what the fuck, why am I getting pulled over?!" worries. The banana guy at least has an inkling of why there are flashing police lights in his rearview, but that doesn't make it OK.
2 hours ago [-]
BoorishBears 3 hours ago [-]
No, they can't have fun this way.
If you mop floors and you have fun by twirling your broom and humming a tune, you're not affecting anyone.
If we give you a gun and the right to shoot people in the head and go home to sleep in your own bed, then we can ask you to lock in a little more than that and not pull over people because it's funny.
cj 3 hours ago [-]
Such a negative attitude is incredibly counterproductive.
You want police to have a positive presence in the community. Innocent engagement with a banana car helps with that, doesn't hurt.
ssl-3 17 minutes ago [-]
That sounds nice.
Over here in reality, when a man with a badge and a gun pulls people over for a bit of fun: Refusing to play along with whatever game it is that they have in mind is a criminal offense.
ceejayoz 3 hours ago [-]
> You want police to have a positive presence in the community.
Can they not pull up alongside and wave? Give a thumbs-up? Roll down the window?
BoorishBears 3 hours ago [-]
If being a positive presence in the community isn't enough incentive to be that, you don't deserve to be police.
And if that sounds hackneyed and like a ridiculous standard, you're damn right it is: we let them have outsized influence in our existence as otherwise free people. Their standard has to be a double standard.
cj 3 hours ago [-]
There's a lot of anger towards police coming through in your comments. It's just a banana car.
ceejayoz 3 hours ago [-]
It's a banana car that has been pulled over illegally hundreds of times.
2 hours ago [-]
BoorishBears 2 hours ago [-]
Yeah I'm a Black immigrant with a funny name, I have a lot of anger about what we tolerate of police vs what we should.
Are you under the impression all cops are known for is harassing banana cars?
58 minutes ago [-]
schmookeeg 2 hours ago [-]
I enjoyed this, in all of its silly big banana energy.
I have an overdeveloped anti-authority streak, and I did not like to read that he was pulled over so often, but... I mean... that surely isn't a surprise, right? It's almost like reverse entrapment of the officers :)
sixsided 4 hours ago [-]
ACAB (All Cops Appreciate Banana)
JackFr 4 hours ago [-]
If he were my Uber, I would tip so much.
pryelluw 2 hours ago [-]
I would love to be able to rent it out and have the guy drive me around. I would dress up like Donkey Kong, too.
nine_k 5 hours ago [-]
(1) Obtain a vehicle that commands attention. (2) Enjoy everyone's attention! (3) There's no point three.
functionmouse 5 hours ago [-]
The issue is false pretext
4 hours ago [-]
chiefgeek 3 hours ago [-]
I bought the ninth Mini Cooper in Illinois in 2002. My former wife got pulled over in Chicago. They just wanted to look at the car.
phyzome 3 hours ago [-]
Is this LLM-written, or is this just the sort of annoying "breathless" style of writing that LLMs were trained on?
3 hours ago [-]
friedtofu 3 hours ago [-]
I hate that we have to ask this question but I'm wondering like cj...what made the post sound breathless? I type like OP pretty often. His post has plenty of valid punctuation. Commas, periods and dashes that(IMO) make me think it isn't LLM-written.
I would honestly be surprised if it turns out it was written by an LLM.
4 hours ago [-]
4 hours ago [-]
echoangle 5 hours ago [-]
I would probably pull him over too but arguably he should be pulled over less than normal, right? The risk that he’s some criminal is probably pretty low since not a lot of criminals would chose a car like that to travel.
On the other hand it probably has an increased likelihood to have technical problems that make it reasonable to pull it over though.
bot403 5 hours ago [-]
If im a drug smuggler I'm definitely driving the most boring, common car directly BEHIND the banana car.
ajb 4 hours ago [-]
The cops should know that trick by now - the "distraction car" is literally the plot of "Smokey and the Bandit" from 50 years ago. Nevertheless, you may be right :-)
bena 4 hours ago [-]
However, the distraction car is breaking the law in Smokey and the Bandit. It’s not incorrect for them to try and pull it over.
4 hours ago [-]
iambateman 5 hours ago [-]
Yes but every good police officer had watched Arrested Development and so knows that there’s always money in the banana stand.
garyfirestorm 5 hours ago [-]
Wow you waited from 2012 to crack this joke with that username
schmookeeg 2 hours ago [-]
worth it.
4 hours ago [-]
OutOfHere 5 hours ago [-]
Open cars worry me. How do they handle the wind, rain, snow, hail, etc.?
orbital-decay 4 hours ago [-]
As someone who rides bikes most of the time, the right question is how you handle it.
doubled112 4 hours ago [-]
This. I’ve ridden a bike year round in southwestern Ontario.
In general, I’m fairly waterproof.
-30C was pretty cold, especially moving, but rare enough I could dress for it and keep my body parts.
Snowstorms are always fun. Free physics lessons included. How much traction can you get? Whoops, I’m laying on the ground.
Thunderstorms and hail you might want to avoid.
dredmorbius 11 minutes ago [-]
What do you do for your hands and feet especially, and if you wear glasses, the inevitable frosting of them. Heck, if you don't wear glasses, what do you do for windburn?
I've biked as low as about -15C, though it's much more comfortable keeping it above -10 -- -5 or so.
DonHopkins 5 hours ago [-]
Get on the horn to British Intelligence and let them know about this!
Person who wants to get noticed indeed gets noticed
superkuh 5 hours ago [-]
Poor guy. He just wanted to spread some joy and now he's risking his life repeatedly. One of these police stops it's not going to work out. There are just too many US police eager to use physical violence for no reason.
allenrb 5 hours ago [-]
While absolutely and sadly true, something tells me that rogue banana drivers are not the ones most likely to be killed in a traffic stop.
Besides, his family would surely win the resulting case… on a peel.
otterley 4 hours ago [-]
Well done, sir. clap
superkuh 4 hours ago [-]
It could never be against the police officer themselves due to qualified immunity. They are free to break the law however they wish. And that completely lack of accountability creates the risk inherent in every (US) police interaction.
tjrlx 2 hours ago [-]
I'm rooting for you to get laid. Seems like you could use it. Plus, that's not how qualified immunity works.
tremon 3 hours ago [-]
> rogue banana drivers are not the ones most likely to be killed in a traffic stop
...until the bananas go brown, of course.
allenrb 2 minutes ago [-]
You are my comedy hero, tremon. This is the joke I was looking for and failed to find.
bingaweek 3 hours ago [-]
[dead]
cobbzilla 5 hours ago [-]
He’s totally fine. He’s driving a car that basically no minority would ever drive, plus it has an open cockpit to facilitate the officer’s “trust but verify” instincts.
eschulz 4 hours ago [-]
There's almost a zero percent chance of a police officer harming him during one of these stops. Annoying him a perhaps violating his civil rights, possibly, but not harmed.
ceejayoz 4 hours ago [-]
"Violating his civil rights" is harm.
eschulz 2 hours ago [-]
Yes, you're totally right, I was referring to being beaten or killed on the side of the road. I should have been clear.
ssl-3 3 hours ago [-]
Unless having their rights violated in this way is one of their kinks.
nekusar 5 hours ago [-]
Gee golly whillikers!
Pigs are abusing their authority! Oh whatever shall we do?
ceejayoz 4 hours ago [-]
Traffic stops can and do go bad. Each is a risk, even if small. If they discover something like a bag of drugs in the back, it raises clear Fourth Amendment issues.
Cops shouldn't be putting law-abiding citizens at risk for a selfie.
nekusar 4 hours ago [-]
My answer is to fire their lardasses for due cause and make them unhirable across the nation.
But this country's courts said this shit is cool. And so is highway robbery by pig. And they don't need to come for help if you call 911.
Oh and qualified immunity means they can what the fuck ever they want.
If RICO act was serious, they'd shut down all pig stys (police stations).
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXfDQb7EmU4/
One time while I was waiting for a light, an officer knocked on my window (which is somewhat startling)... I rolled it down and he excitedly asked "What kind of car is this?!"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Cappuccino
And, no offense intended, that car is not that interesting. I guess policing must be boring.
100% that! When did everything get serious and look-alike? Anyway, I am taking off, shopping cart racing in the mall...
In the meantime, be the change you want to see! You don't have to be darker&grittier yourself just because the media ecosystem has decided that's where the current fashion is.
If you are a parent of a small child, you will be amazed by the depth and fun of this book. I am always surprised it is not more commonly read.
Same with the "pulled over to give you an ice cream" feel-good ops they do. https://abc7ny.com/post/video-police-hand-out-ice-cream-inst...
An illegal detention is still an illegal detention if it's being done nicely.
No? You could also pull the public tax dollars spent card, or other crimes not being pursued while you're at it but it won't help sour the mood!
This is not a nice story about cops.
And the “I pulled you over because you peeled out” - I mean it’s fun. Anyway, if it’s harmless I don’t really see the problem.
Police have plenty of ways to have fun that aren't Fourth Amendment violations.
If you wanna give out free ice cream cones, station a cruiser with a sign saying so. People can come to you just fine, without the "what the fuck, why am I getting pulled over?!" worries. The banana guy at least has an inkling of why there are flashing police lights in his rearview, but that doesn't make it OK.
If you mop floors and you have fun by twirling your broom and humming a tune, you're not affecting anyone.
If we give you a gun and the right to shoot people in the head and go home to sleep in your own bed, then we can ask you to lock in a little more than that and not pull over people because it's funny.
You want police to have a positive presence in the community. Innocent engagement with a banana car helps with that, doesn't hurt.
Over here in reality, when a man with a badge and a gun pulls people over for a bit of fun: Refusing to play along with whatever game it is that they have in mind is a criminal offense.
Can they not pull up alongside and wave? Give a thumbs-up? Roll down the window?
And if that sounds hackneyed and like a ridiculous standard, you're damn right it is: we let them have outsized influence in our existence as otherwise free people. Their standard has to be a double standard.
Are you under the impression all cops are known for is harassing banana cars?
I have an overdeveloped anti-authority streak, and I did not like to read that he was pulled over so often, but... I mean... that surely isn't a surprise, right? It's almost like reverse entrapment of the officers :)
I would honestly be surprised if it turns out it was written by an LLM.
On the other hand it probably has an increased likelihood to have technical problems that make it reasonable to pull it over though.
In general, I’m fairly waterproof.
-30C was pretty cold, especially moving, but rare enough I could dress for it and keep my body parts.
Snowstorms are always fun. Free physics lessons included. How much traction can you get? Whoops, I’m laying on the ground.
Thunderstorms and hail you might want to avoid.
I've biked as low as about -15C, though it's much more comfortable keeping it above -10 -- -5 or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WCoRGbT3CM
Person who wants to get noticed indeed gets noticed
Besides, his family would surely win the resulting case… on a peel.
...until the bananas go brown, of course.
Pigs are abusing their authority! Oh whatever shall we do?
Cops shouldn't be putting law-abiding citizens at risk for a selfie.
But this country's courts said this shit is cool. And so is highway robbery by pig. And they don't need to come for help if you call 911.
Oh and qualified immunity means they can what the fuck ever they want.
If RICO act was serious, they'd shut down all pig stys (police stations).