Letters for August 21, 2014

Uber, Lyft and feel-good, corporate phooey

Re “Ambition as a rider” by Lien Hoang (SN&R Feature Story, August 14):

It is always fascinating to see what terms are used for these new taxi services. I see you use the term “rideshare.” I have seen other journalists call them “app-enabled taxis.” Rideshare is not an accurate term. Rideshare is a feel-good term coined by corporate marketing executives. The only things being shared here is large amounts of money into the wallets of the executives of these corporations, and riders' personal data, which is being mined and resold at large profits.

There are also insurance and liability issues that people surprisingly dismiss in our sue-happy culture. But then, a few million-dollar suits probably won't hurt these “sharing” corporations. I am sure they just see those as the cost of doing business.

Once conventional cabs get their own apps, these new taxi services will go by the wayside, and the gold rush will end. No doubt the people running these corporations will move onto something else to make a quick buck. I wonder what the feel-good name will be for whatever else they move on to?

Teresa Spencer

via email

Happiness or equilibrium?

Re “The science of being happy” by Melinda Welsh (SN&R Feature Story, August 7):

The subject of happiness has emerged repeatedly in my most recent history, and I also seem to have gotten a good whiff of the “happiness boom” currently propagating throughout the local culture. Overall, there is of course nothing wrong with pursuing happiness for oneself; nevertheless, the current trend appears deceiving for various reasons, as it seems to be designed to cater to the general capitalistic-materialistic agenda of the present society model. It is geared to sell things, and it deceives by presenting happiness as something sustainably obtainable. And because this is not so, it is sad to see that some psychological professionals are buying into this scheme.

The truth of the matter can be found in a simple folklore proverb: “What goes up must come down.” It is not difficult for anyone to figure out that a state of euphoric happiness is inevitably followed by an emotional drop to the negative side of the spectrum. Any upward bump is pursued by a downward valley. The only thing that can really be done with this fact of life is to minimize the amplitude of the euphoric spikes, so to also minimize the negative repercussions. This is why in Buddhism, the objective is equilibrium, rather than happiness.

Josef Mayr

Sacramento

Corrections

In last week’s Feature Story “Ambition as a rider,” Lyft driver Dora Vaudrin was incorrectly identified as Laura in a caption. That’s our bad. (She and other rideshare drivers also want to point out that they gladly accept tips—and, in fact, you can tip on the apps if you want.)

In “Gimme a crunk beat” by Janelle Bitker (SN&R Arts&Culture, August 7), it was incorrectly stated that Trapacana takes place on Tuesday nights. The weekly dance party actually takes place on Wednesday nights.