• Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    26 days ago

    No, actually please stop with regurgitating weird language constructs.

    Everybody knows that a car doesn’t drive itself (STFU Tesla fanboys, it doesn’t) and that a driver is responsible.

    That, and yes, a vehicle DID hit them. It’s not like the driver stopped, got out and beat the shit out of the toddler, his car, driven by him (doh) hit the toddler and killed her.

    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      26 days ago

      No, its still passive voicing that intermediates between the actor and the act.

      The vehicle struck the child

      vs

      The driver struck the child

      is analgous to

      The bullet struck the child

      vs

      The cop shot the child

      EDIT:

      With the active phrasing… you can just append a following clause to give more detail, and it flows naturally.

      The driver struck the child [with the truck] , [unaware of their presence].

      The cop shot the child [unintentionally] / [with their service pistol], [while pursuing a suspect].

      These kinds of statements are active voiced, and also more fact/detail content heavy.

      It is entirely possible to use active voicing and also be precise… you’re bending over backwards with your hyperbolic example.

      The whole point of using passive voicing is that it works on the reader at a subconscious or subliminal level.

      Yes, ‘everybody knows’ that a car doesn’t drive itself, but phrasing and vocabulary have always been key elements of propaganda, because only more literate, more critically analytic readers realize what is happening in a more conscious way.

      • Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf
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        25 days ago

        But in this case it’s actually the vehicle that is the problem. These trucks are simply unsafe and shouldn’t exist. The blame is to be put on the car manufacturer. Of course the drivers are at fault but I bet they didn’t want to squish their kids. They bought a car, assuming it should be safe to drive.

        Still, fuck the drivers too.

      • Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf
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        25 days ago

        It seems you may have misread the room. The problem here is not only the driver but also the fucking vehicle. This kind of vehicle should not be allowed to exist, because it’s inherently unsafe.