Andrei Ristea, a reader in Romania, sends this example of emotionally intelligent signage on asphalt.

15 Responses to “Emotionally intelligent signage in a parking lot”

  1. Michael Dorn says:

    I couldn’t disagree more, and take exception to such mis-use of internationally-accepted disability symbol. Back in the day, The Disability Rag had a monthly column “Thinks we wish we didn’t see” … we can only hope this is a photoshop job.

  2. Alan says:

    Dan

    My son was killed by a drunk driver driving a dump trunk. He doesn’t get to park anywhere not do the 500,000 or more others who have been killed by drunk drivers in the past 2 decades.

    According to MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, almost 18,000 people died in alcohol-related accidents in the United States in 2003, up from 2002. The issue of drunk-driving dangers was highlighted in the ’80s and ’90s. MADD began in 1979 after a teenage girl was killed by the car of a drunk driver and her mother decided to take action. In the past two decades of MADD’s heyday, drunk-driving deaths plummeted from 30,000 a year to 15,000.

  3. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    @Michael — Point well taken.

  4. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    @Alan — So sorry to hear about your son. You’re absolutely right, of course. Drunk driving doesn’t just maim. It kills.

  5. Casey says:

    Geez…that is dark.

  6. So here’s my question – how do we reduce the need for drugs and alcohol? What is underneath this demand to ingest substances that cause so much harm to others, as well as to oneself? Fundamentally, I think its because people suffer from not having mastery, autonomy and high purpose. This is the front that war needs to be fought on – in all institutions.

  7. sebastian says:

    Here in Brazil that is also a huge problem but the driving schools became obligatory with a given number of theoretical and practical classes.

    To get to the exam for your license you have to go to every one of those classes and put your finger (at the beginning and at the end) in a biometric sensor in EVERY one of them.

    The firsts classes include real videos with incredibly shocking images so people is moved to get the point about how damn important this is.

    I can’t say if that is effective but with all the complains and all, I can say that I’ve seen less educated people driving in other countries around here.

    @Alan I’m sorry for your loss but I’m glad to hear your informative reaction

  8. Marco Savo says:

    Wow Laurie, right on! However, doesn’t the war/fight metaphor need an upgrade?
    I mean really,”wars” on drugs, poverty, hunger, violence are in the category of political speak meant to evoke thoughts of strength and to excite voters. I am at a total loss for a new metaphor though. Perhaps Mr. Pink would care to take this ambiguity on?

  9. Susana Rinderle says:

    Laurie, I appreciate your post. Due to my personal experience and observations, I believe drug and alcohol mis-use is a form of self medication. In the US we self medicate a lot – these medicines include addictions to caffeine, media, and food. For some self medication may stem from unmet needs that are high on Maslow’s hierarchy (like mastery, autonomy, and purpose) or what some call “spiritual poverty”. For many more, like here in New Mexico, it’s despair due to more basic needs not being met – like personal safety, unhealed trauma, food, shelter, a job, etc. I believe that until we learn to heal pain, truly connect with others, and experience more joy and true happiness (which is unrelated to material wealth), we will continue to self medicate as a nation.

  10. sebastian says:

    Just to add something to this discussion:

    Please remember that Maslow was great in categorizing needs but he got it wrong in putting one as pre-requisite of the other (otherwise hungry artists wouldn’t exist).

    @Marco, others, I agree about upgrading the metaphor “fight” communicates that one part is going to get hurt (war just scales that message). People can’t make rapport with win-win-win solutions if they are thinking win-lose all from the beginning.

  11. Rob Sambosky says:

    Susan Sontag’s AIDS and Its Metaphors (title?) addressed the war metaphor very adequately. With 2 million plus prisoners in the US (a 500% increase over 3 decades by some estimates) the War on Drugs has only made things worse. I use and have used the principles in Drive in my prison and reentry work for years. We call it the Good Lives Model of Reentry. It works; the other madness has to stop. Humans have always liked to alter consciousness with drugs; they ease the anxst of existence and enhance religious experience. Besides, they’re fun. Did Prohibition teach anyone anything? The Great Puritan Fear: “Somewhere someone is having fun.” This would be a great topic for the ever-thoughtful Mr. Pink to take on. Expect death threats or worse from treatment professionals, police and correctional officers unions, defense attorneys and alcohol producers.

  12. Sadako says:

    Chilling, but very effective.

    Is it an actual disability spot, or just a sign, though? If it is a legitimate spot, then it’s not really a mis use, is it?

  13. serg says:

    Seriously 48 seconds? I wonder, where do they get their statistics… I think that’s too often. Pretty soon the whole population would be handicapped