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I think they just meant it's very stereotypically american to drive a very walkable distance and eat McDonald's every day




I’m familiar with this neighborhood. If this were my commute I’d probably walk often.

But:

It’s 42 minutes by foot one way, which is on the longer end for most people. About half of it is pleasantly walkable, the rest looking like no trees and along a busy street.

… For probably six months out of the year, the rest being too uncomfortably hot or windy/cold for most people.

And he’s probably wearing a suit and leather shoes every day, so you risk wet/muddy shoes, road salt, or dripping in sweat or rain. Mess up your hair with a hat in the winter.

And if you are going anywhere after, you’ll need a car anyway. The rest of Omaha is not walkable and quite hilly.

And he’s old, quite old. He’s been old for decades. Some people can do 3.6mi/day in their 50s-80s but most will not.

And his time value in literally among the… top ten in the world or so? And has been for decades?

I say all this as a relatively extreme walking advocate: for most people in some locales (including most of America), it just doesn’t make sense, and this criticism is very silly.

He’s Warren Buffet, so he could make this work if he wanted to. He could insist everyone come to him at his home while he wears pajamas.

But it’s not unreasonable to drive this commute.

And you can get a decent breakfast at McDonald’s too :D


He is extremely rich. All of these problems are easily solvable with the resources he has.

And yet he chose his choices.

A 7 minute drive for me is about a 10 minute walk. A 7 minute drive in America could be 5 miles!

Or 10 depending on how late you are ;)

Any American worth that much is safer in a discretely armored car than on foot.

If you let fear dictate your life, you are correct.

You should. And you do too. Otherwise, you would’ve never looked both ways before crossing the street, and you would already be dead.

Do you feel that road safety dictates your life?

Your example seems to miss the point.

Of course I look both ways but I still cross the street.

I've watched people (friends included) who have let fear so overcome them that they frankly miss out on life. Won't travel, nervous about even leaving their home…


He could have a discrete security detail nearby.



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