Some Oregonians in Panic Mode After Law Allowing Motorists to Pump Their Own Gas Takes Effect

[WeirdRaptor]

Oregon Now Pumps Its Own Gas

"Just the thought of pumping their own gas apparently has some Oregonians losing their minds.
Thanks to a new law that took effect Monday, residents in some rural Oregon counties will soon be allowed to pump their own gas. Aside from that exception, Oregon and New Jersey are the only states that do not allow drivers to fill up their own tanks.
Oregon House Bill 2482 was passed in May and allows people living in Oregon counties with 40,000 residents or less to pump their own petrol.
But it wasn't until Medford, Oregon, television station KTVL posted about the new law on social media that the rest of the country learned just how freaked out some Oregonians are at the mere thought of pumping gas.

Here's a sampling of the panicked comments:









Others had some fun in the comments after the Dec. 29 post went viral:







Some gas station managers told The Bend Bulletin that employees would continue delivering the same full-service treatment that customers have come to expect since self-service gas was banned in 1951.
"Our regular, longtime customers love coming here and talking to us while we pump their gas," Shelby Perkins, a cashier at a 76 gas station in Prineville, told the paper.
Perkins told the Bulletin it was quite possible that the local drivers had no idea how to use a gas pump.
Other managers said they would have employees on hand to teach drivers how to pump their gas."

           The fact this is a thing is both sad and hilarious. I don't know whether to cry or laugh.

[rhombus]

I have heard of this and the resulting freakout from a few other outlets and it just seems so bizarre to me as I live in a self-serve state (Illinois, just like WR) and the idea of being freaked out about pumping one's own gas seems like a first-world problem that only the ultra-rich who have servants who do everything for them would experience.  Likewise in self-serve states there generally is an exception where handicapped persons can honk their horn or call the store and assistance will be provided for them - so I don't get that complaint either.  Do there happen to be any Oregonians on the forum who might offer a different perspective?  Is this a widespread complaint or is it only a small minority of the population in Oregon who have an issue with this change?  I just have to admit that I do not get the resulting controversy about self-service gas.

Oh, and I love the snark in the comments.  

[WeirdRaptor]

I have heard of this and the resulting freakout from a few other outlets and it just seems so bizarre to me as I live in a self-serve state (Illinois, just like WR) and the idea of being freaked out about pumping one's own gas seems like a first-world problem that only the ultra-rich who have servants who do everything for them would experience.  Likewise in self-serve states there generally is an exception where handicapped persons can honk their horn or call the store and assistance will be provided for them - so I don't get that complaint either.  Do there happen to be any Oregonians on the forum who might offer a different perspective?  Is this a widespread complaint or is it only a small minority of the population in Oregon who have an issue with this change?  I just have to admit that I do not get the resulting controversy about self-service gas.

Oh, and I love the snark in the comments.  

I know, right? My mom showed me how to operate the gas pump when I was eight. It took about five minutes, if that.

[DarkHououmon]

This is my favorite one of the comments.

[WeirdRaptor]

This is my favorite one of the comments.

I love the term the guy uses: "adulting".

[Nahla]

I wish someone pumped my gas for me.
But as we say in Australia.

"DO IT YOUR BLOODY SELF."

Seriously..we actually say that in my area at least. Heck even cash registers are fading out in favour of self-checkouts.

No trained professionals pump our gas here in Aus, shockingly all the stations are yet to blow up.


If you can't pump gass, maybe you shouldn't be driving a car.
No offence Americans, but those whiny Oregon  people are the reason the rest of the world laughs at your country.

Pumping your own gas? Poor little Oregon, my heart like shatters for you. Don't break a nail now.

Oh just make sure you actually use the gas pump. The water or air pumps don't work in the same way.

I could draw them a diagram if they want.

Pardon my sarcasm. I am just bashing my head on my desk over grown adults not being able to do a simple task. How do they think other places without it being done for them manage? Pixie dust?

[F-14 Ace]

This is my favorite one of the comments.

13. Balancing a check book.
14. Setting a clock, both digital and mechanical.
15. Washing dishes by hand.
16. Changing a light bulb
17. Operating a vacuum cleaner.
18. Taking out the trash.
19. Boiling water.
20. Using a TV remote.
21. Changing radio stations.
22. Making your bed.
23. Peeling a banana.
24. Replacing a toilet paper roll.


I have to wonder if some of these people are just trolls.

[DarkWolf91]

If these posters are legit, to me it seems like an interesting case study in how a certain system become so ingrained in a closed community that a change in that system, however stupid and insignificant it may seem to an outsider, can cause a social disturbance. We are creatures of habit, after all. I'm sure there are a lot of things we take for granted that an outsider might see as spoiled or absurd.

Funny story though, my mother was pumping gas the other day and the nozzle became stuck, causing gas to spill out all over the car/surrounding area. Not a common occurrence (first time I've heard about it happening in this area), but I can imagine how an Oregon or New Jersey resident might view that story

[WeirdRaptor]

If these posters are legit, to me it seems like an interesting case study in how a certain system become so ingrained in a closed community that a change in that system, however stupid and insignificant it may seem to an outsider, can cause a social disturbance. We are creatures of habit, after all. I'm sure there are a lot of things we take for granted that an outsider might see as spoiled or absurd.

Funny story though, my mother was pumping gas the other day and the nozzle became stuck, causing gas to spill out all over the car/surrounding area. Not a common occurrence (first time I've heard about it happening in this area), but I can imagine how an Oregon or New Jersey resident might view that story

[Littlefoot505]

What are those poor Oregonians going to do now that the incredibly hard task of PUMPING GAS no longer has to be done by a trained professional?!?!?!?!  

[Truttle]

If you can't pump gass, maybe you shouldn't be driving a car.
No offence Americans, but those whiny Oregon  people are the reason the rest of the world laughs at your country.

Trust me, I'm way ashamed of this country by a long line. I kinda just sit back and let it happen at this point. I'm no longer surprised at American stupidity.

[DarkHououmon]

If you can't pump gass, maybe you shouldn't be driving a car.
No offence Americans, but those whiny Oregon  people are the reason the rest of the world laughs at your country.

I'm not sure if you knew this, but there was a time here in the US when pumping your own gas was illegal across the entire country (or at least far more than just Oregon and New Jersey). It was, if I remember right, considered a safety hazard to have just random people pumping gas. I mean, the idea of cars was something still relatively new. So it's understandable that this is how things used to be.

Why are there some people still in favor of having their gas pumped for them instead of doing it themselves? The reasons vary, but it would be wrong to say that it only amounts to 'laziness'. After all, one can use that argument against self-serve gas stations. Someone could say "well isn't it lazy for the gas station employees to not pump your gas for you when you are the one paying them?".

I'm used to self-serve gas stations and the idea of one where an attendant pumps it for you boggles my mind. But I can understand the argument for it.

[WeirdRaptor]

If you can't pump gass, maybe you shouldn't be driving a car.
No offence Americans, but those whiny Oregon  people are the reason the rest of the world laughs at your country.

Trust me, I'm way ashamed of this country by a long line. I kinda just sit back and let it happen at this point. I'm no longer surprised at American stupidity.

Well said.

[Littlefoot505]

If you can't pump gass, maybe you shouldn't be driving a car.
No offence Americans, but those whiny Oregon  people are the reason the rest of the world laughs at your country.

Trust me, I'm way ashamed of this country by a long line. I kinda just sit back and let it happen at this point. I'm no longer surprised at American stupidity.

I totally agree. Nahla's post did not offend me as an American at all. I completely understand why the rest of the world laughs at us. I'm here in Colorado laughing at people in Oregon because they're all in uproar because professional pump operators might no longer be a thing at rural stations. I've known how to pump gas since I was around 10. It's such a ridiculously easy thing!!

This concludes my 420th post.