Given the stigma attached to overweight in this society, I would expect that any "marketing scheme" focusing on fat people and cycling is likely to be treated as a joke by the guardians of conventional wisdom. I would also expect that a lot of "fat folks" would be uncomfortable about participating in a ride that focuses on their weight.
But maybe we can widen our focus. The "300 pound" remark was just an aside in a speech that was truly awful from start to finish. Thuy's real message was that cycling in Madison is an elite activity for rich yuppies who can afford expensive bikes and keep their bodies in high state of fitness. We all know this is a load of crap, but a lot of people seem to agree with her (remember Casey Hoff?), and I think we need to confront this belief. Instead of marketing the idea that "fat people can ride bikes too" I would like to tell the world that "cycling is for everybody." Maybe we could have a poster with that slogan, with a picture of all sorts of cyclists and their bikes -- messengers, "elitists" in spandex, street people, fat people, skinny people, disabled hand-powered bikers, parents with trailers, toddlers on big wheels, dumpy middle-aged bikers in office clothes, etc. -- gathered together and smiling. We could try to organize a ride for all sorts of people, but actually we already have one every day, as anyone knows who spends any time on the Law Park bike path. We bikies already know that cycling is for everybody; but people see what they're looking for, and a lot of people are not looking for non-elitist cyclists. It would be helpful to change that. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Hello all: > > Normally I do my darnedest to "lurk." Dar's thread kinda caught my fancy - > notwithstanding the fact that I'm even skinnier than usual after getting > that > godawful virus a few weeks ago. > > Anyway, here's my marketing scheme: > > "Fat Folks on Fat Tires" > > It could be a ride held during bike to work week highlighting the fact > that > people of slightly less anorexic girth can and manytimes enjoy the bicycle > as a > mode of transportation. It's kind of late to glom onto bike to work week > (apologies to the organizers for dumping a new idea late in the process) > but if > it's on people's minds, maybe now is the time to address it head on. It's > always better, in my opinion, to hash things out in the open rather than > have > issues fester behind the scenes. > > I like the whole notion Dar advances because it's one of those unspoken > things > about bicycling and to the extent that it's gone from a source of > frustration > to a big stupid remark by Thuy, maybe we could tap this as a "teachable > moment." > > Just a thought. > > Al Matano > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies > > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
