Re:
> Huh? What does that have to do with the price of rice in Shanghai?
I mentioned cops because Robin's posting mentioned cops. There have been
some high-profile cases of police attacks on Critical Massers in New York
and other places.
Apparently you missed the video. The cop was the aggressor, not the
cyclist. That has generally been the case in police behavior during
NYC's CM activities.
Or is JRA now a crime?
>
or a driver who
outweighs you by an order or magnitude.
Allowing bullies to be bullies invites only more bullying. History is
replete with examples that illustrate just how bad an idea it is to
> cower before bullies.
If you can find a way to prevent bullies from being bullies, that's fine
with me. If giving the finger to an *sshole in an Escalade makes you feel
better, I suppose it's good for your blood pressure, but it won't prevent
him from being a bully at the next opportunity? Do you really think
confronting him causes him to go home, meditate on his past evil behavior,
and resolve to be a better person in the future? Really?
Actually, I think we're starting to see quite a lot of rethinking
about SUVs, and driving-as-bullying in general. Speeds are down.
Vehicle sizes are down. Vehicular deaths are at an all-time low. Bike
sales are through the roof. More people are on bikes than ever. When
a growing population actually *reduces* car travel by +/-3% over the
course of a year, yes, I think people do have the capacity to rethink
and re-work their lives into less bullying modes of getting around.
I think CM had a lot to do with raising awareness over the years. It
helped lay the groundwork for everyone else to hop back on their
bikes. 'Peaceable assemblers' on the cutting edge like CM are always
good for building up the mental acuity of the duller members of
society in any case--high gas prices or no.
I also think that people who fail to cower on their daily bike rides
have a lot to do with socially enforcing better motoring behavior.
You seem to be fixated on the middle finger. I'm concerned about
uncivil, illegal, and deadly actions. Abuses of power, if you will.
Middle fingers don't kill, deadly actions--abuses of power-- do. The
middle finger is merely a political statement *in reaction to* an
abuse of power. I think abuses of power should always be called down
in the strongest terms possible. It isn't a feel good thing. It is a
civilization thing.
In every instance I have been attacked by bullies-behind-the-wheel I
have defended myself vigorously. I've also vigorously engaged
motorists who tried bullying other cyclists in scenes I've witnessed.
I've also had other people come to my defense. Other friends have had
similar experiences. I can guarantee you that none of the bullies in
any of those scenarios will try it again. I'm not talking about
dealing knock out blows either. It usually amounts to a lot of
yelling to bring attention to the situation (yell for someone to call
the police--that instantaneously cues witnesses as to who is
attacking whom). By bringing more responsible eyes to the situation,
that usually is enough in itself to back down the bully. In the end,
the original bullying ends up being highly unprofitable and/or
unpleasant for the bully. But it is apparent that they were all well
practiced in bullying cowering cyclists. They always become quite
confused when they encounter someone who fails to cower.
I believe that establishing and vigorously defending social norms on
our public rights-of-way has a lot to do with the safety in numbers
effect that we find when there are more cyclists on the street.
So yes, failing to cower does work. In fact, I'd direct you here .....
http://bikeleague.org/programs/education/index.php
...for more information about riding in a vigorous, vehicular manner
that essentially calls the automotive bullies' bluff. Face it, the
mere act of riding in the street, instead of the gutter or (worse)
the sidewalk, is infinitely more obnoxious than a middle finger to
many deathmobilers. Some act on it, some are able to restrain their
baser impulses. But our existence enrages them. The middle finger is
ex post facto in the extreme. The origins of the bullying occur in
the brain of the one who thinks they have the power advantage. Take
away that advantage, and they aren't so tough anymore.
But that's not what I was posting about. Be nasty to nasty people if you
want, but *don't pick fights* When Critical Mass run red lights and block
ordinary, non-aggressive, relatively law-abiding riders, by keeping them
from going where they want to go, they're picking fights with people who
are not bullies or *ssholes.
OOOOOOOOOOOo Dem wascawy CMers! Actually, I'd just call them
practicioners of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. A fine
document. My favorite political work, I might add. Peaceable assembly
is a fine muscle toner for democracy. Just keep in mind that when the
deathmobilers massed in their cars in the '50s, they got the
Interstate system.
The standard line, of course, is that these people are participating in
evil by driving cars and destroying the earth -- and that's true in
general, theoretical sense. But you wont get them to change their
behavior -- at least not for the better -- by unprovoked nastiness.
It seems that the nastier EXXON-Mobile gets with the motorists, the
less they drive. So I'd say that nasty object lessons do seem to be
working quite nicely against the bullies.
-Mike
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