The discussion thread for April's CM.
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Discussion about April's Critical Mass The discussion thread for April's CM. Event Name: |
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I'm just tossing this out there
Someone brought up a the nature of CM focusing on anarchism, yet we as FM are always the ones to organize routes (I think there has been two times I've been where someone from outside FM suggested the route), we are always the ones to get the ball rolling, we are the ones who advertise/talk about it the most, etc, etc. In a way CM has become an FM event.
Now here is the part where I live up to my reputation:
I am suggesting, and this is just a suggestion/request/what have you, that we as FM take a non-participate stance in this month's FM. You can take that as whatever you feel it is... not suggesting a route, not being the one to stand up and yell for route suggestions, the one not yelling to start the ride, not leading the mass through the streets on the route, not corking intersections, taking it as far as not attending (not really advocating this, but if this is what you think you should do, then do it).
I am only suggesting this to take CM back to it's anarchistic roots. See who will pony up and lead the group other than us.
If you disagree, great! I want to hear criticisms. Agree, great again! Voice what you agree with. Feel like calling me an asshole, do that too :)
catch and release
I'm not sure you're advocating anarchy. As others have noted FM has always been an active participant/organizer in all sorts of bike and booze related activities. FM has flyered. FM has organizied races. FM has traveled to other cities to represent FM. So what the fuck is FM? I suppose its easy enough to catagorize us as an anarcho-bicycling collective, given that we have no official positions and have no qualifications for membership (you don't even have to ride bikes, though you should). Still, there are certain Mustachateers who are more prominent and visible. Why is it always Chris or Kurt who ends up getting the wheel rolling every CM, for instance? It could be because they were instrumental in organizing and promoting CM from the very start, and because they are well known among the kind of young, hip, biker community that forms so much of the overlapping FM/CM attendees. But what's the first question anyone asks when they stand up to get CM started. It's almost always "Has anybody got a route?". Then, there's some route wrangling and we all take off. There's nothing to stop anyone or anybody from showing up and getting everyone to sign up on their route. If the same people usually keep suggesting routes... well, some people like that kind of crap. I led a Mass last summer, before I knew anyone from FM, and it was a pain in the ass. What I'm saying is that heavy FM involvement in CM does not make CM an FM event. Faster Mustache is a random collection of people brought together by their desire to ride bikes and have fun, Critical Mass is a random collection of people brought together by their desire to ride bikes and have fun; overlap is bound to happen. But that doesn't mean non-FMers are excluded from running the show, and FMers running the show doesn't mean CM is our event. To suggest that FM take a non-participatory stance at the next Mass isn't anarchism, it's just lazy. Every person on in this little biker gang should be promoting and talking about CM until it gets so big and so unwieldy that FM invovlement is moot. Imagine if, instead of the usual ~200 particapants (a good slice of which are associated with FM), the next Mass had twice that number. That'd be some delicious anarchy right there.
+1
perhaps the best compliment I've heard for FM relating to its involvement with CM was thus:
FM increases CM turnout
bottom line, more bikes==bigger message==more effective CM
also, some people are loud, charismatic and knowledgeable cyclists, its somewhat normal for them to emerge as leaders. Proposing a route and then leading it takes confidence (to speak in public) and good skills. A lot of CM riders may not have either and would prefer to place their trust in someone who does..
I'm attending, damnit.
I need my critical mass yo. I don't like this whole missing it thing I've been doing lately.
I'm not sure taking a non-participating stance will really bring CM back to it's anarchistic roots...and if no one takes the lead for corking, accidents could happen and I'm not cool with that. It's not like FM is an organization or anything, it's a group of people who all ride bikes, and there's no leadership and no rules, so that's pretty much anarchy if I ever saw it.. Maybe we should hold back some, let other voices enter into the CM dialog at Woodruff Park, but we shouldn't not cork and not attend.
That's just my 2 cents.
Ride bikes! :)
I have not suggested a route in months
Not that they were ever followed, but it seemed for a time I was the only one that showed up with a suggested route, with cheatsheet handout. I put up the Yahoo group on CM routes, but dang few people ever suggest a route, mostly where not to go.
we're totally attending! the
we're totally attending! the point of cm isn't who's in charge. the point of cm is to make an impression on those outside of the group. (sometimes those impressions are bad, yes. we should be aware of how our actions might be viewed.)
What's Critical Mass?
What is this Critical Mass you speak of, comrads?
FM != CM
FM has never organized CM, because CM has no leaders, and is not organized by any organization. This has been discussed many times in the past (sorry I'm not searching up the links).
FM is not the website for CM, because one already exists: www.criticalmassatlanta.org. FM is a site that (among other things) posts bicycle-related events.
That said, I like your experiment. Regular rotation breeds fresh ideas in any grassroots undertaking, and Atlanta's Critical Mass could be a perfect example of this, and get even better.
I just think we should be a little careful with our language to prevent strengthening a misconception that some folks already hold.
Terrorists?
Is critical mass shorthand for a critical mass event in an atomic weapon?
don'tcha know?
Terrorists ride bikes. That's what Amy and I figured out today at least.
I know that FM is not CM and
I know that FM is not CM and vice versa... but seriously, who else in Atlanta other than us has a website and promotes CM like we do. So there's a CM website... are people flocking to it to join in on it's message board and event's calendar?
I think FM needs to start putting some distance between itself and CM. This is just my opinion though.
Ok, I'll Be Fur'serious
The number of CM riders lookin' for trouble seems to be on the rise. It makes me a bit uncertain as to how well CM will be able to continue to promote the cyclin'life [insert satire of The Decemberists' "Sporting Life" here.]
The only recent trouble I've
The only recent trouble I've noticed was in January and it mostly kids from College Park/Morrow/Jonesboro who didn't live in the city and didnt care what happened.
Was there an issue on the "out-n-back" to decatur last time? I didnt see/hear anything.
last month's ride
the decatur route was not fun, at least for me. The steep but narrow streets were still surprisingly trafficked, and I ended up having to stop after my brakes came off b/c of excess squeezing. I think the route was fun to Candler park but I didn't like the part after that.
That being noted, I still like the Decatur and back idea. I just think we should stick to bigger streets (isn't the point of CM to ride on non-residential/mean-to-cyclists roads anyway?)
My burning desire would be to ride to Emory (which is a little closer than Decatur) but I'm personally not sure how Emory police would react (probably better than Atlanta PD I bet)
If we were to go to Emory this is the route I'd do:
1. Edgewood
2. Euclid
3. Moreland
4. Ponce
5. Oakdale
6. Emory Rd.
7. Oxford Rd.
8. North Decatur
9. Clifton (or thru campus)
either do a lap around campus and then head back downtown, or cut over to Clairmont and go to Decatur
No offense or anything
But Oakdale doesn't have any traffic. I ride it every day twice a day...it's wide with few cars. And why go to Emory? No one would notice, the police don't care (true), but neither do the cars...
Now, if we could knock out some students wandering around, I might be up for that. /tic
good points
one of the things I've always liked about CM rides was that they were all downtown/midtown. I like going past all of the arenas and big buildings. Does anyone have any info about the Midtown Alliance/should we still be weary of traveling there?
oh, and it's totally true what you say about Oakdale. It is one of the nicest streets to bike on in the city of Atlanta (wide, low traffic, nice hills, trees, pretty houses, etc.)
and NO streetlamps.
and NO streetlamps.
at night
I tend to take Springdale or Briarciff. But if you go on Oakdale enough, like I sadly do, you'll have the road memorized for potholes and bumps and can ride it at night with no problems.
i didn't mean it in a bad
i didn't mean it in a bad way. i have plans for such roads.
I didn't mean for it to
I didn't mean for it to sound...however it sounded? question mark?
I was musing about how sad it is that I know where all the potholes are on the road...there are a lot of potholes...
i know it sounds weird
but I swear that Oakdale's asphalt glows in the dark for me
faster mustache twiddling?
i have plans for such roads.
When you put it that way, you make it sounds so... devious.
the decatur route was a bit
the decatur route was a bit much for sure, but you really should't say your brakes came off from using them :)
CM 7+ years ago often wound it's way over to emory and actually ended there. It worked out alright.
I don't like ponce, but it may be better with lots-o-people.
A sport bike almost hit me
A sport bike almost hit me on ponce last Thursday. I looked back after he squealed his tires, and I could see the white in his eyes. Then he buzzed Tommy. What a douche!
sporting life?
the sea and cake.
CM == moving flash mob
CM == moving flash mob. eos. eat, drink, be mary.
Mary
Chris has a new nickname.
The joy of alcohol is that
The joy of alcohol is that you can be anybody. tic. vbg. whatevertlayouwantgoeshere.
ok, Mary.
ok, Mary.
Queen of Scotch
Queen of Scotch
AEIOU and sometimes Y
So I get pilloried for a simple word mixup?
I learned the alphabet from this song.
Lyrics:
Toto(Tutu?), I don't think we're in Kansas anymore....
I was walking up Broadway you know
and there's this incredible looking Swedish girl having a
Cappuccino across the street from Lincoln Center, I started
talking to her you know - She said her name was Lola,
Her English wasn't too good you know - but we wound up spending
about 5 hours together just hanging out you know.
So We go back to my place - we get high - we get really into each other man.
It was love about to happen...I'm serious.
And then all of a sudden she gets up and she says, she says "Hey, I really gotta leave"
Damn
A E I O U Sometimes Y
So I think it's a bit silly
So I think it's a bit silly to be concerned about the FM-CM connection. over a year ago FM was pushing CM very hard, flyering telling people, etc. Now some people just show up. I haven't seen a flyer in a while and I don't remember the last CM that ended at an FM party. Could we be any less involved in CM?
I found out about critical
I found out about critical mass last summer, but I havn't been able to get Friday's off until the most recent one. After googling a bit I came across this forum. The Yahoo group hardly has any activity at all (like most Yahoo groups).
I just went to my first one last month. I think it's good that someone(somegroup) is willing to step up and rally the masses. I'll try out a few routes and maybe come up with some ideas for next month, but I really have no idea what is allowed and what is going to piss of APD or Midtown Blue.
buckhead==bad
It will be a cold day in heck before I'll ride a CM through Buckhead again.
dunno about midtown blue, but I've heard some bad things.
Why is it that people are
Why is it that people are worried about police when your in a group of 200? After all how many people have really ended up in any trouble from Cm? I really hope you guys aren't riding around on CM worrying that the cops are about to swarm you or something. Its like you don't blow threw stop signs when you ride by yourself or something, or that you've never done anything that was questionably legal. I say we ride to Buckhead, after all its as much our road as it is the cops road. How are we really going to say CM is about bicycle advocacy if we aren't even willing to go to the places we are the least welcomed? Just seems kind of silly to worry about what the cops want or think?
hmmm
were you around last time CM when to buckhead? (november?)
staying on 1 road for long left about a mile of traffic behind the group. it was utterly pointless and absurd and people did go to jail.
true dat!
people did indeed go to jail! (and jail smelled vvunderbar)
I sort of disagree with paul h's assertion that riding on P'Tree the whole time was pointless, I thought it was a spirited protest (and I guess it elicited quite a few spirited protests from motorists!) but there's a couple problems there arising from the fact that CM is (not entirely) considered a protest.
Since CM is not fully a protest there doesn't seem to be any sort of protocol or whatever for arrests. At most peaceful protests, government sanctioned or not, there's going to be a lot more than 2 arrests and there's ways to deal with them. A protester may feel the charges against her/him are ludicrous, but that isn't enough to get them dismissed. From what I hear though, getting arrested with several hundred other people, puts more pressure on the gov't to drop the charges. For better or worse it was just me and one other dude getting arrested last November and thus we were tiny blips on the judicial radar...(thanks tho for everyone's help, esp. those who stuck around to get us bailed out!)
What I know now, and I didn't know then, is that CM ATL just doesn't have those protocol for getting arrested. Organized protestors may talk before their event about what to do, setting collective actions, distributing legal advice, etc. ATL just doesn't have that.
As a side note, if you're looking for bicycle empowerment in the Buckhead then make sure you're in town on Thanksgiving. Peachtree is shut down to traffic all the way from Chamblee to Turner Field (b/c of the marathon) and it is an awesome bike ride
few people consider CM ATL a
few people consider CM ATL a protest ride. so there hasn't been a need to establish protest related protocols.
hmm
let me state it this way:
your spirited protest was pointless unless you were trying to get a over a mile's worth of stopped motorists to think that cyclists were even more of a "problem" than they already were.
but if that's what you were trying to do, bravo.
ding ding
this is the number one reason that I don't like the idea of CM being a protest ride. Generally, if people perceive cyclists to be laid back people having a good time, I think they'll be more likely to join us, or at least adopt an 'aww, let them have their fun' attitude.
On the other hand, an aggressive confrontational attitude only pisses people off and generates more hatred of cyclists. I agree that CM should generally take highly public routes, but should avoid staying on any one road long enough to severely inconvenience anyone.
Making friends is preferable to making enemies, especially when the general urban environment is already fairly hostile towards cyclists. This is why it bugs me when people act like dicks towards undeserving motorists. If they start it, the gloves are off, but there's no reason to be rude towards people who haven't done anything wrong yet. This includes talking shit to random cars at CM, corking non-left-turning traffic from the other direction of the road, and so on.
eloquently put ben
I really dig your explanation, and I really think I'm starting to see things more your way. Question tho, why can't a protest be laid back and friendly? I see the protest in CM as just being there, riding "as if we were cars," daring to defy the norms.
I don't see being a dickhead as a key component to this. Sort of like black civil rights protesters who went into "whites only" eating establishments and politely asked to just eat a meal. From what I know their attitudes were congenial (both to the other patrons and wait staff) even when they were facing outright hostility.
Maybe they weren't just laid back, and looking to have a good time, but (on the surface at least) it appeared as if they just wanted to have a good meal.
I agree with you then, CM works best when we have a congenial outward appearance, but I don't think that a pro-bike ideology has to go out the door for this to be accomplished. Black civil rights protesters didn't suddenly decide they'd neglect their goals of equality each time they entered a segregated eating establishment, but they were successful because they left their agression and hostility at the door. Heck, if it worked for them, it'd be awesome if it'd work for us.
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders
you aren't genuinely
you aren't genuinely comparing the hippie-fest of CM to the plights of the civil rights movement are you?
no comparing
not comparing, I was saying that the civil rights movement had a lot of good strategies (many of which were learned from Gandhi and his movement.) I do not consider the plight of cyclists to be anywhere near as bad as the plight of minorities, women, or LGBT's in America (past or present.) I was just saying that the CRM had some good tactics, especially their methods of dealing with hostility in a peaceful way, and maybe these principles (turning the other cheek, passive resistance, etc.) would strengthen CM's purpose, rather than just making it worse for cyclists by getting motorists angry
I don't think cyclists are
I don't think cyclists are the ones whose cheeks are being struck during CM.
any other day...sure, why not. During CM, cyclists are the ones doing the abuse.
+1
haaaaaaaaaaaaaappy friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday!!!1
just wondering...
"During CM, cyclists are the ones doing the abuse"
so uhhh... why do you ride CM?
.
I don't anymore
that would indicate that's
that would indicate that's why you ride CM?
no i was just saying
why participate in something if you're against what you believe it's about?
so that would indicate
so that would indicate that's why you ride CM, amirite?
huhz?
I'm confused. No I ride it cuz it's fun. I was just wondering... if somebody thinks it's causing more general badness than personal funness... then why bother riding?
i'm glad you say so
an excellent point you bring up.
so atlanta, why why if it's not for personal funness? that might be the 2nd post of the year.
i thought that
most ride for personal funness.
maybe, but the general feel
maybe, but the general feel of CM isn't so much a celebration anymore.
really?
it always was for me, and really nothing other than that.
and if it isn't that for you, than why bother?
if it isn't that for you,
if it isn't that for you, than why bother?
agreed. which is why i haven't in a while.
For a lot of people, the
For a lot of people, the word "protest" carries some serious baggage. I think that in the public consciousness, protests are something done by whiny hippie types who don't know how to leverage the system to promote their interests like everybody else. It is perhaps an unfair characterization given the effectiveness of protests done correctly, but generally a protest needs to have some serious emotional/moral/social weight behind it if there's any hope of being successful.
Otherwise it's just a bunch of whiny hippies whining about something that nobody else cares about, and thus we arrive at the current cheapened definition of the word "protest" . The perceived plight of the urban cyclist is not something that anyone cares about, especially when there are approximately 200 cyclists who are sitting between them and wherever they would like to be.
You have a very limited window in which to operate. As long as you're not in the way for too long, people will think "hey wow, look at all those bikes! that's pretty awesome!", but if you hold them up for too long, it doesn't take long for that goodwill to become frustration and anger.
observation
just sounds as if you're trying to get arrested at CM
if you really want to have fun w/ the cops and running from them and all, NYC is the place for you, and they love it the more you talk.
i generally try not to get arrested for riding my bike--> "what you in here for boy," (you) "riding my mean bike"
part of a chris rock joke: "...What kind of ignorant shit is that! 'I ain't never been to jail!'What do you want, a cookie?! You're not supposed to go to jail you low expectation-having motherf*cker!"
oh roger. i love you. (all
oh roger. i love you.
(all of the above roger3b comment- coming from the man who tried to take a photograph of the NYPD writing him multiple tickets at NY's CM!)
badass
luckily for NYC CM riders, they've been winning some legal battles
http://times-up.org/index.php?page=070327-nyc-drops-lawsuit
http://times-up.org/index.php?page=release-060223_end_attack
http://times-up.org/index.php?page=release-060215_cm_injunction
http://times-up.org/index.php?page=release-060428_stronger_than_ever
it sounds like things're improving, but I'd still be a little shaky about riding there all the same
what happened to your camera?
There is a really good
There is a really good "documentary" on the critical mass in NYC where they were all told to disperse on Current TV.
ANARCHY LAWL
anarchy, huh? how about if it sucks, i leave mid-mass (gee, it's like we've done this before, seth).
to continue the anarchy, i think i might tell people that we think we're better than they are as we cork intersections instead of wishing them a happy friday.
I left many a mass mid
I left many a mass mid stride because of assholes who don't know how to act.
Now, I come them and call you guys out on your actions.... because I care. It's called compassion.
If I hated you... I'd use racism.
You have to earn respect. I
You have to earn respect. I agree with Ben that an easy-going, friendly manner is preferable to hostility.
On the other hand, relief that CM has passed should offer relief to drivers. If things go well you get comments like "What are you bike punk kids riding for?..."
What if CM rode according to the traffic laws? No corking, two abreast, stop at all signals and Stop signs? With the numbers of riders attracted last month (surely higher next week) that would blow some minds.
yowsers, the mass would
yowsers, the mass would break! you'd have sub-masses of 20-30 riders get clipped off each time the light turned red. Then you'd end up with 10-15 sub-masses (probably stretching for 10-15 blocks) trying to play follow the leader. It could work, but you'd have to make sure each sub-mass had at least one capable rider to direct the group along the same route...it'd get complicated pretty quickly and would also deter a lot of riders b/c it'd decrease socialization and the ease of the ride.
If you're really interested in this kind of riding, the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign often leads protest rides in the exact same manner as you've described.
plus, a lot of the street
plus, a lot of the street time that some riders get is completely limited to being at critical mass. I know plenty of people that like the security of riding slowly with a big crowd that wouldn't come out otherwise.
a big crowd that wouldn't
a big crowd that wouldn't come out otherwise
I know I don't speak for most people... but I don't care about Joe and Jane schmoe who never get on their bikes except to cruise in the Mass... mostly because CM endangers me the other 29-30 days of the month and I don't see their ass out on the streets helping me then.
"What if CM rode according
"What if CM rode according to the traffic laws? No corking, two abreast, stop at all signals and Stop signs? With the numbers of riders attracted last month (surely higher next week) that would blow some minds."
Isn't that what they do in Athens? Somebody told me that they do a "Courtesy Mass" out there, where they ride exactly as you described.
It would make for great
It would make for great sprints. ;-)
routes
are there any opinions about this route I just made to Emory?
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Woodruf-Park-Emory-L5P
I think 10.5 miles might be a little on the hefty side, plus there are a bunch of straightaways, not to mention some hills. Any suggestions welcome
Anyone know the Atlanta University Center area (Spelman, Morehouse, Clark) well? I think it'd be fun to ride through there, since we seem to spend a lot of time biking through GSU and GT, might as well expand to other Atlanta colleges
edit: I just modified the route so that it doesn't go as far down Clifton, and instead goes through the main part of campus. I didn't really draw the campus part well but that wouldn't be so hard to wing it
+1 for AUC
-1 for Emory.
Do we really need to take our almost all white, all middle class critical mass up to the almost all white, all upper middle to upper class area of town? I mean, could we get more homogeneous?
I say diversify!
But that's just me maybe.
-1?
I don't see how going to Emory would be any less diverse than other rides (like biking to Decatur)
could it be +2 AUC and +1 Emory?
Also, I'm totally down for an AUC route, but I have no idea of the roads there and thus could not begin to fathom a good route
i dunno about going to emory...
straight up briarcliff and straight down n. decatur for a couple of miles might not be the best idea (although that little roundabout/traffic circle thingy at n. decatur and lullwater would be fun). the other thing is riding through campus gets hilly. granted, going up clifton and coming back through campus avoids some of the steeper uphills on campus, but it might not be so much fun for people who aren't into riding on hills.
just a thought.
campus hills
I thought maybe we could go up clifton, and then cut through the academic quad, it'd be slow but really cool
wait a second
i'm not gonna be here. i'mma do DC CM instead. cool.
Nope
Only if you're going to be in DC for two weekends. DC CM is on first fridays, not last.
http://cm-dc.mahost.org/?page_id=7
are you shitting me?
sonofajerkface. dang.
I love Emory--
NOT.
Enjoy this quotation from a guy I know at Emory, and discuss. I'll be more than happy to post your responses to him. Seriously.
"There's been some very prominent negative coverage of Critical Mass in the media recently. Most of it has to do with the type of violent bike hooligans in San Francisco which we don't so much see here in Atlanta. However, over the past year riding in CM in this city, I have noticed that it is increasingly becoming a rowdy beer ride for anti-car hipsters on fixies with tight jeans and lip rings. Hell yeah I'm stereotyping, and I like Critical Mass. What do you think people who don't like it are saying? What if those people were the Druid Hills community and Emory's administration?
I think the Critical Mass concept has been hijacked, and that we should work to either bring it back on track, or start something better. Brian's post offers a good opportunity to discuss the topic. What is it that we like about CM, and what is it that's bringing it down? From there we should evaluate what to do about it."
-BN
it's really hilarious
nothing has been hijacked. CM is doing the same thing it's been doing for years. there's kind of a pattern to it. new people get excited.. it grows.. some people start doing things that irk the other people.. everyone whines for a long time.. some people get annoyed and leave.. everything mellows out for a while.. and then it starts again. i've seen this happen about 8 billion times since i've been doing this in atlanta. AND i used to lead the emory rides to the mass. so yeah. everyone just chill out and rides bikes.
man, people really freak out when they get subjected to something that somewhat resembles the democratic process.
I kinda want to make a
I kinda want to make a t-shirt that says I'm a rowdy, beer-drinking, anti-car, tight jean wearing hipster.
But that's just me.
My point to this guy, and the other people I've talked with at Emory, is that I'm not "hijacking" CM, I'm being a part of it. And the people that participate define it. So if they're not happy with it, then they should participate.
I've also repeatedly told them to sign up on FM and come out to events. I get the response that we're just a bunch of partying punks on bikes & that it's really hard to break into our circle. I find this slightly funny since I first came to CM with the Emory group, felt slightly awkward until I decided to show up at a party one night, went to the party, met a bunch of new folk, and have been around ever since.
To me, the Emory attitude is one of discomfort with other lifestyles. A bunch of rich white kids go here (and Asian). But I literally know every single African-American kid in my year by name. And as far as bike culture goes, I know almost everyone here who seriously rides a bike. The FM bunch is weird to them and CM seems "hijacked" because it isn't a squid road ride--which is all they ever wanted me to do with them. I helped Brian lead an effective cycling class and no one showed any interest because they don't care about actually going anywhere on their bike--they have cars for that. And that's cool and all, until you start spouting off sustainability and environmental concerns.
Gah.
Ok, sorry, that became a rant. But it's frustrating when the sustainablity chair e-mails me and asks me to get people to participate in cycling initiatives and I have to tell her that no one on the team actually cares about riding their bikes around town or doing anything useful.
And I'm tired as fuck of hearing "critical mass is a protest/bad."
Another quotation: "I recognize that the goal of critical mass is to make the roads safer for bikers in Atlanta. However, at times, its inflammatory nature creates a rift between drivers and bikers." -AA
INFLAMMATORY?!
You know what I find inflammatory? Riding up Moreland yesterday evening, having a huge truck full of skinheads get on my ass, yell inappropriate comments at me and then follow me to where I parked my bike and harass me some more. THAT is inflammatory. Not a bunch of kids riding bikes up Peachtree on a Friday evening.
i remember when i was you
here's what you need to know, jes. the haters are the loudest, but their numbers are small. pay attention to the people not speaking up.. the people on the fence.. the people you can win over. some people aren't going to get it and you'll drive yourself bonkers trying to rope them in. if they want to be all frowny faced jerks, then they can get SGA to give them money to start an asshole club (the greek system, maybe? haha.).
also, leading by example does a lot. just being an awesome kid on a bike will do so much more for biking in this city than you know. see? you already earned like 100 goldstars on the goldstar chart of life.
defending CM all day isn't going to get you very far. it's only one tool in the tool box, and it's a contentious one at that. different spokes for different folks, you know?
for the sake of your own mental health.. chill out, ride bikes, and go on brush yer shoulders off.
+1
"also, leading by example does a lot. just being an awesome kid on a bike will do so much more for biking in this city than you know."
Honestly, each of us probably does more for cycling advocacy on our commutes than we do at CM. I've heard critical massers say they'd love for travel by bicycle to be so commonplace as to make CM irrelevant. (note: This dream of bicycle ubiquity is likely mutually exclusive to tight-pants-fixie-hipster elitism. If everybody's doin' it, we're no longer unique. So we need to get comfy with that if we really want everybody to ride bikes like we say we do.) This is not going to happen because a bunch of fair-weather riders come out one Friday a month, no matter how many there are. The real show happens the other 28-30-days-per-month when we're all just a bunch of regular slobs getting where we need to go on our bicycles. Jes,every time a motorist zips by you and thinks, "Hey, that looks like a fun way to get around. I bet I could do that," you've scored one for bicycling advocacy. The kicker of it is that, most times, you'll never know. It's a thankless process, but you're out there pedaling your heart out because you love it anyway, right?
In any case, emeroids will be emeroids. But you're doing fine. We're all doing fine. It's just hard to know because so little positive feedback or confirmation comes our way.
everytime
I see Jes out riding I think to myself "I bet I could do that" ; )
I said "bet," not "wish."
:-P /thread hijack.
don't let anger close your eyes
Jes- things at Emory can upset me too, but frustration can lead to missed opportunites. Seriously, we have no idea how lucky we are to be at Emory. There's tons of money, serious administration/faculty support (witness the sustainability efforts of late), and some really good people on campus who mean really well, not to mention our awesome alums.
edit*: for those who think Emory is a bunch of snobs if for no other reason than the exorbitant cost of attendance, then read this:
http://www.emory.edu/FINANCIAL_AID/emory_advantage/index.php
(there are times when I'm really proud of my school, even though we don't have a good football team)
I think one thing that makes our generation different from our parents is that we're trying to work with the system. Rather than taking over campus buildings to protest, we seek change through official avenues. meetings, group rides, student government, policies, etc. If you're really interested in making changes I urge you to talk to Maria Town. That girl is amazing and is the current "Rachael Spiewak" at Emory (i.e. she does soooo much to help people). There's a lot of interesting plans to transform Emory and the surrounding area into more-bike friendly places and she has the connections with administrators (we're talking VP's here) to make those changes.
We (commuter cyclists at Emory) should really band together. You're right, we take enough shit from rednecks on moreland, why should we give each other any more? Live and let live.
as a final note, as far as CM goes, I think a little diplomacy is needed. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about it. I like CM, you like CM, and we want more people to do so. Our goal therefore should be to get the most people to come as possible. Towards that goal it helps not to argue too much about what CM really means...if I think it's a protest, an you think it's a protest that's great and we should conduct our behavior well so we can achieve our desired goals, however, if a friend of ours doesn't think it's a protest, but still wants to ride, that's also great because it makes CM stronger (and also the more the merrier).
However, and I think victor made some good points in this thread, we should all try to not be dickheads. No matter how we dress, what kind of music we listen to, or what type of bike we're riding, we should all act as if we're representing the Atlanta cycling community, b/c in a very big way we are. Victor's rules seem very straightforward and make sense, I'd like to add one: no drinking. Sweetwater and the Atlanta Brewing company usually have brewery tours on Friday, get shitfaced there (I have and it's great!) If you're gonna come to CM though, show a little restraint and get snoggy after the ride, please?
So why no drinking? If you
So why no drinking? If you drink and aren't a dickhead that doesn't effect the bottom line of not being a dickhead. If you drink and it makes you act like a dickhead (including endangering those aroudn you) then you probably know that and thus drinking would make you a dickhead.
(I think this is along the same lines of arguments about legalizing other drugs too. If you're gonna be indulging you need to know your limits and act within them, regardless of the situation)
(I'm usually too buy taking pictures at CM to drink but it does happen ever now and then)
I've heard these arguments
I've heard these arguments about legalizing other drugs, and isn't one of them not to use them while driving a car? Isn't biking similar? Also, we've had kids coming to CM recently and drinking is a bad example on impressionable youths.
If you're not gonna get drunk (which could impair your biking or make you act like a dick) then why drink? I love the taste of beer, and I'll probably be having a nice stout with my dinner tonight, but I doubt ppl who drink at CM do so b/c they like the taste of whatever they're drinking.
Plus alcohol dehydrates you. Plus if a cop stops you you'll get arrested for having an open container. Plus your shitty drunk driving could lead to some poor woman getting destroyed by a tractor trailer. Plus if something bad does happen, you're not gonna want to be slow and drunk. Plus you're "representing the Atlanta cycling community"
1. It's good for the kids.
1. It's good for the kids. If I'd seen people drinking when I was a kid then I wouldn't have been so f'ed up until now. Seriously. The parents didn't start bringing their kids until the mass got kinda crazy and they come back every month. I don't think it's harming anyone.
2. I drink but don't get drunk all the time. I love the taste of good beer. I ride CM. So...
3. Alcohol dehydrates you. But so does Coca-Cola. Whatever.
4. Don't have an open container! Doh. I always put beer in my water bottle. And then wash it thoroughly. :)
5. And I'm proud to represent the Atlanta biking community. At least I'm not drunk and driving. That seems a lot more dangerous.
if you read my post below
you see they are suggestions, not rules (though i do refer to FM rule #1, which is more of a no brainer than a rule), so you can't really tack on to said suggestions with a rule.
i didn't want to reply to your rule initially, but allow me to make this correlation:
some people come to CM prepared to protest. they bring shittily designed flyers to hand out. if they are stupid enough to get arrested for protesting or actions related to protesting, they have to deal with it. and yes, it makes the cycling community look bad.
some people come to CM prepared to be tipsy/drunk/feel good. they drink before-hand or sometimes during. if they are stupid enough to get arrested for drinking or actions related to drinking, they have to deal with it. and yes, it makes the cycling community look bad.
everyone comes to CM to ride. everyone brings bikes. no inherent negative consequences.
if someone's not harming anyone, let them enjoy CM.