[*BCM*] Scattered Thoughts on Massbike, Police, and Class

[Pete Stidman]

maybe I should have used young instead of hip.  I
wouldn't label you a hipster either, but among the
younger set lifestyle can become a fashion and biking
can become part of that.  I could aslo substitute the
word culture for fashion here, but in the end you get
my meaning.  

There is a crowd in which everyone is on the bike all
the time. 

This is where I think the split is, not tactics.  

It's between city bike commuters of a more direct
action bent, and more recreational bike users of a
more change it from the inside persuasion, with lots
of grey in between.  

You could also break it up by the reasons why peole
choose to commute by bike.  Some are for health, some
the cheap transpo, some the environment, others
because they oppose capitalism or mega corporations
that run the oil biz.  These different motivations
probably inspire different tactics.  

Oh, and I didn't mean to say imply that the change it
from the inside out folks were better by calling them
pragmatic.  You might've been quick to react to that. 
I would say that things like the bike festival would
have been better with if it was part of a campaign
with demands or somehow pinned the mayor down instead
of offering him a greenwashing opportunity.  

The mayor loves to make speeches for good causes, he
loves them even more when all he has to do is show up.
 

Anyway, not to stomp on toes in that direction either.
 Trying to be constructive.  If I had volunteered my
time I'd feel better about criticizing but I didn't do
much for biking this season except ride and educate a
few drivers loudly. 

-Pete


--- contraelolvido at riseup.net wrote:

> Way to address my concerns Paul... asshole. Surely
> putting words in
> people's mouth is the best way to address their
> issues with Massbike. I'm
> also entirely convinced that the cops behavior
> towards the people they
> pulled over was typical, despite that they knew in
> advance you were taping
> them.
> 
> Seriously though, you didn't at all address what I'm
> saying. I don't
> really care how polite or friendly the cops are:
> what you propose is
> esentially a regressive tax - when the republicans
> do it liberals are all
> up in arms, where's the outrage now? Your attempts
> to legistlate bike
> safety will fail, plain and simple.
> 
> > There is a huge split between two parts of the
> bike
> > activist community in Boston. Anybody who doesn't
> see
> > this is just plain ignorant, and anyone who says
> it is
> > neccesary isn't familiar with good strategy.
> 
> I also take offense to be labeled as 'hip' in
> contrast to those who are
> 'pragmatic'. This isn't at all the issue, and I
> don't consider myself
> 'hip' or a hipster whatsoever. I know you don't
> intend it as such but that
> seems to me like you're trying to denegrate those
> with no affinity towards
> Massbike by patronizing them.
> 
> The split is between two camps, one of which is in
> favor of political
> (electoral and legal) action and those who oppose
> it. The vast majority of
> bikers are in neither camp and don't really care
> either way - their goals
> are simply to get themselves around cheaply and
> safely. People who aren't
> part of massbike don't refuse to join because they
> are self righteous and
> unfriendly (though they are) but because by and far
> people in the latter
> camp have no interest in their politics.
> 
> Any sort of unity based on an obfuscation of
> politics is absurd.
> 
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