[*BCM*] Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 5
ian schwartz
hankpiece at gmail.com
Mon Apr 2 18:59:07 EDT 2007
I think the problem lies not in people trying to deliver political
messages during CM. As Rob said, "wear your costumes and tape your
signs to your messenger bags." More power to you. My problem lies in
the fact that a group without ties to the bicycle community is
assuming that we are going to automatically be allied with their cause
and is soliciting us to help. This is far different than a cyclist
showing up to Mass with xeroxed signs and scotch tape and looking for
people to help him.
This is Boston and I've no doubt that a lot of people support the
politics of the Paul Revere group. Would CMers be as sympathetic to
the cause if people were trying to turn Mass into an anti-gay marriage
protest or a religious thing? I agree that people on the ride have the
right to express whatever politics they want, but I don't think we
should tolerate political groups trying to turn us into their street
team by sending out e-mails.
And regarding the Red Sox bumper sticker idea (if 10% of cars have red
sox bumper stickers does that mean that all cars are Sox fans?) I
would say the answer is yes, provided that those cars are riding in
close formation starting at an agreed upon place and time.
On 4/2/07, bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org
<bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Why are you repeating all of the previous messages when
> replying? (Ron Newman)
> 2. Re: Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 2 (Rob Arnold)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 13:56:03 -0400
> From: "Ron Newman" <rnewman at thecia.net>
> Subject: [*BCM*] Why are you repeating all of the previous messages
> when replying?
> To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> Message-ID: <461143b3.73bc.0 at thecia.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Many of you are including the full text of previous messages when posting new
> ones. I don't understand the purpose of doing this, and it makes the digest
> very difficult to read. Please stop.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 14:06:47 -0400
> From: "Rob Arnold" <rsarnold at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 2
> To: "Boston Critical Mass" <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Message-ID:
> <dada885c0704021106v296127a2t51ac9941747dd86a at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Yes, it's an obvious argument, but I did want to point out to the original
> poster why he/she'll get resistance or indifference from the group. Not
> because CM's not about anything, but because it's *about* riding a bike.
> Tagalong politics tend to get left on the curbside, where they belong. Sure,
> wear your costumes and tape your signs to your messenger bags, but signs and
> costumes are pretty common. Better, as other people suggest, to organize a
> separate ride. Or, better yet, an inclusive protest that allows non-bike
> people to participate as well. It's far easier to gather a group of
> likeminded citizens to protest than it is to convert a preexisting group
> over to your cause. I think claiming that CM isn't about anything makes it
> easy for people to assume they can bend the protest to their own wills.
> People forget the most obvious thing, it seems.
>
> On 4/2/07, John Hays <jjhays2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Um, I agree that Critical Mass is "about riding a bike through city
> > streets" (although skateboarders and rollerbladers are welcome - and
> > we've occasionally had both). Well, obviously. You'd have to be pretty
> > dense to think that acknowledging the minimum requirement of riding a
> > bike through a streets in any way impacts my substantive argument -
> > which is that people are free to add or subtract any additional
> > political, social, or environmental 'messages' as they see fit. Lots of
> > people see Critical Mass as a protest against car culture - some people
> > don't. C'est la vie. My only point is that people are free to create
> > those additional associations for themselves, and to encourage other
> > people to voluntarily adopt them as their own during the ride.
> >
> > You claim such an effort will be largely unsuccessful - and the
> > previous poster feared it would be TOO successful. I don't really care
> > either way, and have no position on which is likely to be the outcome.
> > My only position is that all participants in Critical Mass are free to
> > make the ride "about" whatever they want - provided they meet the
> > minimal requirement of "riding a bike through city streets" (of course!).
> >
> > Rob Arnold wrote:
> > > How convenient. Now I don't even need a bike to ride in Critical Mass.
> > >
> > > Fact is, at some minimal level, Critical Mass *is* about riding a bike
> > > through city streets. Anarcho-babble aside, exterior wannabe-unifying
> > > political messages like the one suggested don't generally have much
> > > effect in a CM ride precisely because they don't address the simple
> > > fact that it's kinda just a group bike ride. And if a political tag is
> > > added, it's generally bike-centric. Hence, the only chant I ever hear
> > > having much group sway is the popular "Whose streets? Our streets!" If
> > > you want to claim that there's no unifying principle to the rides, I
> > > suggest you walk the next one.
> > >
> > > On 4/2/07, *John Hays* <jjhays2 at gmail.com <mailto:jjhays2 at gmail.com>>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > Er, Critical Mass isn't "really" about anything. Critical Mass is
> > > completely structureless and leaderless. YOU may have some concept
> > in
> > > your head about what Critical Mass "really" is - and that's entirely
> > > fine. The point is, every Critical Mass participant is equally
> > capable
> > > of divining for himself or herself what Critical mass is "really"
> > > about.
> > > And if onlookers don't understand the 'nature' of Critical Mass, and
> > > attribute views held by a participating minority to the whole -
> > > well so
> > > what? Are we obligated to change the nature of Critical Mass so as
> > to
> > > enforce conformity and group "approved" messages merely because
> > > onlookers don't understand that such an organizational structure is
> > > PRECISELY the opposite of what Critical Mass actually I think not.
> > >
> > > - John Hays
> > >
> > >
> > > Terra Curtis wrote:
> > > > seems simple enough, but it's not that simple. even if only 10
> > > or 20%
> > > > of the riders adopt this chant, on-lookers who are unaware of what
> > > > critical mass is *really* about will assume it's something that
> > > it is
> > > > not.
> > > >
> > > > the whole reason we take to the streets in such numbers is to make
> > > > those people who are unaware more aware of bicyclists. i don't
> > > think
> > > > we want our one unifying purpose to be overshadowed.
> > > >
> > > > i agree with ian: "if somebody wants to organize a ride that
> > > DOES have
> > > > partisan
> > > > political affliations, and invite me along, I would be all for
> > it."
> > > >
> > > > we should keep the two agendas separate.
> > > >
> > > > On 4/2/07, John Hays < jjhays2 at gmail.com
> > > <mailto:jjhays2 at gmail.com>> wrote:
> > > >> Critical Mass has always been "political" in the broad
> > > sense, and
> > > >> has certainly been political in the narrow sense of favoring or
> > > opposing
> > > >> particular political figures or parties. The unusually massive
> > NYC
> > > >> Critical Mass on the eve of the Republican National Convention -
> > > >> expressly attended by many of the extra thousands who were in
> > > NYC at the
> > > >> time as an anti-RNC protest - is a prime example.
> > > >>
> > > >> I would encourage anyone that supports the Paul
> > > Revere/impeachment
> > > >> idea to voluntarily choose to participate w/ it during the next
> > > ride by
> > > >> getting in costume, wearing a sign, or shouting the name of the
> > > website.
> > > >> Anybody who prefers NOT to do it can just not do those things.
> > > Seems
> > > >> simple enough.
> > > >>
> > > >> - John Hays
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> ian schwartz wrote:
> > > >> > Since when does Critical Mass have political leanings?
> > > >> >
> > > >> > On 4/2/07, bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > <mailto:bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> > > >> > < bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > <mailto:bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org>> wrote:
> > > >> >> Send Bostoncriticalmass mailing list submissions to
> > > >> >> bostoncriticalmass at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > <mailto:bostoncriticalmass at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> > > >> >>
> > > >> http://lists.bostoncoop.net/mailman/listinfo/bostoncriticalmass
> > > >> >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> > > >> >> bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > <mailto:bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> You can reach the person managing the list at
> > > >> >> bostoncriticalmass-owner at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > <mailto:bostoncriticalmass-owner at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more
> > > specific
> > > >> >> than "Re: Contents of Bostoncriticalmass digest..."
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> Today's Topics:
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> 1. Re: Paul Revere says "Impeachment is Coming" (Jym Dyer)
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >>
> > > >>
> > >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> Message: 1
> > > >> >> Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:56:50 -0700
> > > >> >> From: Jym Dyer <jym at econet.org <mailto:jym at econet.org>>
> > > >> >> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Paul Revere says "Impeachment is Coming"
> > > >> >> To: Boston Critical Mass < list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > <mailto:list at bostoncriticalmass.org>>
> > > >> >> Message-ID: <Jym.01Apr2007.460fe433 at econet.org
> > > <mailto:Jym.01Apr2007.460fe433 at econet.org>>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> =v= In New York City, this group got very into the whole
> > > >> >> Paul Revere thing:
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> http://www.greenedragon.org/ <http://www.greenedragon.org/>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> They met up with us bike activists, we got some puppeteers
> > > >> >> into the act, but some horse-heads on our bikes, and warned
> > > >> >> everyone, "The Republicans are coming!"
> > > >> >> <_Jym_>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> ------------------------------
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> _______________________________________________
> > > >> >> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> > > >> >> list at bostoncriticalmass.org <mailto:
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> > > <http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list>
> > > >> >>
> > > >> >> End of Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 2
> > > >> >> *************************************************
> > > >> >>
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