It is also a cultural thing - down here sometimes you can see the
London/non-London divide based on whether or not pedestrians smile and
acknowledge you as you walk through a park, etc. Obviously not on
a City High street, but in most other places, yes. Same with
bikes. When I bike in the South West, people always smile and say
hi. When I bike in London, next to never.<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 17/08/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Ian Thistle</b> <<a href="mailto:idiotkid@gmail.com">idiotkid@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
It's B over any other reason, I'd say.<br><br>On 8/17/06, <a href="mailto:TSmith4918@aol.com">TSmith4918@aol.com</a> <<a href="mailto:TSmith4918@aol.com">TSmith4918@aol.com</a>> wrote:<br>><br>><br>> Just some rambling:
<br>><br>> So, someone splain to me the following about Boston bikers; why is it so<br>> dang hard to get a friendly response, a nod, wave, or acknowledgement of our<br>> fellow bikers in the area?...could it be:
<br>><br>> A. FEAR: People are too preoccupied avoiding becoming hood ornaments that<br>> they are oblivious to other bikers.<br>><br>> B. CULTURE: People in this area never look you in the eye even when walking
<br>> to driving...why should biking be any different? c'mon, It's not like we're<br>> in santa monica or anything: this is serious!<br>><br>> C. CLASS: Unless you're wearing the latest in lycra/spandex day-glo clingy
<br>> fashion (personally I've gravitated to cotton, yeah, I know, sweat and all)<br>> why should they waste their time on a recreational biker.<br>><br>> D. SNOBBERY: ok, so my bike is 20 years old with cracked fenders and dirty
<br>> rims (comes from commuting 12 months out of the year), does this make anyone<br>> unworthy of a nod?<br>><br>> E. AGEISM: ok, so I am almost 50, it's not like I am hitting on anyone<br>> from being friendly, especially if we're whizzing past each other at a
<br>> cumulative 30 miles an hours.<br>><br>> F. LACK OF GOOD BREEDING: don't need to say much on this.<br>><br>> G. URBAN/SUBURBAN CLASH: I do bike thru Chestnut Hill to get to work...do<br>> I look to urban-scary-like? c'mon I'm almost 50 (see E)! and I wear baggy
<br>> clothes (see C)...<br>><br>> H. THE MYTH OF BIKER UNITY: maybe I am expecting too much, rather than see<br>> the bikers I encounter as brothers and sisters in the struggle for<br>> liberation from petroleum products, maybe we're just individualists doing
<br>> our own thang with little in common. Haven't we all felt a little twinge of<br>> "hmm, I know I'm probably just a little faster than that biker up the<br>> road..."?<br>><br>> I. NO REASON AT ALL: that's just the way it is.
<br>><br>> It's not that hard to acknowledge each other: critical mass does a great<br>> job once a month; here's hoping for a little more nods and waves out on the<br>> roadway. It's a good way to recognize what we're doing as a biking
<br>> community for fun and for meaning.<br>><br>> Old guy.<br>><br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">
list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>> <a href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a><br>> To unsubscribe email<br>> <a href="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a><br>><br>><br>_______________________________________________<br>Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br><a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br><a href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list">
http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a><br>To unsubscribe email <a href="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Anne Wolfe,
LL.M.<br>Mobile: ( 077484) 76599 <br>"Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies have chocolate and a little somethin' <br>from each of the other major food groups and they leave your mouth <br>feeling minty fresh, making them the ideal breakfast food for people on the go." - Karen Jack
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