Saddle Monkeys
Should we stop using the word ‘cyclist’?
So asks Laura Laker in the pages of the Guardian, thereby adding to our collection of classic sentences from said newspaper. This is promptly followed by another contender:
As the repair man rummaged around in my gas oven, I tried to explain something to him about cyclists.
Which perhaps conveys a flavour of what follows.
Stopping using the term “cyclist” has been up for debate since an Australian study last week found 31% of respondents viewed cyclists as less than human.
Specifically, a minority of motorists have been known to indulge in “humorous references to violence against cyclists,” which is entirely unwarranted, apparently, and must not be allowed to continue.
It is easy to dehumanise people who cycle… because they often dress differently and move in a mechanical way, and drivers cannot see their faces… Public references to violence against cyclists are not uncommon, and rarely given the same condemnation as, for example, violence towards women or bullying.
It occurs to me that cyclists are more likely to be the subject of unkind humour if their behaviour, not their chosen outfit, is causing a problem, or is perceived as such. And note the bold conflation of actual violence with merely joking about it.
Perhaps one small step could be to think carefully about the language we use. We could do as Sarah Storey suggests in her new role as Sheffield’s cycling and walking commissioner: have one word for people who cycle for transport, another for people who cycle for sport – and remember that we are all people, no matter how we use the roads.
Well, courtesy towards other road users is a necessary social lubricant and, generally speaking, something to be encouraged. Readers are of course welcome to speculate as to whether changing the word cyclist to people who cycle for some particular purpose about which I’m supposed to care will make anyone’s journey more fragrant, harmonious and morally uplifted. It may also be worth noting Ms Laker’s tacit assumption that only drivers are in need of behavioural correction, as if cyclists were faultless and incapable of being inconsiderate. Which in turn hints at what may be a factor in some motorists’ limited sympathy for People Of The Pedal.
Via Orwell & Goode.
As the repair man rummaged around in my gas oven, I tried to explain something to him about cyclists.
“Did I mention I’m vegan?”
People are often referred to by their vehicle. “We sank a ship”, “I shot down a plane” kind of dehumanises the occupants, no?
Should we be refering to them by their scientific designation “Verminacious Roadkillicus” or in the vernacular, “speed bumps”?
Asking for a friend. ~:D
hints at what may be a factor
That. I get that every week.
That. I get that every week.
Horse riders, which we often encounter on those same country roads – and which, being even slower and requiring lots of clearance, you’d think might be more aggravating to motorists – don’t seem to attract the same level of opprobrium. Though, in my experience, horse riders are much more likely to be considerate than cyclists, especially groups of cyclists, and to have that courtesy repaid.
Leftists. Changing the world one collective noun at a time.
Well, courtesy towards other road users is a necessary social lubricant and, generally speaking, something to be encouraged.
Indeed, it should be encouraged particularly among cyclists, both pedal and motor, neither of which group seem to understand that a gaggle going below the speed limit with a mile long trail of cars unable to pass on a two lane road is not the best way to win friends and influence people. Here in civilization we are largely spared the sight of throngs of silly hatted people in Lycra who shouldn’t be, but we are afflicted with antediluvian Walter Mitty geezers in “biker” uniforms on their tarted up 900 pound (weight, not money) cruiser Harleys imagining themselves to be be Sonny Barger.
People are often referred to by their vehicle.
“I’m a tanker”, said the Person of Armored Tracked Vehicle; “I’m a trucker”, said the Person of Semi…
A solution for the average driver, though the response of the Person of Repair should have been, “I’m not here for a lecture, fix your own damn oven.”
Many years ago (when my sons were still small), my family used to ride our (very low-tech) bicycles on a nearby biking path, that used to be a railway right-of-way. After finishing our ride one Sunday morning, we packed up the bikes in the back of our van and headed home. At one point, the biking trail crosses a highway and I stopped at the traffic light there. When the light turned green, something made me hesitate before pulling across.
And a bicyclist — spandex leotard, ‘Alien’ helmet, and very expensive, high-tech bike — flashed by, about a foot from my front bumper! If I had pulled forward in a normal fashion, he would have smeared himself across the right-hand side of the van at 35 or 40 miles an hour, possibly breaking out the side window and ending up in my younger son’s lap, most likely killing himself.
I recovered enough in a couple of seconds to lean on the horn. And the bicyclist, climbing back up to the path, stood up on his pedals, turned, and gave me the finger. He could not be bothered to stop for a red light, showed no concern for his own life or that of a child in a car, but he could take the trouble to give me the finger. If I could have chased him up the path in a Honda Odyssey, I would have.
This guy is not all bicycle riders, but he is too many of them. I hate him because I do not want to have to live with having killed someone, not even accidentally, not even an arrogant fool.
I used to live on the Coast to Coast route in Cumbria, and they would frequently ride two or three abreast on narrow country roads, then signal for one to overtake when one couldn’t see the road ahead and what might be coming along at a high rate of knots. They would often seem to get annoyed if one didn’t, then, overtake.
Another form of entertainment at the local pub — “besides humorous references to violence against cyclists” — was bitching about motorists who drive at 40mph on 60 roads then carry on at 40mph through villages. The commonality was and is the inconsiderate behaviour of these road users, not what kind of exhibitionist clothing they wear in front of children at the pub.
This guy is not all bicycle riders, but he is too many of them.
It occurs to me that if you were to suggest that a significant number of motorists are aggravating and inconsiderate, this would be unlikely to provoke much denial from other motorists, who doubtless spend a fair amount of time faced with this reality. But to suggest that, say, an equal proportion of cyclists are aggravating and inconsiderate seems more likely to result in denial – often quite indignant denial – from other cyclists. There is, I think, a broad difference in attitude. Cyclists, in aggregate, seem to regard themselves as loftier and more pious. As if an air of piety – which is to say, self-flattery – somehow disproves selfish inclinations.
Is this one of those threads that start claiming that since you’ve once met a bad cyclist, all of them deserve to die?
If riding a bike is how someone pursues life, liberty and happiness, why should anyone else be able to interfere with that just because they’re in a car?
If might is right, as many suggest when it comes to cyclists, every car driver is free meat to anyone driving a truck.
Consider the world you really want to build.
Is this one of those threads that start claiming that since you’ve once met a bad cyclist, all of them deserve to die?
[ Raises eyebrow. Checks thread. ]
Are you feverish?
Cyclists, in aggregate, seem to regard themselves as loftier and more pious.
“Holier than thou” is a perennial justification for evil.
Are you feverish?
Should we stop using the word ‘cyclist’?
I once worked for a company on its dying breath and some days business was so slow we’d just close shop and have a few beers. The guardian should really consider such an approach.
We could do as Sarah Storey suggests in her new role as Sheffield’s cycling and walking commissioner
There’s your problem, right there…a cycling and walking commissioner!
We joke around using the euphemisms of ‘speech police’ and ‘thought police’ for fascist tendencies seen in public life, but a commissioner for cycling and walking is straight out of Monty Python (if not actually envisioned by them).
Is this one of those threads that start claiming that since you’ve once met a bad cyclist, all of them deserve to die?
No. Next question.
I grew up in a college town, and every couple of years or so the local Cyclist Community would get het up about some damn thing and decide to engage in a disruptive ride where the mob would slowly cycle from one of the universities to the town hall (a distance of somewhat less than 5 km).
The local police force’s response was to show up fifteen minutes before the (well-publicized in advance) event and inform the cyclists that the second they hit a public road, they would be ticketed for any and all violations of the Highway Traffic Act that applied to bicycles, such as failure to have bells, lights, rearview mirrors, etc. Since these are HTA violations, they count as points on your driver’s license. Stopped the protest before it even started.
“Cyclists, in aggregate, seem to regard themselves as loftier and more pious.”
Well, they are saving the planet, after all.
/sarc
@Jon – you might want to get the lycra pants in a larger size mate; constriction is clearly affecting the bloodflow to your brain.
Interesting.
I always thought cyclists were subject to distain & ridicule due them being smug, pretentious prigs who don’t think traffic laws are any of their concern.
Instalanch:
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/326880/#respond
Hide your valuables and put down extra sawdust on the floor.
I used to comment on The Guardian all the time. It was a great place to do battle with the loony left. But I removed my account about 18 months ago.
Why? First, the number of articles you could comment on greatly diminished, and the time window for commenting on those few articles that were open was reduced to a few hours. Not enough time for an on-line debate to even get warmed up. Also, their moderation became draconian, clearly in violation of their own stated standards.
This is a case in point. This article is so off-the-charts stupid that it would normally be inundated with critical posts. But the editors — likely suspecting this — declined to subject it comments. That’s too bad. I think having one’s views exposed to criticism improves one’s thinking and writing over time. Without constant feed back, you can become increasingly untethered from reality, drafting ever further into a fantasy world.
Killer Marmont: “Comment Was Free”.
No. Next question.
To avoid further confusion, or fits of lurid supposition bordering on paranoia, I don’t in fact spend my evenings wishing for the destruction of cyclists as some notional group. When I encounter them in traffic – which isn’t often, at most once a week – I generally assume that, like most other road users, they’re just people trying to get from one place to another. However, it has been my impression that cyclists, at least those I encounter, are a little more inclined to inconsiderate behaviour, and the frequency seems high, relative to their numbers.
Again, this isn’t the result of decades of traffic analysis, merely an impression, and one that may have been amplified by the fact that any aggravation is likely to be slow-moving and therefore lingering. As mentioned in passing here.
The left is obsessed over language, as if 1984 were an instruction manual. They seem to believe that if a word carries a negative connotation then all you need do is change the word and the negativity evaporates. Thus “moron” because “mentally retarded” becomes “special needs” becomes “learning disabled.”
But if the root cause of the negative connotation continues, it’s futile. People quickly escape the language straight jackets that the left wraps them in by changing the perceived meanings of things.
Instalanche
Shred these. Flush that. And for God’s sake, hand out the breath mints.
Is this one of those threads that start claiming that since you’ve once met a bad cyclist, all of them deserve to die?
I used to enjoy long bike rides, especially out in the country away from traffic. Used to do short triathlons and such. Gave it up about 10-15 years ago as it somehow, like what seems like everything else, became political and boorish. I still do open water swims and many of the regulars that do so are also bikers. I can tell them from the other swimmers by the lofty, pious way they can’t shut up about themselves, their diets, and their equipment. Nattering, nattering, nattering. I’m tempted to run them over after swims not because of the menace that they make of themselves on the road but because THEY CANT SHUT UP about themselves.
However, it has been my impression that cyclists, at least those I encounter, are a little more inclined to inconsiderate behaviour, and the frequency seems high, relative to their numbers.
And I might also note per my comment above, as more people who once enjoyed cycling as exercise decide that it’s not worth the hassle of being associated with such jerks drop out of the hobby or whatever, the concentration of jerks increases. Combine that with the image they project and the downright commie/fascist attitudes of many in the “Critical Mass” movement (see their variously themed fisty logos), the poor reputation of cyclists as a group is more and more deserved.
My neighborhood consists of quite a few families with kids. I see them riding bikes and scooters and having a good time. I see kids biking to school in the mornings.
I used to enjoy biking for recreation, but some of the costumed adults who don’t want to share the road, but dominate it, soured my interest in keeping up with it. Leave it for the joy of the kids.
Though, in my experience, horse riders are much more likely to be considerate than cyclists
I live at the north end of Corona bordering on Norco aka HorseTown USA. Lots of riders, especially in the mornings and I agree. They are some of the most polite people who share the road (lots of horse trails through out the city but they do have to cross at intersections).
[Horse] riders… are some of the most polite people who share the road
That may be related in part to the fact that, so far as I can see, there’s little piety attached to horse-riding. Here at least, it doesn’t seem to have any obvious or self-elevating political connotations. In contrast, some cyclists seem to regard their cycling almost as a form of activism.
[ Edited. ]
Anyone who drives knows cyclists are assholes, and any cyclist who encounters traffic knows drivers are assholes. That vicious circle is rivaled only by bikers, the biggest assholes there are probably due in part to how they choose to comport themselves.
But then that vicious circle has a way of entertaining one and all through the duality of a most excellent karma. https://youtu.be/qVpIxfwGDtI
silly hatted people in Lycra”
…complete with Tour de France-style numbered Lycra shirts. I’ve dubbed such poseurs ‘Bike-o the Clown’, and it seems to resonate.
My best Bike-o the Clown story involves me pulling my car up to a stop sign, and watch as a bicyclist in full motley slowly blew through the stop sign to my right, all the while glaring and wagging his finger at me to not dare make the right turn I intended(complete with blinky light thing flashing), which would have affected him not at all.
He didn’t like my obvious mirth at his idiocy in the least.
…the poor reputation of cyclists* as a group is more and more deserved.
Like the old lawyer joke, 99% give the other 1% a bad name…
*Pedal or motor
The left is obsessed over language, as if 1984 were an instruction manual. They seem to believe that if a word carries a negative connotation then all you need do is change the word and the negativity evaporates. Thus “moron” because “mentally retarded” becomes “special needs” becomes “learning disabled.”
Thus “homeless”, which once meant “suffered some catastrophe such as house burning down” now means “bum” plus “lazy or insane or just plain bad”.
as a bicyclist in full motley slowly blew through the stop sign to my right, all the while glaring and wagging his finger at me to not dare make the right turn I intended(complete with blinky light thing flashing)
I almost killed a cyclist that way, as I slowed to turn right on green and was swiftly overtaken on the right by a clueless cyclist. A two-wheeled Darwin Award waiting to happen.
Then there are homeless cyclists.
As I cyclist, I find most of the remarks here disturbing–if only because they are mostly true regarding many cyclists inconsiderate (and often reckless) behavior. It’s also why I’m a bit like Groucho on joining clubs–their reputations for nattering on about their hobby horse makes joining even less appealing.
I learned long ago not to play dodge ball with cars in traffic…
Please note: Laker referred to the “repair man.” She did not say, “the man who owns his own business repairing drains so I (who am incompetent with all things material) do not have to do it.” She did not say, “The man whose physical labor is equal to or superior in value to mine, a person who taps keys for money.” She said, “repair man.” I can almost see his butt-crack and inappropriate views from here.
Demanding you change YOUR language is a hallmark of the left. It has nothing to do with the dignity of the people being defended; it has everything to do with putting you on your back foot, in defensive position, trying not to appear backward, uneducated, and boorish.
I had this experience not too long ago with my (very happily) EX-brother-in-law, who tried to shame me for referring to a slave, rather than “a person who had been enslaved.” Because, you see, I was dehumanizing the human being who had been enslaved, and was thus implicitly condoning or taking part in the enslavement.
My (very happily) EX-brother-in-law, who is intolerable in 10,000 ways, loves to make everyone around him uncomfortable. He’s been diagnosed with the DSM-IV personality defect of narcissism. Making others uncomfortable is his “kibble,” which makes him happy, even if–or especially because–it’s unpleasant and makes others feel terribly about themselves.
I hate when people try to put me on my back foot in this way. It’s a tactic of warfare, not one of sensitivity, nor inclusivity, nor of humanizing the other. It’s an intolerable behavior.
And not only that: It’s almost textbook Phariseeism. Matthew 23:4 describes the Pharisees and the lawyers in this way: “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” Our modern Pharisees will put linguistic weights on everyone else, which they wouldn’t dream of bearing themselves. Hence it’s an horror to refer to “cyclists,” but A-OK to say, “repair man.” Ms. Laker, show me how the two terms are substantively different.
Well, that was quite a rant there. My apologies. Two pots of tea to wake myself up in the afternoon, and the prolixity becomes a bit unmanageable.
Well, that was quite a rant there. My apologies.
I almost fainted.
I had to flutter my fan.
Unlike our host, I have only one fan, and the poor guy just hates being fluttered.
“I almost killed a cyclist that way”
Oh, I described the interaction in a easily-misunderstood fashion; my sooper jeenyus was running the stop sign at the intersection ninety degrees to my right, crossing my front from right to left. Since I was turning right, I couldn’t possibly have anything more to do with him.
And it was a him. It’s always been men who pull this baloney. You guys!
Your incident sounds much more dangerous.
Your incident sounds much more dangerous.
It felt like my heart and stomach dropped through the car seat onto the pavement.
I almost fainted.
I always keep smelling salts on hand for just such situations as these. It’s part of my bug-out kit, in case of natural catastrophes, acts of war, or social awkwardness.
I almost killed a cyclist that way, as I slowed to turn right on green and was swiftly overtaken on the right by a clueless cyclist.
A moped operator – deploying the term loosely – did this to me from down the curb-side bike lane. I had rights to merge right on red, but Moped crossed mine and then four more lanes of cross street at a now-constant velocity of 30mph at the precise instant the light turned. Passing on the right at-speed because why not.
And it was a him. It’s always been men who pull this baloney.
Not this one. Probably had a live cell phone up her helmet.
She sounds happy.
She sounds happy.
Thomas Sowell has pointed out how racial and tribal quotas have often led to war. Our moral betters on the left do not seem to realize this…or else that is their goal.
She sounds happy.
Muffet McGraw.
Perhaps if she just changed her name, sued her parents, had a Snickers, or didn’t coach a sport no one watches, she would be.
I live in an inner city area that is slowly being ‘gentrified’. There is the combination of govt housing and hipsters. Most of the people in Govt Housing are a delight, but there are a handful of households just full of the worst people ever who are constantly, brazenly, commiting burglaries, setting fires and attacking people. Consequently there are always police around (what they actually do is beyond me, but they are ‘around.’) This has made for a great ‘cycling’ culture as all the cyclists and motorists (who tend to be the hipsters and are cautious of the police) know there is a 33% chance you will come across a police car when out and about. Therefore no one engages in too much stupid or obnoxious behaviour.
My husband used to live in Melbourne in a very trendy inner city suburb that is exclusively populated by hipsters, enviromums etc etc. He told me a story where he at a busy intersection and a motorist (a young woman in a mid range car wearing smart casual office wear) had to slam on the brakes (they would have been travelling at about 50-60km) because a dozy hippychick had ridden off the footpath to cross against the lights at a pedestrian crossing right in front of the motorist and into two lanes of oncoming traffic. The motorist was understandably shocked at pissed and yelled out the window the girl on the bike. Who then, with her two idiot hippy friends proceeded to circle the car screaming ‘Just chill, I love yooou!!” meanwhile the motorist s in the car, while traffic backed upbehind her, just seething and waiting for the hippies to continue to their drum circle or whatever.
Its not the worst thing I’ve heard, but certainly the most infuriating!
That’s