"It doesn't take many miles in the saddle before you get cut off,
flipped off, screamed at, or run entirely off the road... As a
bicyclist, this can be terrifying. When a driver begins yelling
angrily, or gesturing obscenely, or comes a little too close when they
pass, you begin to appreciate how vulnerable you are as you compete for
space on the road with those cars, trucks, and buses."
If you wondered why there are so few cyclists out there, even though
bicycling is such a sensible option, which can even help prevent
predatory wars for resources, and thought the TERRORISTS wore a mask in
Iraq, think again. The answer may be in this appeal. Welcome to the
Jungle.
"If you are a cyclist you should know I exist, that I don't care about
you. That I don't care about your life."
Hatred Against Cyclists
posted by PAgent at 4:01 PM on July 14, 2006
If you commute by bicycle in Portland, you don't have to be told that
there are drivers out there that are hostile to cyclists. It doesn't
take many miles in the saddle before you get cut off, flipped off,
screamed at, or run entirely off the road. Even in a city that prides
itself on being 'bike-friendly', there are plenty of drivers that
resent the presence of bicycles on the road, and all-too-often their
resentment translates into action.
As a bicyclist, this can be terrifying. When a driver begins yelling
angrily, or gesturing obscenely, or comes a little too close when they
pass, you begin to appreciate how vulnerable you are as you compete for
space on the road with those cars, trucks, and buses.
Jonathan Maus over at BikePortland.org has posted an article reporting
how the hosts of 'The Playhouse' on 95.5 Jammin' FM were joking about
cyclists getting injured in car accidents. But they apparently went
beyond joking, to encouraging their listeners to commit violence
against cyclists. Jonathan quotes Portland cyclist Lanette Noble, who
indicates she heard the radio host say
"When I hear on TV that a cyclist has been hit and killed by a car I
laugh, I think it's funny"
and
"If you are a cyclist you should know I exist, that I don't care about
you. That I don't care about your life."
Now, if you head over to the "The Playhouse" website, it is instantly
clear that this program uses whatever shock tactics they can to
generate ratings. And that's fine. If I don't want to listen to their
style of radio, I can turn the channel. But when they start advocating
violence against any particular group of human beings, I think they've
crossed the line. And when they start advocating violence against a
group to which I belong, well, it's hard not to take it a bit
personally.
BikePortland.org provides the name of the company that owns Jammin' 95,
as well as the name and contact info for the station's General Manager.
There's no shortage of outrage in the comments left at BikePortland,
but personally I'd like to see a transcript of the show, hear a
recording, or hear additional accounts from folks that heard the
program before doing anything rash. Like demanding someone's head on a
plate.
So, did any of you hear this broadcast? What did you think of it? Is
this the kind of message we want broadcast here in Portland? If it
bothered you, let them know.
http://portland.metblogs.com/archives/2006/07/hatred_against.phtml
BIKE FOR PEACE
http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace