Hi all!
Its been aquite a while since I posted last but I've been looking in often to keep caught up
The other day I saw a bit of car culture that I found rather disturbing and it prompted me to consider just how ingrained that type of mindset might be:
I was standing in line at the post office the other day and just wistfully trying to pass the waiting time by checking out the FBI's 10 most wanted poster when all of a sudden I heard a woman say rather loudly "You need to move that"
I turned around and about three people behind me was a large woman (I'm actually trying to be kind here because she was more than large... ok, to be really honest she was grotesquely obese) I surveyed the rest of the scene behind me; there were a few more people in line then when I last observed, but right at the end of the line was a road rider in shorts and local club jersey with a backback, helmet and a few letters in his hand... He was also sporting a confused look.
Pardon? (French Accent)
"I said you have to move your bike, I paid for that meter and its mine, you don't have any right to put your bike there until I'm done"
I Looked out the window with everyone else in line (the woman really was quite loud) and sure enough, there was a Colnago kryptonited to the parking meter right outside the front window. Itwas on the sidewalk side of the meter...
"Excuse me please, I am not understanding, I am just locking my bike to the, how you say? to the pole?"
The woman continued on, and starting talking about how while the meter was running with her money the parking spot and the meter were her property and he HAD to move his bike. In fact she started to get pretty agitated and people ahead of her and behind her were putting in a bit of distance. She then said "In America we drive cars, you can take your bike somewhere else"
The cyclist was in a state of utter confusion and probably either did not have the vocabularly in english to respond, or was just stunned into disbelief as I was.
One of the women behind the postal counter asked the woman to please calm down. Then they turned to the gentleman and to my absolute disbelief asked him to move his bike!!!
Now the cyclist was doubly confused as was I, and I HAD to say something... It came out something like "Are you kidding? He just has his bike locked to the meter, what's wrong with that?!"
"The postal worker who asked the cyclist to move his bike then turned to me and said "I'm not speaking to you sir..."
It was kind of this interactive stand-off, where there was a moment of uncomfortable silence... Then suddenly the cyclist threw up his hands, said something in French and walked out of the Post office after adding "You Americans are all crazy!"
After he left the large woman said "If they come to this country they need to learn the rules here"
It was all getting too surreal to me and I decided to forego the stamps I needed to buy and walked out too... as I passed the woman I really could not think of anything to say, and so I said "That wasn't right"
She just glared at me and said "Then you can leave too"
I walked out wondering very intensely wether it bothers people to act so rudely that it makes people uncomfortable... I was also wondering how much of her attitude was simply her being "nuts" and how much of it was indicative of any undercurrent of animosity car drivers have of cyclists...
It bugged me for quite a while... I really hope it was a one time deal...
Feanor
Its been aquite a while since I posted last but I've been looking in often to keep caught up
The other day I saw a bit of car culture that I found rather disturbing and it prompted me to consider just how ingrained that type of mindset might be:
I was standing in line at the post office the other day and just wistfully trying to pass the waiting time by checking out the FBI's 10 most wanted poster when all of a sudden I heard a woman say rather loudly "You need to move that"
I turned around and about three people behind me was a large woman (I'm actually trying to be kind here because she was more than large... ok, to be really honest she was grotesquely obese) I surveyed the rest of the scene behind me; there were a few more people in line then when I last observed, but right at the end of the line was a road rider in shorts and local club jersey with a backback, helmet and a few letters in his hand... He was also sporting a confused look.
Pardon? (French Accent)
"I said you have to move your bike, I paid for that meter and its mine, you don't have any right to put your bike there until I'm done"
I Looked out the window with everyone else in line (the woman really was quite loud) and sure enough, there was a Colnago kryptonited to the parking meter right outside the front window. Itwas on the sidewalk side of the meter...
"Excuse me please, I am not understanding, I am just locking my bike to the, how you say? to the pole?"
The woman continued on, and starting talking about how while the meter was running with her money the parking spot and the meter were her property and he HAD to move his bike. In fact she started to get pretty agitated and people ahead of her and behind her were putting in a bit of distance. She then said "In America we drive cars, you can take your bike somewhere else"
The cyclist was in a state of utter confusion and probably either did not have the vocabularly in english to respond, or was just stunned into disbelief as I was.
One of the women behind the postal counter asked the woman to please calm down. Then they turned to the gentleman and to my absolute disbelief asked him to move his bike!!!
Now the cyclist was doubly confused as was I, and I HAD to say something... It came out something like "Are you kidding? He just has his bike locked to the meter, what's wrong with that?!"
"The postal worker who asked the cyclist to move his bike then turned to me and said "I'm not speaking to you sir..."
It was kind of this interactive stand-off, where there was a moment of uncomfortable silence... Then suddenly the cyclist threw up his hands, said something in French and walked out of the Post office after adding "You Americans are all crazy!"
After he left the large woman said "If they come to this country they need to learn the rules here"
It was all getting too surreal to me and I decided to forego the stamps I needed to buy and walked out too... as I passed the woman I really could not think of anything to say, and so I said "That wasn't right"
She just glared at me and said "Then you can leave too"
I walked out wondering very intensely wether it bothers people to act so rudely that it makes people uncomfortable... I was also wondering how much of her attitude was simply her being "nuts" and how much of it was indicative of any undercurrent of animosity car drivers have of cyclists...
It bugged me for quite a while... I really hope it was a one time deal...
Feanor