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Riding your bike that way in Amsterdam (or really any place in Europe and I imagine most of the rest of the world) wouldn't turn one head, let alone invoke ange
by mnm1 7y ago
Riding your bike that way in Amsterdam (or really any place in Europe and I imagine most of the rest of the world) wouldn't turn one head, let alone invoke anger. That's definitely an American thing. I guess some people get off on the righteousness and they attempt to control other people in the most minuscule of ways. I think this is because they have little freedom and control over their own lives and feel helpless themselves. This part is not limited to America, but in America it's a big part of the culture. Someone else having fun while you're not? Be angry and try to stop them, often using laws. Someone else doing things you don't like? Same thing. Control coupled with a puritan mindset leads to these bizarre reactions.
- smt88 7y agoAmerican culture is more individualistic than most Western European countries, not less. There is no connection between puritanism and frustration at people not wearing a helmet. In fact, my bike-loving, safety-loving friends never say they're angry at someone riding without a helmet. Usually someone just calls them an idiot. But as others have said, in any country with a social safety net, someone's injury/death ends up taking resources away from others (hospital bills, loss of productivity, loss of repaying the cost of your childhood, not taking care of parents or kids, etc.) There's nothing bizarre about seeing someone who abuses their safety net as selfish or irresponsible.
- mnm1 7y agoI think you missed my point which is that riding without a helmet is not dangerous. Americans think it's dangerous because of the way the culture treats everyone as if they are children who need a nanny because they don't know any better. If indeed it was true that "There's nothing bizarre about seeing someone who abuses their safety net as selfish or irresponsible," then why don't people in Amsterdam and Europe in general have this reaction? They actually have a safety net unlike America.
- smt88 7y agoYour point was buried in the other misinformation in your post, but it's also wrong. First of all, helmets dramatically reduce risk of injury[1]. Why do American football players wear them if they aren't protective? Second, much of the bike riding done in the US is on roads shared with cars, and most of our accidents involve cars. We likely have more accidents per mile here than any place with dedicated bike infrastructure. 1. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/22/bicycle-helmets-reduce-risk-of-serious-head-injury-by-nearly-70-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/22/bicycle...
- mnm1 7y agoJust because you don't agree with my analysis of our culture doesn't mean it's misinformation. Helmets reducing the risk of head and face injuries doesn't mean that biking without a helmet is inherently dangerous. Nor does it mean we should force people to wear them because we insist on treating adults as children in America. American football is completely irrelevant to the discussion.