3 ms·

Flagged. Needlessly political. You want to talk about bicycles, talk about bicycles. No need to bring in every red/blue tribe talking point along the way.

minikites 5y ago
Everything is political. Sometimes the reason we're in a bad situation is because we choose to do nothing, not because we don't know the answers.
- ultrarunner 5y ago
  "We" is not a singular mind with singular objectives. Politics is often a consensus (real or otherwise) enforced through violence, and to that extent some people may justifiably interpret "everything is political" as "everything is violent, and I'm okay with that." Either way, low-minded application of brute force to others to carry out a political goal is not interesting. Any two-bit dictator could post soldiers in the street to outlaw cars and trucks, or bikes, or both. Any hollow politician can promise to be "tough on crime" and throw an even larger percentage of the population in jails and prisons. Those don't require insight into how these situations came to be. Instead of complaining that not enough violence is being threatened, this article could have been a thoughtful reflection on the state of transportation with insights into increasing safety and cooperation— which would have been interesting. I am a cyclist who has been nearly hit. I have also hit one cyclist with my car (at night, pulling out of a hospital, he rode out in front of me on the sidewalk going the wrong way, dressed in black without a light; I apologized profusely and gave him a ride home). In none of these situations did third-party penalties enter my mind in the least. What would have been interesting is why a young guy who worked at a bike shop chose not to have a bike light at night. What's interesting is why he was on the sidewalk to begin with (which, for motorcycle rides feels like closing your eyes before riding through an intersection, or perhaps going around a curve with eyes closed for drivers). A discussion around fixing the design patterns that lead to these choices is something that would be interesting and helpful. Trump bashing, while assuredly deserved in other contexts, is simply not.

minikites 5y ago

Everything is political. Sometimes the reason we're in a bad situation is because we choose to do nothing, not because we don't know the answers.

ultrarunner 5y ago
"We" is not a singular mind with singular objectives. Politics is often a consensus (real or otherwise) enforced through violence, and to that extent some people may justifiably interpret "everything is political" as "everything is violent, and I'm okay with that." Either way, low-minded application of brute force to others to carry out a political goal is not interesting. Any two-bit dictator could post soldiers in the street to outlaw cars and trucks, or bikes, or both. Any hollow politician can promise to be "tough on crime" and throw an even larger percentage of the population in jails and prisons. Those don't require insight into how these situations came to be. Instead of complaining that not enough violence is being threatened, this article could have been a thoughtful reflection on the state of transportation with insights into increasing safety and cooperation— which would have been interesting. I am a cyclist who has been nearly hit. I have also hit one cyclist with my car (at night, pulling out of a hospital, he rode out in front of me on the sidewalk going the wrong way, dressed in black without a light; I apologized profusely and gave him a ride home). In none of these situations did third-party penalties enter my mind in the least. What would have been interesting is why a young guy who worked at a bike shop chose not to have a bike light at night. What's interesting is why he was on the sidewalk to begin with (which, for motorcycle rides feels like closing your eyes before riding through an intersection, or perhaps going around a curve with eyes closed for drivers). A discussion around fixing the design patterns that lead to these choices is something that would be interesting and helpful. Trump bashing, while assuredly deserved in other contexts, is simply not.