> "Do you really feel like you need a motor to help you pedal?" Not all environmentalists are ideologues, but many are (not to say that other points of view ar

> "Do you really feel like you need a motor to help you pedal?" Not all environmentalists are ideologues, but many are (not to say that other points of view are better or worse in this regard). Much of the problem that I have with left-wing ideology is that people look at things as MORAL or RELIGIOUS issues instead of ENGINEERING issues. It's like Clay Shirky said about online communities [ http://www.shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html http://www.shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html ]: one of their purposes is the veneration of the religious viewpoint. "Hey, I've got an electric bike!" "That's not a REAL bike; it sucks; you suck." "Yeah, but it uses 1% of the power of a car" "That's not a REAL bike; it sucks; you suck." "It's good for the environment" "That's not a REAL bike; it sucks; you suck." <sigh> The reason that high school sucks [ http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html ] is because it's filled with human beings, who care about "religious" issues an in-group loyalty.