Pinthouse Pizza
One Man's Party Is Another's Protest
RECEIVED Thu., July 17, 2008
Dear Editor,
A number of points in this column [“Page Two,” July 18] specifically reference my response to Stephen Moser's article [“After a Fashion,” June 27]. The reason I wrote with such a serious tone was due to the numerous acquaintances of mine who have been hit and oftentimes seriously injured by drivers, combined with the uncaringly flippant to actively aggressive attitude most drivers have taken when stopped by police or confronted by the injured cyclist.
While I understand that what Mr. Moser wrote was (hopefully) in jest, his words still carry gravity and still fit the framework of the many uncaring and/or angry drivers that I've encountered while riding. I fully believe in free speech and don't think that Mr. Moser should be censored, but I wanted to speak up and inform him that his feelings toward cyclists didn't fall on deaf ears.
When I labeled the ride as a celebration and not a protest, I wasn't being 100% truthful because no one can label the intentions of all the Critical Mass participants with a single term. Most of them are there to have a fun, relaxing, peaceful time riding bicycles with their friends. Yes, some are probably there to protest our society's dependence on oil/automobiles, rail against modern car culture, or actively promote any one of the thousands of causes that idealistic people take up these days. A handful are probably there to drink beer and be surly to cars. So whose purposes decide what Critical Mass is?
At its core, CM is just a collection of individual bike riders that happen to meet at 5pm on the last Friday of every month on the UT West Mall, as has been happening for 15 years now. There's no direction planned, so where it goes or what happens from there is anyone's guess. We're not there to shut down a building or resist the police as a planned act of civil disobedience. When they issue their orders we obey and try not to cause problems for anyone. We're just looking to ride and not have to worry about getting hit for a couple hours out of the month. If you want it to be about civil disobedience, come and be disobedient, and possibly get a ticket. If you want it to be a pro-bike celebration, come and celebrate! The bottom line is that the ride is what you want it to be, if you participate.
A number of points in this column [“Page Two,” July 18] specifically reference my response to Stephen Moser's article [“After a Fashion,” June 27]. The reason I wrote with such a serious tone was due to the numerous acquaintances of mine who have been hit and oftentimes seriously injured by drivers, combined with the uncaringly flippant to actively aggressive attitude most drivers have taken when stopped by police or confronted by the injured cyclist.
While I understand that what Mr. Moser wrote was (hopefully) in jest, his words still carry gravity and still fit the framework of the many uncaring and/or angry drivers that I've encountered while riding. I fully believe in free speech and don't think that Mr. Moser should be censored, but I wanted to speak up and inform him that his feelings toward cyclists didn't fall on deaf ears.
When I labeled the ride as a celebration and not a protest, I wasn't being 100% truthful because no one can label the intentions of all the Critical Mass participants with a single term. Most of them are there to have a fun, relaxing, peaceful time riding bicycles with their friends. Yes, some are probably there to protest our society's dependence on oil/automobiles, rail against modern car culture, or actively promote any one of the thousands of causes that idealistic people take up these days. A handful are probably there to drink beer and be surly to cars. So whose purposes decide what Critical Mass is?
At its core, CM is just a collection of individual bike riders that happen to meet at 5pm on the last Friday of every month on the UT West Mall, as has been happening for 15 years now. There's no direction planned, so where it goes or what happens from there is anyone's guess. We're not there to shut down a building or resist the police as a planned act of civil disobedience. When they issue their orders we obey and try not to cause problems for anyone. We're just looking to ride and not have to worry about getting hit for a couple hours out of the month. If you want it to be about civil disobedience, come and be disobedient, and possibly get a ticket. If you want it to be a pro-bike celebration, come and celebrate! The bottom line is that the ride is what you want it to be, if you participate.
Jason Abels