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Chicago Critical Mass rant



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 30th 07, 02:34 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
CM[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant mode and
need an outlet. Last night, being the last Friday of the month, CM had its
usual ride. Prior to last night, I was largely non committal about the
ride, even though I have been delayed while driving a car during the ride
window. I figured, I'm non - pedestrian traffic, they are non- pedestrian
traffic, so be it.

Last night changed that though. While trying to cross a street with the
green light (on foot and walking my recuperating dog) that CM had corked, I
encountered an amazing amount of resistance and low-level abuse. I had one
woman swerve toward at my dog and cut back at the last minute, telling me to
get out of the way. A couple people spat at me. saying "it's raining, it's
raining". While standing there, still trying to inch across to get to the
park, so that my frantic dog could relieve itself, I pretty calmly said,(all
things considered) "Guys, I'm not in a car - I'm just walking my dog".
The reply, almost in chorus, " F**& you". I was pretty dumbfounded, and
had the group not been so huge, would have probably done something very
stupid.

Reaching the sidewalk, I had nowhere to walk, since it was absolutely filled
with folks on bikes, often times perpendicular to the sidewalk itself.
Several "Excuse me-s" had zero effect in getting me through the crowd, but
"Pedestrian trying to get through" opened up a lane wide enough to navigate.

As a cyclist, I hate it when motorists don't respect my right to be on the
road, or when drivers get off with a slap on the wrist for hitting a
cyclist, but I really don't think it's about the cm-ers wanting equality,
unless by equality, they mean the rights to do and be all the things they
are railing against...

rant mode off.

Chuck


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  #2  
Old June 30th 07, 04:56 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
Bill Sornson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,098
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

CM wrote:
Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant
mode and need an outlet. Last night, being the last Friday of the
month, CM had its usual ride. Prior to last night, I was largely non
committal about the ride, even though I have been delayed while
driving a car during the ride window. I figured, I'm non -
pedestrian traffic, they are non- pedestrian traffic, so be it.

Last night changed that though. While trying to cross a street with
the green light (on foot and walking my recuperating dog) that CM
had corked, I encountered an amazing amount of resistance and
low-level abuse. I had one woman swerve toward at my dog and cut
back at the last minute, telling me to get out of the way. A couple
people spat at me. saying "it's raining, it's raining". While
standing there, still trying to inch across to get to the park, so
that my frantic dog could relieve itself, I pretty calmly said,(all
things considered) "Guys, I'm not in a car - I'm just walking my
dog". The reply, almost in chorus, " F**& you". I was pretty
dumbfounded, and had the group not been so huge, would have probably
done something very stupid.
Reaching the sidewalk, I had nowhere to walk, since it was absolutely
filled with folks on bikes, often times perpendicular to the sidewalk
itself. Several "Excuse me-s" had zero effect in getting me through
the crowd, but "Pedestrian trying to get through" opened up a lane
wide enough to navigate.
As a cyclist, I hate it when motorists don't respect my right to be
on the road, or when drivers get off with a slap on the wrist for
hitting a cyclist, but I really don't think it's about the cm-ers
wanting equality, unless by equality, they mean the rights to do and
be all the things they are railing against...

rant mode off.


I few months ago I picked up a friend at the downtown (SD) train station.
Riding thru our "Little Italy" section I discovered a CM ride was going on
when about 4 or 5 different riders SWERVED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME as I was
slowly rolling thru a green light.

Morons and thugs. Hope the cops arrest some soon.

BS


  #3  
Old June 30th 07, 06:12 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
landotter
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,336
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

On Jun 30, 8:34 am, "CM" wrote:
Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant mode and
need an outlet. Last night, being the last Friday of the month, CM had its
usual ride. Prior to last night, I was largely non committal about the
ride, even though I have been delayed while driving a car during the ride
window. I figured, I'm non - pedestrian traffic, they are non- pedestrian
traffic, so be it.

Last night changed that though. While trying to cross a street with the
green light (on foot and walking my recuperating dog) that CM had corked, I
encountered an amazing amount of resistance and low-level abuse. I had one
woman swerve toward at my dog and cut back at the last minute, telling me to
get out of the way. A couple people spat at me. saying "it's raining, it's
raining". While standing there, still trying to inch across to get to the
park, so that my frantic dog could relieve itself, I pretty calmly said,(all
things considered) "Guys, I'm not in a car - I'm just walking my dog".
The reply, almost in chorus, " F**& you". I was pretty dumbfounded, and
had the group not been so huge, would have probably done something very

[snip]

I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists. The bigger the number, the braver and
ruder they get. It's no different than a rabid PETA protest, or Klan
rally, or right to lifers getting all lathered up and killing abortion
doctors. It's a rolling riot of hysteria.

  #4  
Old June 30th 07, 07:03 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
Luigi de Guzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 231
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:


I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists.


Add 'em to the "one-percenters."

I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
be assholes.



--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com
  #5  
Old July 1st 07, 03:17 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
max
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 103
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

From your lips to G-d's ears.

I call this the ironic law of activism: the loudest proponents of an idea
are often its least desirable faces.

..max
learned it the hard way, in Chicago.
  #6  
Old July 1st 07, 03:20 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
max
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 103
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

In article ,
"CM" wrote:

Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant mode
[...]
rant mode off.

Chuck


if you don't mind terribly, i'd like to forward the full article to
chi.general with headers intact.

..max
  #7  
Old July 1st 07, 07:40 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
Mike A Schwab
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 443
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

On Jun 30, 1:03 pm, Luigi de Guzman wrote:
On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:

I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists.


Add 'em to the "one-percenters."

I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
be assholes.

--
Luigi de Guzmanhttp://ouij.livejournal.com


Some of the long term riders (and map / derailer writers) are getting
tired of the drunks and rude riders of the last two years also. So
they have scheduled the 10th anniversery to be the last Chicago
Critical Mass. In October, the Evanston Critical Mass will ride from
Daley Plaza on the last Friday of the Month.

http://chicagocriticalmass.org/
http://listserv.uic.edu/archives/chi-crit-mass.html

  #8  
Old July 1st 07, 04:24 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
Doc O'Leary[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 22
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

In article ,
Luigi de Guzman wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:


I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists.


Add 'em to the "one-percenters."

I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
be assholes.


Shouldn't matter. It's up to the other CM riders to keep them in check.
If no other cyclist was willing to smack them with a frame pump when
they started to verbally assault and spit on pedestrians, then the whole
group is full of assholes. A misguided Us-vs-Them attitude is at the
root of so many problems it isn't funny.

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, teranews.com, x-privat.org
  #9  
Old July 2nd 07, 08:17 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
Dane Buson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,340
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:


I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists.


Add 'em to the "one-percenters."

I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
be assholes.


Seattle Mass seems pretty mellow. I'm not a regular attendee, but I
ended up going last Friday. It was pretty relaxed, lots of people, lots
of dinging bells and honking (bike) horns. I saw people with kids and
lots of smiles.

Part of this is probably Seattle PDs relaxed attitude towards Mass.
They've stated unofficially that corking helps Mass get out of the city
center faster and causes less disruption than if you had dozens of
clots of cyclists. They believe that if they really started cracking
down on Mass, the people who come next month would be a much uglier
crowd.

That said, they were flyering mass telling people to please not be jerks
or they would start having to arrest people. This is because some
geniuses decided to take Mass up the Alaskan Way Viaduct last month.
Imbeciles (the cyclists - not the cops).

There was a much larger police presence than usual, but everything
seemed to go smoothly. We ended up at Greenlake eventually with no
incidents (that I've heard of).

I appreciate the Police going out of their way to communicate why they
had an increased presence there. They could have been much less
forthright - see NYC or others for good examples.

--
Dane Buson -
"Washington could not tell a lie; Nixon could not tell the truth;
Reagan cannot tell the difference." - Mort Sahl
  #10  
Old July 3rd 07, 01:37 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,rec.bicycles.misc
Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,130
Default Chicago Critical Mass rant

On Jul 2, 2:17 pm, Dane Buson wrote:
Luigi de Guzman wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:


I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists.


Add 'em to the "one-percenters."


I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
be assholes.


Seattle Mass seems pretty mellow. I'm not a regular attendee, but I
ended up going last Friday. It was pretty relaxed, lots of people, lots
of dinging bells and honking (bike) horns. I saw people with kids and
lots of smiles.

Part of this is probably Seattle PDs relaxed attitude towards Mass.
They've stated unofficially that corking helps Mass get out of the city
center faster and causes less disruption than if you had dozens of
clots of cyclists. They believe that if they really started cracking
down on Mass, the people who come next month would be a much uglier
crowd.

That said, they were flyering mass telling people to please not be jerks
or they would start having to arrest people. This is because some
geniuses decided to take Mass up the Alaskan Way Viaduct last month.
Imbeciles (the cyclists - not the cops).

There was a much larger police presence than usual, but everything
seemed to go smoothly. We ended up at Greenlake eventually with no
incidents (that I've heard of).

I appreciate the Police going out of their way to communicate why they
had an increased presence there. They could have been much less
forthright - see NYC or others for good examples.


It is good to see that some police forces remember that they are there
to serve the people and not to rule them.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

 




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