How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Hate the Car - BSNYC in Outside Mag

[Clean39T]

https://www.outsideonline.com/2253891/how-i-learned-start-worrying-and-hate-car

Preaching to the choir, but also quite coherent and logical...

[Burnette]

I'm an auto enthusiast and I'm a cyclist too. Following the article as a logical person the author's message is easily seen as shallow with no wisdom, for what he really hates is just human nature. You have to separate the environment (public roads) and the tools (autos and bicycles) and get to the cause. It's people.

[paredown]

I'm an auto enthusiast and I'm a cyclist too. Following the article as a logical person the author's message is easily seen as shallow with no wisdom, for what he really hates is just human nature. You have to separate the environment (public roads) and the tools (autos and bicycles) and get to the cause. It's people.

"Hell is other people."--Somebody famous said that.

I think BSNYC is right about the success of the "cars first, everything else is an imposition on my right to drive" mentality.

I remember being routinely cut off by moms in SUVs trying to pick up their kids at the school in B'lynn I used to ride by on my way to Prospect Park. Bad (entitled) driving--and I think also vehicles with bad sight lines for their drivers.

I also think there is a real loss in situational awareness on the part of a lot of drivers--everything from merging, giving right of way, moving out to leave room for pedestrians or cyclists etc. Some of it is the sense of entitlement (maybe that is a NY thing); some of it is the fact that a lot of drivers simply have no idea about the shared responsibility of using a public roadway.

[Burnette]

"Hell is other people."--Somebody famous said that.

I think BSNYC is right about the success of the "cars first, everything else is an imposition on my right to drive" mentality.

I remember being routinely cut off by moms in SUVs trying to pick up their kids at the school in B'lynn I used to ride by on my way to Prospect Park. Bad (entitled) driving--and I think also vehicles with bad sight lines for their drivers.

I also think there is a real loss in situational awareness on the part of a lot of drivers--everything from merging, giving right of way, moving out to leave room for pedestrians or cyclists etc. Some of it is the sense of entitlement (maybe that is a NY thing); some of it is the fact that a lot of drivers simply have no idea about the shared responsibility of using a public roadway.

I thought the article to be a bunch of over the top nonsense. With talk of propaganda, brainwashing, jaywalking, it's just rubbish to read this mess.

But I think it's this writer's shtick to put out this kind of stuff. Junk food writing.

[FlashUNC]

Within the last month here, we've had threads about:

-- Multiple threads about forum members getting hit who define it as "staying lucky for only so long"
-- The increase in bicycling fatalities
-- Stories about others who have gotten hit with the obligatory thoughts and prayers platitudes
-- A driver who intentionally drove into riders on a fondo ride


Yeah, they're trying to kill us. He ain't wrong.

[Burnette]

Within the last month here, we've had threads about:

-- Multiple threads about forum members getting hit who define it as "staying lucky for only so long"
-- The increase in bicycling fatalities
-- Stories about others who have gotten hit with the obligatory thoughts and prayers platitudes
-- A driver who intentionally drove into riders on a fondo ride


Yeah, they're trying to kill us. He ain't wrong.

He's not right either. Read that mess. You take a valid subject and string some hyperbole and over the top assertions and you get trash writing like this.

[dgauthier]

Cars are so 20th century. They are lumbering, noisy, mechanical, inefficient things that spew toxic waste. They are made of literally tens of thousands of parts, the result of a century of polishing Henry Ford's turd.

Their time has passed.

With hundreds of milliions of them on the road, a full fledged pilot's license should be required to drive one. We can't wrest the steering wheel out of the cell phone addled driver's hands and pass it to a computer quickly enough.

[FlashUNC]

He's not right either. Read that mess. You take a valid subject and string some hyperbole and over the top assertions and you get trash writing like this.

You're just saying its wrong without saying why its wrong.

Is he wrong that its the absurd that the operators of 3,000 pound vehicles have no increased responsibility on the road over those who ride, to be generous, 30 pound bikes at low double digit speeds?

Is he wrong that our entire infrastructure has oriented itself around the passenger car, and literally every other mode of human transit is viewed as an impediment to the car?

Is he wrong that the large mass of the populace views anyone not in a car as not another human being needing at least a modicum of respect and patience, or just another roadblock in their trip at the moment?

All seems fairly straightforward to me. Again, he ain't wrong.

[marciero]

I used to read his blog, which I found snarky, silly and sophomoric- in other words funny and entertaining. He can also be scathing in his chronicling of all the craziness in NYC between cars and bike/peds. I think I first learned of the genesis of the concept of "jaywalking" there.

[Burnette]

You're just saying its wrong without saying why its wrong.

Is he wrong that its the absurd that the operators of 3,000 pound vehicles have no increased responsibility on the road over those who ride, to be generous, 30 pound bikes at low double digit speeds?

Is he wrong that our entire infrastructure has oriented itself around the passenger car, and literally every other mode of human transit is viewed as an impediment to the car?

Is he wrong that the large mass of the populace views anyone not in a car as not another human being needing at least a modicum of respect and patience, or just another roadblock in their trip at the moment?

All seems fairly straightforward to me. Again, he ain't wrong.

Whoa there, slow down a bit and realize that I'm talking about the article in the Op and how it is junk writing. Your personal feelings about cars outside the article aren't my issue, the article is my focus here. Bike Snob has to generate hits and does so with over the top rubbish. Again, he is wrong with this crap, crap that he must do to generate traffic:

"I’m brainwashed.
We all are. The auto industry started brainwashing us nearly a hundred years ago when they invented the concept of the "jaywalker," the hapless rube sauntering into the middle of the street and engineering his own demise. Armed with this piece of propaganda, they not only defeated legislation that would have slowed cars in cities but also successfully criminalized the act of walking".

You would have to spoon out all of my brain for that to be taken as real. And it's not, it's hyperbole and rubbish, it's what he does to get clicks. Obviously it works.

[FlashUNC]

Whoa there, slow down a bit and realize that I'm talking about the article in the Op and how it is junk writing. Your personal feelings about cars outside the article aren't my issue, the article is my focus here. Bike Snob has to generate hits and does so with over the top rubbish. Again, he is wrong with this crap, crap that he must do to generate traffic:

"I’m brainwashed.
We all are. The auto industry started brainwashing us nearly a hundred years ago when they invented the concept of the "jaywalker," the hapless rube sauntering into the middle of the street and engineering his own demise. Armed with this piece of propaganda, they not only defeated legislation that would have slowed cars in cities but also successfully criminalized the act of walking".

You would have to spoon out all of my brain for that to be taken as real. And it's not, it's hyperbole and rubbish, it's what he does to get clicks. Obviously it works.

Those are all his points in the article.

And, uh, he's not wrong about the jaywalking thing, that's accurate:

http://muse.jhu.edu/article/215409

[Burnette]

Those are all his points in the article.

And, uh, he's not wrong about the jaywalking thing, that's accurate:

http://muse.jhu.edu/article/215409

Those points are part of the joke.

Blogs have to be over the top to get traffic, we shouldn't base anything arguments off of it, it's entertainment. Again, it's is shtick

They have done this same thing with sports, where the hosts argue crazy angles because the conflict gets eyes on the screen. The sad part about it is when people watching this take it to heart and try to base arguments off of their nonsense.

[William]

And, uh, he's not wrong about the jaywalking thing, that's accurate:

http://muse.jhu.edu/article/215409


Adam lays it all out here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxopfjXkArM&list=PLuKg-WhduhkksJoqkj9aJEnN7v0mx8yxC&index=30





William

[Burnette]

Adam lays it all out here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxopfjXkArM&list=PLuKg-WhduhkksJoqkj9aJEnN7v0mx8yxC&index=30





William

I should write a blog detailing how doughnuts and TV have done so much to curtail walking and riding a bike!

[FlashUNC]

Those points are part of the joke.

Blogs have to be over the top to get traffic, we shouldn't base anything arguments off of it, it's entertainment. Again, it's is shtick

They have done this same thing with sports, where the hosts argue crazy angles because the conflict gets eyes on the screen. The sad part about it is when people watching this take it to heart and try to base arguments off of their nonsense.

I'm sorry you didn't know where jaywalking came from.

[Burnette]

I'm sorry you didn't know where jaywalking came from.

I'm sorry you took Bike Snob for journalism. C'mon man, everybody gets that stuff for what it is, don't take it for serious.

[FlashUNC]

I'm sorry you took Bike Snob for journalism. C'mon man, everybody gets that stuff for what it is, don't take it for serious.

I never said it was. Merely as an opinion piece, and he backs up his view pretty clearly and concisely.

Whether you agree with it or not is a whole 'nother kettle of fish, and the only refutation you've given to his view is "I think its dumb cuz I like cars too" which makes his perspective infinitely more considered than your dismissal of it from where I sit.

[Burnette]

I never said it was. Merely as an opinion piece, and he backs up his view pretty clearly and concisely.

Whether you agree with it or not is a whole 'nother kettle of fish, and the only refutation you've given to his view is "I think its dumb cuz I like cars too" which makes his perspective infinitely more considered than your dismissal of it from where I sit.

OK, I'll try again. First off, you're taking this way too personal. This has nothing to do with you at all. I know you not and simply called the piece what it was, lame. Bike Snob is for entertainment, hence the sensationalism in the posts. Everybody get's the gag, I do too. My dislike from it is that it's poorly written with over the top content. It's a popcorn blog and that's what it's suppose to be and it aims to be provocative to get traffic.

I never said I refute it because I like cars, your words. I said it's rubbish no matter what your inclination.

[gdw]

Pretty lame article and certainly not worth arguing over.

[Clean39T]

Pretty lame article and certainly not worth arguing over.

+1

Threads is like a box of chocolates...but I'm not posting any more with motorist content... :rolleyes:

[Burnette]

Pretty lame article and certainly not worth arguing over.

I thought everybody already knew what Bike Snob was. Some entries are funny but the one the OP linked in particular was lame.

[Burnette]

+1

Threads is like a box of chocolates...but I'm not posting any more with motorist content... :rolleyes:

Oh Bike Snob can be funny at times but he lays an egg here and there. And again, it's entertainment, this just happened to be a lame one.

For those who don't get his shtick, he says it himself point blank here:

"But I'm extremely fortunate that my most favoritest of guilty pleasures is also part of my job as a semi-professional bike blogger, and it is this:

Riling up the readers of Outside magazine.

By the way, note that I said "riling up" and not "trolling," since it's an important distinction".

[FlashUNC]

OK, I'll try again. First off, you're taking this way too personal. This has nothing to do with you at all. I know you not and simply called the piece what it was, lame. Bike Snob is for entertainment, hence the sensationalism in the posts. Everybody get's the gag, I do too. My dislike from it is that it's poorly written with over the top content. It's a popcorn blog and that's what it's suppose to be and it aims to be provocative to get traffic.

I never said I refute it because I like cars, your words. I said it's rubbish no matter what your inclination.

I'm not entirely sure you do. He's making a salient point underneath your disappointment at the lack of lulz.

But hey, you're the only one reading it properly, right?

[Burnette]

I'm not entirely sure you do. He's making a salient point underneath your disappointment at the lack of lulz.

But hey, you're the only one reading it properly, right?

You're interjecting yourself and your feelings into this thread because I found an entertainment blog entry to be lame. Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with you.

[54ny77]

Car vs. bike debate aside......BSNY was played out at least a decade+ ago.

Surprised he's still around.

Was very funny when he first came onto the scene, which was a heavily NYC-centric viewpoint. Fresh, witty, etc.

Haven't read his stuff in ages....until this link. I made it through a few sentences. Yawn.

[Vientomas]

Hating an inanimate object seems pretty shallow to me...just sayin'...

[marciero]

Car vs. bike debate aside......BSNY was played out at least a decade+ ago.



Has only been around 10 years.

[bikinchris]

Those are all his points in the article.

And, uh, he's not wrong about the jaywalking thing, that's accurate:

http://muse.jhu.edu/article/215409

The origin of the rivalry between road users is far older than he states. Read "Roads Were Not Built For Cars" by Carlton Reid.

[54ny77]

Yep. That's about right. And then he got sorta kissy kissy with Lance, which was ironic.

That aside, what is amazing is that he comes up with something every day (or however often he posts) for so darned long, which would seem impossible in bike land. That in and of itself is impressive. But, it's the same schtick and in my opinion only, its tired.

Funny thing is, we had a small handful of his books we tried to sell (my wife has a retail store and one section contains books), placed prominently in the mens gift section among other sports-themed books. Didn't sell a single one. I gave one away and if I recall we just ate the loss & recycled the rest. I would venture a guess that even if I had offered em up here free other than postage (which I hadn't thought about until now), few, if anyone, would care.

So yes, you might say I'm pretty familiar with his stuff. :bike:

Has only been around 10 years.

[nooneline]

Within the last month here, we've had threads about:

-- Multiple threads about forum members getting hit who define it as "staying lucky for only so long"
-- The increase in bicycling fatalities
-- Stories about others who have gotten hit with the obligatory thoughts and prayers platitudes
-- A driver who intentionally drove into riders on a fondo ride


Yeah, they're trying to kill us. He ain't wrong.

Yeah, they're trying to take over.

Back when public streets were public, there were significant anti-car campaigns as the death toll began to rise with the imposition of the automobile. The anti-car backlash was met by the car lobby with a propaganda campaign to define jaywalking (https://veteranscribe.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/jaywalker.jpg)- a clear attempt to push people off the roads.

The car industry pushed for the creation of the interstate network at the expense of inter-city and intra-city transit options. And, in some cities (like minneapolis, where i used to live), car companies bought up and killed extensive streetcar networks.

Stuff like this makes cars the *only* option to a lot of people. The irony being, of course, the many cities that are completely choked by cars... with car advocates insisting that the only way out of traffic is more cars.

I think of the short streets in my neighborhood that have 5 lanes (4 of which are for parking, 1 of which is for travel), or the major through road where people just park in the central turning lane (and the cops turn a blind eye) - that underlines the absurdity of it all.

[dmurphey]

Even his name is satire.

We should raise our drinks in cheer to the front line of a culture war on the US byraods and highways. Bike Snob has been duking it out with freakin GREAT writing for a long time, a decade. He takes equal time to ridicule short women in big SUV's, hammerhead roadies, and the novice bikers with bar extensions. T is vaudeville for our times, applied to our passion, trying to ride our GDamn bikes in big cities!

Go BSNYC, Go!

[Burnette]

Yep. That's about right. And then he got sorta kissy kissy with Lance, which was ironic.

That aside, what is amazing is that he comes up with something every day (or however often he posts) for so darned long, which would seem impossible in bike land. That in and of itself is impressive. But, it's the same schtick and in my opinion only, its tired.
Funny thing is, we had a small handful of his books we tried to sell (my wife has a retail store and one section contains books), placed prominently in the mens gift section among other sports-themed books. Didn't sell a single one. I gave one away and if I recall we just ate the loss & recycled the rest. I would venture a guess that even if I had offered em up here free other than postage (which I hadn't thought about until now), few, if anyone, would care.

So yes, you might say I'm pretty familiar with his stuff. :bike:

Yeah, his tank gets empty quite a bit and true, his shtick is tired. The funny part is how some take it for serious journalism and argue using it. It's satire folks. And this particular example was a poorly written piece.

[cetuximab]

Those are all his points in the article.

And, uh, he's not wrong about the jaywalking thing, that's accurate:

http://muse.jhu.edu/article/215409

"children at play belonged in the street"

"most city people viewed"..."streets as a public space."

[Drmojo]

reading this thread
kinda like BSNYC posts after the first few