6/14/2005: Naked Madrid bike ride

[russotto]

Originally Posted by Griff

If we are going to subsidize gas to the tune of 1704 dead enlisted men, maybe widening the odd bike lane isn't that big a deal to make cycling available to folks it makes sense for.

Forget the bike lane, we need weather control. I don't want to bicycle one mile in 90 degree heat, let alone the ten it would take to get to/from work. Not even naked. (eww, I'd have to burn the seat afterwards)

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Griff

I wonder if the car culture around Madrid is really that bad.

Picture an ants nest...make it an ants nest of angry ants. OK, now put wheels on the ants. Get the picture.

[jtm]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

Nah, I'm always that way about environmentalists. I just usually filter it. The point of their message has nothing to do with cars, or you would see that many people on their bikes every day.

Just because they don't live that way everyday doesn't mean their message or actions are invalid. What do you care about? our country? our troops? does each day in your life revolve around your passions? By your logic, unless you are [ed.] constantly active for your passions, then you are a poser as you claim these cyclists to be. Worse if you have no passions and are futilely heckling from sidelines at those courageous enough to act for what they care about.

Their message is, "look how edgy and politically active I am. Now that I've done this, I can live normally until the next left-wing cattle call." Five'll get you ten that at least half of em own SUVs.

I'd love to take that bet. For one thing, SUVs are virtually non-existent in Europe compared to the US. Maybe one in 20 vehicles at most. But your point is hypocrisy, I know. On what basis do you judge environmentalists as hypocrites? Because some don't consume their life with it? Again, do you consume your life with your passions?

Oh, but to answer your point, the joke was that their heads were their least valuable body parts, and if they were going to wear protective gear, they might have covered, say, their sweaty nasty balls.

Their head may be the most valuable but if you have been on a bike recently you'd know their feet would hurt the most moment to moment, since pedals, especially clipless pedals, aren't designed for barefeet comfort.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Damn, jtm. You sure got a lot more out of his post than I did.

[capnhowdy]

I spun out on turn three......
I forgot the odds already.

[wolf]

This goes along with that whole freak show thing I have against pride parades in general.

The point of the protest is the usefulness of bikes for transportation in a congested city as well as for reducing fossil fuel use. The point of the protest is not waggling your johnson or hooters around.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by wolf

The point of the protest is the usefulness of bikes for transportation in a congested city as well as for reducing fossil fuel use. The point of the protest is not waggling your johnson or hooters around.

That's just to ensure the all important Cellar mention... I guess they were successful.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Oh No! I feel so used.

[mrnoodle]

Originally Posted by jtm

blahblahblah

Yeah, yeah. I got mixed up on my continents as far as the SUV thing, so I'd lose my bet. But those people aren't displaying courage or passion. They're displaying their naughty bits. It's called exhibitionism, and it doesn't "raise awareness" about anything other than perhaps the psychology of herd mentality.

Let's look at the post-game numbers:

Number of people who will stop driving their cars because their consciences were so pricked by the courage and passion of the demonstrators: 0
Number of dollars donated to environmental causes: 0
Number of spotted owls saved: 0
Number of jokes about ass-scented bicycle seats: 15.3 bazillion

Everyone is aware of the existence of bicycles and the fact that they don't pollute. No one learned anything new. People drive their cars because they WANT to drive their cars.

Pooooooooooooooooserrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs.

[jaguar]

Saw the recent London Critical Mass naked ride, was quite amusing.
I visited Amsterdam last week, 6 out of 7 people have bikes, private cars are quite rare, public transport is excellent. It works. So, so well it's not funny. I didn't see one overweight person while I was there, traffic flows even in the heart of the city. The air is so much cleaner, it's amazing.

Wouldn't the fact we're talking about it mean it's a success in raising awareness?

jtm - noodle has the IQ of a small, dried potato and is about as open minded as a vice, don't waste your time.

[wolf]

Vices typically require that one be quite open minded, but sometimes narrowly focused.

I think you mean vise.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Jag, don't forget Amsterdam has a population of something like 1.1 million in only 125 square miles.
We're spread out more, not as flat and travel longer distances to scattered locations for everything thing we do over and above daily commuting.
A person might cover a hundred miles in a days shopping.

[BigV]

Jag's experience on this board is sufficient in my estimation that he would know better than to attribute to mrnoodle any vice(s). More likely it was the continental spelling.

But you knew that.

[jaguar]

continental? English (though it is the same in french). As opposed to American. Which is not English. It involves more letters and less zs.

Bruce - arguably that's the problem. Same thing to a degree applies in inner London, where I live it'd be mad to get a car, it's far faster and cheaper to take the bus or undergraound anywhere than a car. Because of the concentration of shops etc there's nowhere I'd want to go that isn't easily accessiable by either bus or underground and I don't just mean the 'square mile' of London either.

[mrnoodle]

Yeah, got to love that fresh, clean air.

Here in the New World, we have this substance called "land" that separates our cities. Unless you want to make a week out of it, you gotta drive. There are still horse rental places, but only in the tourist towns.

People are going to take the easiest mode of transportation that their budgets and schedules will allow, unless they're exercising. This is a nearly universal law, and one that will never change as the result of morons getting naked and riding their bikes around.

And my I.Q. is 165. so thpthpthtphtpphp

or it was before college. I might've drank some points away.