Goddamn white people.

Also, the European model city bike cannot catch on fast enough. A stylish and comfortable accomadation which doesn't require silly clothing and permits transport of goods no on the person. Moar!

Really, though, Portland bike problem is not so much whitey as the hipsters. If another damn hipster on a fixie runs a red light in front of me I swear I'm gonna fuckin take matters into my own hands. And by that I mean glare and fume, because of course I STOP AT RED LIGHTS (except in the middle of the night when no one is around, but definitely in the middle of the day, DOWNTOWN) and by the time the light has changed he's usually way ahead of me.

* goods not on the person

Yes, this, thank you.

Yesss, those Euro city bikes look awesome!

I am cool with blaming hipsters. I think hipsters have been responsible for a lot of racist crap lately. Like the all the Hipster headdress stuff.

Oh no, really?

Infuriating white bullshit of the day, take one million.

yeah, I think I've given this stuff too much of my brain power already @_@

ARGHHHHH

YOU FUCKER, TRY BIKING IN A SKIRT (WHICH YOU HAVE TO WEAR BECAUSE IT IS CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE IN WHITE BUSINESS WORLD) AND SEE HOW MUCH YOU GET HARASSED. ALSO, TRY DOING THAT AS A WOMAN OF COLOR JUST TO ADD A LITTLE MORE SPICE TO YOUR LIFE.

(there are plenty of other barriers too but recently my friends have realized that they get far more street harassment on bikes than otherwise, which is true in my experience, and actually part of why I don't ride a bike - and I can only imagine that it's worse as a woc because every woc I know gets more street harassment than I do in general)

I actually think there's an interesting conflation of "safety" going on in the original article. They seem to be focusing mostly on traffic safety preventing women from riding bicycles and ignoring issues like NOT GETTING STREET-HARRASSED or FEELING SAFE RIDING IN AN UNFAMILIAR NEIGHBORHOOD/AFTER DARK.

Honestly, I feel safer walking than on a bike because I think it's easier to get away. I've actually had the experience of other kids trying to beat me up and steal my bike (fun at campgrounds as a kid!) and I felt a LOT more vulnerable on the bike than on foot (I gave it up pretty fast). They can just push you over, and yeah, even though you're faster once you get going, if you're starting from a stop you are super easy to catch and overpower.

Have you raised the street harassment issue in bike-related conversations before? I'm asking because I'm curious how well it would be received. I feel like I get a lot of dismissal on stuff like that (esp. by men, even James has admitted to me that my not liking to walk alone at night originally seemed silly to him) and it's one of the things that truly makes me go ARRRRGH.

Man, I am so not worried about traffic safety. Maybe if I had a kid, but for me? Naw. I box, I'm way more likely to get seriously hurt boxing than in a traffic accident.

I totally agree w/r/t feeling safer on foot. If I was just biking, no stop signs or anything, I'd feel safer. But you have to follow traffic laws.

I've raised the issue and men generally don't get it. Women who bike do, even if they haven't experienced more harassment while on a bike themselves. But guys almost always have one of three reactions: 1) "You're on a bike, you can just ride away. Whatever." 2) "I don't believe that you get more harassment on a bike; you're all sweaty and shit." 3) "Street harassment is irritating but harmless, it doesn't mean they're going to hurt you. More women get raped by people they know than by strangers!"

To all of which I say: OH THANK YOU, SPLAINY MC MANSPLAIN.

(Also, the dismissal? It's everywhere. Recently I was walking with a guy who is generally really awesome, after dark, and he proposed walking into a neighborhood that I wouldn't go in alone after dark, and when I automatically was like 'no, I'd rather not' he was like 'why not?' and then I was like 'Actually I guess it's OK, we're together' and he didn't get it at all, he was like 'dude, it is not such a dangerous neighborhood,' blah blah blah. Well, ok, it isn't, but the fact remains that I don't find it relaxing to walk alone at night, no matter where I am, and especially not in a place that's not a well-lit main drag - not even if I'm with a guy, really, because I can't turn off the little voice that tells me to look over my shoulder.)

I know you didn't mean it this way, but the phrase "bike community" is a little misleading. It makes it sounds as if we're all one big club. There's no more a unified "community" of people who ride bikes in Portland then there is one for people who drive cars. Secondary to your point, I know, but it's a pet peeve and I just couldn't stop myself!

In my original sentence, I was referring to bicycle advocates in Portland and write/blog about it and their followers/commenters—I can change it to be more specific.


You comment confused me a bit I've heard you refer to the Bike Community before...I think I kind of got the phrase from you, in fact? As in "I don't really consider myself part of the bike 'community'" (extra quote there) I'm not trying to call you out, that's just how I remember us discussing it.

And I assumed by that you were referring to like, the people who participate in pedal-palooza and other bike related activities or are vocal in bike activism, on the blogs etc. That IS a community more or less, isn't it?

Have I? It's possible I did, before I really considered the implications of the phrase. Same way I try not to use the terms 'cyclist' or bicyclist' (or 'pedestrian') anymore, as they tends to encourage assumptions and stereotypes.

And I dunno, maybe I'm splitting hairs, but the various groups and activists and interests just seem too disparate and fragmented to really call a 'community.' Again, maybe I'm just splitting hairs and it's more a semantics issue than anything else, but when people say "bike community" it sort of gives the impression (to me, anyway) that everyone who rides a bike speaks with one voice. Which is troubling given that there are jackasses like the woman you quote above, or the hipster who blows through the red light, and I don't want much to be painted with the same brush (which, again, I know you weren't doing, I'm just saying in general).

It's not great for the activism either; with people trying to secure more rights for those of us who ride (or, really, just trying to have the rights we already have enforced), it doesn't help our case when we're referred to as a singular group, with people like that lady above or the jerk blasting through the intersection put forward as the most visible members of said group. Again, I kinda compare it to people who drive cars -- there's no one car "community" per se, there's just a lot of different people who drive cars in lots of different ways and for lots of different reasons, and some of them are awesome and some of them are dicks, and some of them take a great deal of pride and interest in their cars and the cars of other people, and some people just use them to get around and don't think about it any further. Same thing with the folks who ride bikes.

BLAH BLAH BLAH. Sorry, just kinda rambling now! I doubt I made any sense at all! Anyway, yes, that lady was dumb.

Let me know if you're free this weekend!

You know what, I think the term we were discussing before may have been "bike CULTURE." Which is maybe a better descriptor? I'm not clinging to the term "community" or anything, I just wanted to differentiate the bike advocates/blogger circle from Average-Jane-Bike-Commuter. And "bike/bicycle community" is a term I've seen used by bike advocates, though I'm not sure how they would specifically define it either. But I am going to explain why *I* used it!

What I'm thinking is like...when I see someone on a bike I never think like "OH HEY, A MEMBER OF THE ~BIKE COMMUNITY~". Lol. But when I read a big spread on Pedal Palooza or pass Filmed By Bike I do think "Oh hey, cyclist community!". And I think a lot of those folks LOVE being part of a "bike community" and would take offense to the notion that being a Portland cyclist is no more, um, uniting (?) than being a Portland driver—Come on, people in their cars are basically in little isolation pods! We wave and smile at our fellow bicyclists and host events—there's way more of a sense of community here! ...And others would probably agree with you. Bringing us to "you can't please everyone."

But I'm getting that your issue is more with over-generalizing, which of course I understand. It's why I said "I've seen a fair amount of white privilege in the Portland bike community/blogosphere" instead of "Bicyclists in Portland show a fair amount of white privilege." It's in the same vein I would say "There are drug problems in the Native community" (I really don't like making these comparisons, but they're the best way I can think of to illustrate my point, argh). Obviously I'm not saying WE ALL have drug problems and hopefully the Native people who read that sentence will realize that and not take offense.

If I were being really specific with my language, I suppose I'd have said "people who post and comment on bike blogs." Specifically BikePortland since that is the big one. When I say "whoa, white privilege!" I'm thinking of comments like on this post. Like if you scroll through, you'll see my "fair amount of white privilege" but also, of course, good thoughtful comments. (So neither am I saying BikePortland readers are all being ignorant, no way!) Anyway, I consider blog circles to be "communities" on the net. But the readers/commenters don't exist solely on the net (and aren't, I'd imagine, as scattered as non-local based blog circles)—I have to assume most of them are real live Portland bicyclists.


An aside on not saying "cyclist": I understand wanting to use person-centered language. A lot of communities prefer that because of the negative connotations associated with calling someone simply "disabled" or "homeless". However, terms like cyclist and pedestrian ARE more neutral than "disabled" or "homeless," even if they do carry stereotypes (though idk, I associate nothing with "pedestrian" aside from...they're able to walk?). Your transportation is also (more or less) your choice. I was trying to think of comparable terms to "pedestrian" or "cyclists"...like, idk, "vegetarian" or "pet-owner"? Like there are stereotypes associated with those terms but if you want to be a "person who owns a pet" I'll be like "really??". And yeah, vegetarians and cyclists can get flack for their choices—of course they can!—but there's still a difference between that and the institutional discrimination, say, people with disabilities or people experiencing homelessness face.

OR I MAY HAVE TOTALLY MISSED THE PONT ON WHY YOU DON'T LIKE SAYING "CYCLIST" AND GONE OFF ON A TANGENT.

ETA: And then I got excited and hit "post" instead of "preview." But this weekend is actually when we're in Ashland—maybe we can do skating sometime next week though? Now that the amusement park is closed, it's a lot less crowded!

Edited at 2010-09-10 09:42 pm (UTC)

No, that's a fair point about bike culture/community/religion/whatever. Especially since when I read your original post, I DID read it as "Bicyclists in Portland show a fair amount of white privilege", which I totally get is not what you meant. And good lord, some of the commenters on BikePortland ... ugh, yeah, I see a lot of shameful posting there (not just about race but covering aaaaaaaaall manner of asshattery). But yeah, there are tons of cool posters there as well, and I think in general the dude who runs it is pretty okay.

What WAS my point with the cyclist thing? I think a lot of it is that I do want to use more person-centric language simply because I figure if people are thinking of me as a "person on a bike" rather than a "cyclist", they're going to be less likely to run me over. Silly, I suppose, but I saw someone with a sticker on the back of their helmet once which said something like "my mom thanks you for not running me over" and I wanted one.

Basically, my agenda is twofold: Show the public at large that all people who ride bikes are not lawless scofflaws, and remind the public at large that those of us on bikes are oh so vulnerable and -- laws governing road use notwithstanding -- basically at the mercy of anyone in a motor vehicle. I suppose I'm still trying to shape the best way for me personally to represent that in my actions and words.

And yeah, I forgot that was this weekend! Have fun, bring me back Yorick's skull. And yeah, skating next week/weekend for sure! I still need Becky or Alix to look at my wheel, lol

Aw @ the 'Mom' helmet. I saw a sign on a pole on Steele that said "I am alive, you can change that. Please Slow down." I thought that was a good way of putting it too, haha. And I give your agenda a thumbs up.

The Mercury running this as the first letter on the page made me slap my forehead because PoC might see it and assume "So yeah, this is what bicyclists in Portland are like—count me out." The same way the non-law abiding bicylists make law-abiding bicyclists slap their heads (or to go a bit OT again, Elton John saying he doesn't support gay marriage makes most of the gay community slap their heads...okay, maybe that's a different, but it came to mind anyway).

Haha, no, the Elton John thing is a great comparison. And yeah, I hear you. The douchebags are already the loudest voices in the crowd; "entertaining" as that letter was (I'm sure the staff at the Mercury was basically "holy shit this is a train wreck we HAVE to put this front and center!" because that's what I probably would have done when I was working on my high school newspaper and I suspect the editorial staff of the Mercury is about as mature as the staff of a high school newspaper), we don't need to go handing them a megaphone.

The Steele sign was about a cat who got hit! :(((

(No, there's no relevance here)

Same way I try not to use the terms 'cyclist' or bicyclist' (or 'pedestrian') anymore, as they tend to encourage assumptions and stereotypes.

In what way do these terms encourage assumptions and stereotypes? What else are you going to call someone who's walking across the street or riding a bike? Just, "someone who's walking across the street" or "someone who's riding a bike"? Obviously I'm not particularly knowledgeable about bike culture or whatever term you prefer, but I don't see how the designations "cyclist" and "pedestrian" are particularly politically fraught.

Edited at 2010-09-11 05:01 am (UTC)

SMART :D