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Monday, August 11, 2008
Back from a weekend without computers or bicycles in the badlands of New MExico. I'm glad to have "seen a bit of the West" and even more glad that it wasn't "seeing" it as a passing-through traveler with all six degrees of separation in place, but hanging out with people doing people things.
In the meantime the NY times does an article about driver / cyclist antagonism (and, I'm glad to say, includes the idea that a big part of teh problem is simply the minority status of cyclists and that both psychologically and perceptually, once cyclists get to be common enough, we'll be *seen* because we'll be expected to be there and cycling will be considered a mainstream manner of travel.
Welp, I *have* seen posted somewhere that hopefully, cars will be the "new smoking" - a formerly embraced habit and social status symbol now regarded as unhealthy, primarily defended by arguments of "personal rights" (much like pro-slavery arguments). So... can public sentiment be swayed?
Of course, only a fraction of the funding and efforts were aimed at cigarette infrastructures (ashtrays, etc) as have been aimed at automobiles.
There is also the question of what percentage of Americans currently *reflect* on anything? Actually, I'm sure most people have been sheep since time eternal, but many of the sheep at least valued thoughtful argument vs. palliative sales pitches... and chose to follow the former. Or did they ?
Got back on the bike at 5:00 ... yuky time to get back in the commuting thing.
In the meantime the NY times does an article about driver / cyclist antagonism (and, I'm glad to say, includes the idea that a big part of teh problem is simply the minority status of cyclists and that both psychologically and perceptually, once cyclists get to be common enough, we'll be *seen* because we'll be expected to be there and cycling will be considered a mainstream manner of travel.
Welp, I *have* seen posted somewhere that hopefully, cars will be the "new smoking" - a formerly embraced habit and social status symbol now regarded as unhealthy, primarily defended by arguments of "personal rights" (much like pro-slavery arguments). So... can public sentiment be swayed?
Of course, only a fraction of the funding and efforts were aimed at cigarette infrastructures (ashtrays, etc) as have been aimed at automobiles.
There is also the question of what percentage of Americans currently *reflect* on anything? Actually, I'm sure most people have been sheep since time eternal, but many of the sheep at least valued thoughtful argument vs. palliative sales pitches... and chose to follow the former. Or did they ?
Got back on the bike at 5:00 ... yuky time to get back in the commuting thing.
