look both ways

uhm, rad. probably gonna go myself, this month.

PROBLEM:
bad-assness aside; while i AM excited and enjoy the idea of biking along side (and past) los angeles traffic to stress the point of fuel and economic efficiency; i’m not keen on the idea of weaving in and out of lanes like asshole motorcyclists NOR getting into the fast lane when traffic is moving at a relatively fast clip. why encourage road rage (or at least moderate annoyance) in the drivers we’re supposed to be winning over? more importantly, why is it the ORGANIZERS who usually take the overly-zealous road (punn har har). this fact makes sense, but it is - again - disconcerting.

in retrospect i’ve seen this in a lot of activist societies - left or right leaning - where members or followers forget to take into account the mindset of the general public who aren’t privvy or - in most cases - have NO IDEA what it is you’re trying to get across. in my experience, you can’t expect someone to sympathize with a concept they’re not used to immediately (probably not just my experience).

in light of this, it’s my belief that many participants (again, most often the organizers) of these events easily psyche themselves up and become too absorbed in the moment, forgetting about relating the message to the public and instead coming off as alienating…something i’d term as ‘abrasive activism.’ not to be interpreted that i’m opposed to activism or feeling passionate…i just worry that too many well-meaning and sometimes even philanthropic movements/activities fail in getting the message across and instead come off as rude and insulting for this reason.

then again, it’s always possible that some of the people who support good causes can very well be…yanno….jerks from the start.

getting back to the freeway ride:
i like the idea of handing lollipops to motorists as we pass by. thanks natalie!