When I used to commute to work on a bike through downtown SF, I remember lots of interactions with drivers that were hostile, but not of this magnitude. I remember a very strong feeling that these yahoos were taking huge risks with my life without the slightest consideration. A typical example was a driver deciding to turn right through a bike lane without looking in his mirror or checking his blind spot. I would yell at these guys and sometimes they yelled back with what I interpreted as a sense of indignation. I remember thinking that to these guys, their only transgression was forgotting to check their mirror or blind spot. To me, these guys almost killed me/broke some of my bones/whatever. Maybe I was just projecting. But my point, and I do have one, is that as an urban biker, my mindset anyway, would always be one of defensiveness; thinking that everyone was out to get me. Escalation is an easy consequence of such a mindset.
Apologies to Freelance Hellraiser and all you AJAX loving Google Maps meets Amazon Stats meets Zimbra fanatics for further overloading what is soon becoming, if not already, the most annoying word of 2006.
Thanks for the welcome, techsmith! I too heard the story on the way home from work and was just blown away. Thought I'd post it from one monkey to another.
The story is a tragic one, but it also made me wish that NPR was something that I could hug. It put an interesting spin on stories about this .
If you read or listen to the story, you will find out what happens when Howard finally talks to his father about his 'treatment'. While the story is about lobotomy, I found the motif of parental neglect and denial of parental responsibility particularly relevant to my own experience. Then again, I wasn't lobomotized.
When I used to commute to work on a bike through downtown SF, I remember lots of interactions with drivers that were hostile, but not of this magnitude. I remember a very strong feeling that these yahoos were taking huge risks with my life without the slightest consideration. A typical example was a driver deciding to turn right through a bike lane without looking in his mirror or checking his blind spot. I would yell at these guys and sometimes they yelled back with what I interpreted as a sense of indignation. I remember thinking that to these guys, their only transgression was forgotting to check their mirror or blind spot. To me, these guys almost killed me/broke some of my bones/whatever. Maybe I was just projecting. But my point, and I do have one, is that as an urban biker, my mindset anyway, would always be one of defensiveness; thinking that everyone was out to get me. Escalation is an easy consequence of such a mindset.
posted by scratchpad 18 years ago
In "Cultural "
Apologies to Freelance Hellraiser and all you AJAX loving Google Maps meets Amazon Stats meets Zimbra fanatics for further overloading what is soon becoming, if not already, the most annoying word of 2006.
posted by scratchpad 18 years ago
In "Howard Dully"
Thanks for the welcome, techsmith! I too heard the story on the way home from work and was just blown away. Thought I'd post it from one monkey to another. The story is a tragic one, but it also made me wish that NPR was something that I could hug. It put an interesting spin on stories about this .
posted by scratchpad 19 years ago
If you read or listen to the story, you will find out what happens when Howard finally talks to his father about his 'treatment'. While the story is about lobotomy, I found the motif of parental neglect and denial of parental responsibility particularly relevant to my own experience. Then again, I wasn't lobomotized.
posted by scratchpad 19 years ago
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