byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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Ride of Silence 2012
9th Annual scheduled for Wednesday, May 16, 2012
6:45pm: Gather on the South Side of the Ohio Statehouse (State St)
7:00pm: Head North on a slow ride at 7:00 pm
Ride ends at Columbus Commons
READ MORE: http://www.considerbiking.org/ride-of-silence-2012/
TomOver
lovecause.org
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How about a festive, joyous ride instead ? No offense, but the ride of silence seemed like having a victim mentality when I rode in it a couple of years ago.
For me, riding with a bunch of mostly White, economically well-off folk on expensive bikes as we somberly pedaled thru a poor neighborhood east of campus with the mayor and a police escort was a bit ironic, perhaps surreal.
byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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This is on Wednesday, the weather forecast looks good. Please join us.
The 9th Annual Ride of Silence will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. Please gather at 6:45, ride at 7:00pm on the south side of the Ohio Statehouse (State Street). We will ride together, in silence, north on High street through the OSU campus and then return downtown. (about 10+ miles)
http://www.facebook.com/events/194364457323312/
http://www.facebook.com/RideofSilenceColumbus
PS - Tom we understand if it is not your thing. Thanks for your input.
TomOver
lovecause.org
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byJody said:
This is on Wednesday, the weather forecast looks good. Please join us.The 9th Annual Ride of Silence will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. Please gather at 6:45, ride at 7:00pm on the south side of the Ohio Statehouse (State Street). We will ride together, in silence, north on High street through the OSU campus and then return downtown. (about 10+ miles)
http://www.facebook.com/events/194364457323312/http://www.facebook.com/RideofSilenceColumbus
PS - Tom we understand if it is not your thing. Thanks for your input.
Thanks Jody. I may ride if waving and smiling at onlookers is permitted.
byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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Tom - I feel there are plenty of rides geared toward enjoyment where it would be fine to wave and smile: Tweed Ride, all the Year of Yay and Monday night rides.
This ride is to honor those killed or injured while riding a bicycle. Would you wave and smile at a solemn military service? You may be riding next to someone who is riding for Shawn who was hurt badly after being doored on a Saturday afternoon.
Its a time for silence, reflection and respect.
TomOver
lovecause.org
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byJody said:
Tom - I feel there are plenty of rides geared toward enjoyment where it would be fine to wave and smile: Tweed Ride, all the Year of Yay and Monday night rides.This ride is to honor those killed or injured while riding a bicycle. Would you wave and smile at a solemn military service? You may be riding next to someone who is riding for Shawn who was hurt badly after being doored on a Saturday afternoon.
Its a time for silence, reflection and respect.
Well OK. I plan to ride and abide.
It's possible my cynicism about it results from over-reaching in my attempts at having my own opinion about this, in my desire to be an independent thinker.)
To answer your question, I probably wouldn't wave and smile at a solemn military service, (or at a service in memory of civilians killed and injured in unnecessary wars, whether US-waged or otherwise.)
I agree; there is a time for silence and reflection. But we don't necessarily have to be solemn to be respectful. We can honor Shawn and others injured or killed by celebrating their lives and by celebrating cycling.
In fact, we'd be likely do better if we seized the opportunity for reaching out to large numbers of people on the big ride, instead of leaving them to wonder amid the clicks of cycling shoes and the sheen of expensive bikes.
To restate, I'd prefer a celebratory ride. In my humble opinion, movements for social change are based more on a joyful pursuit of a vision for a better future than they are based on outrage. The latter, which is more prevalent, is relatively short-lived, generating more heat than light. That's part of the problem with Occupy.
No offense, but being a cyclist, per se, does not register in my mind as a social justice issue--though it could be if the mostly White and well-off people involved with the Ride of Silence did more to connect it with poverty, racism, and other forms of intolerance.
The physical fitness and free-spirited aspects to cycling are, for me, a small part of why it matters, when compared to the social justice and ecological aspects. As someone who cycles just about every day, the Ride of Silence doesn't have that sense of perspective, but instead seems to have a distorted approach to identity politics as it neglects to connect cycling to the bigger picture.
But I plan to show up. Maybe someone before or after the ride will be so kind as to tell me in-person why he or she thinks I'm wrong about this. Thx
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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{slow clap}
groundrules
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Tom, how about you just lay off this thread. This space or this event aren't places for you to spout your long-winded philosophies or attempt to engage in your pseudo-intellectual debates. Leave this one alone and take the rest to your blog.
TomOver
lovecause.org
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groundrules said:
Tom, how about you just lay off this thread. This space or this event aren't places for you to spout your long-winded philosophies or attempt to engage in your pseudo-intellectual debates. Leave this one alone and take the rest to your blog.
Last time I checked this was a public forum where freedom of speech applies, so long as I'm not verbally abusive or threatening to someone. If my ideas don't sit well with you, I might not be able to help you with that.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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TomOver said:
Last time I checked this was a public forum where freedom of speech applies, so long as I'm not verbally abusive or threatening to someone.
To a degree. We also ask that people keep from derailing conversations. If what you want to talk about isn't aligned with the topic, start a new one.
TomOver
lovecause.org
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groundrules
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TomOver said:
Walker, don't confuse derailing threads with placing an issue within its broader context.
And don't you confuse free speech with good taste.
Let me just say this, and for fear of making the drift even worse, then I'm out: This isn't about you, Tom. They're talking about honoring the dead, and you want to make it about race and poverty and justice and whatever else is important to your personal platform. It's gross to try and warp every situation into an excuse to preach your sermon.
TomOver
lovecause.org
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groundrules said:
And don't you confuse free speech with good taste.Let me just say this, and for fear of making the drift even worse, then I'm out: This isn't about you, Tom. They're talking about honoring the dead, and you want to make it about race and poverty and justice and whatever else is important to your personal platform. It's gross to try and warp every situation into an excuse to preach your sermon.
Suspect there are better ways to honor the dead and injured, but will show, ride, abide, and keep an open mind.
cheap
Westgate
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groundrules said:
Tom, how about you just lay off this thread. This space or this event aren't places for you to spout your long-winded philosophies or attempt to engage in your pseudo-intellectual debates. Leave this one alone and take the rest to your blog.
sometimes i dont like what Tom says,but ill never tell him where or when to say it.
why should you?
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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I'm telling him when and where to say it.
This is an event thread. It's for an event.
If you want to discuss broader issues or ideals that really have little to do with this event itself... start another thread. Easy.
Back on topic. Thanks.
TomOver
lovecause.org
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Walker said:
I'm telling him when and where to say it.This is an event thread. It's for an event.
If you want to discuss broader issues or ideals that really have little to do with this event itself... start another thread. Easy.
Back on topic. Thanks.
Actually, this thread involved an exchange between myself and Jody. Then, lacking the ability or will to offer a response to my ideas, groundrules wants me to just stop posting to this thread. And you, Walker, go along with that. Weak.
Walker, it seems you might sometimes moderate based on your sense of users' relative popularity, instead of the merits of the arguments; thereby, selectively enforcing the rules.
You don't seem to be telling users to stop posting to RSR's threads when they repeatedly seek to derail them via personal attacks against her, based on taking what she writes out of context.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Tom... while I appreciate both your assumptions and your assumption-based insults, I can say with certainty that there is no popularity contest at play when it comes to moderation. If you have further questions on moderation, send me an email and I'll be happy to answer them.
Again, please keep this conversation on topic moving forward. Thanks.
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