This guy is angry--and probably just like you and me. Please take a minute to watch it and then think about what we can learn from this video. Well, first, the driver is not upset by any wasted time. He easily passes the bicyclist(s) each time within only a few seconds. --> its not a matter of speed differentials Second, the driver is not irritated, but ENRAGED before he even reaches the bicyclist(s) though they are obeying laws, wearing bright colors and using lights. --> cant blame them as theyre doing everything right Third, he is on his way to work each time; fulfilling his role in society just like hes supposed to be. --> sooooo, the question in his mind is, why arent they?? I think were approaching the driver/bicyclist disconnect from the wrong direction. This video is of a hard working guy just trying to do the normal thing-drive to work-while these weirdos on bikes are just putting along enjoying life (even in a rainstorm). We strive so hard to conform to societal norms. We are taught there is a right and a wrong way to do things. Working an honest 8-5 job is the right thing to do. These roads are built for cars, we are supposed to buy a house in the suburbs and commute to our job, -conform, conform, conform. Its not a bad thing-we need it for society to work. What do we do when we see someone who doesnt conform to what weve been taught? Were offended. Why do THEY get to ignore that norm?!? Here I am doing what Im supposed to do. Who are THEY to do something differently?!? We dont empathize and think instead, There might be a reason they arent acting the same. Bike advocacy, like many forms of advocacy, is about convincing society at large to accept something that seems out of the norm as acceptable, because, well, it should be. Suffice to say, when we recognize that this lack of conformity is the reason there is a driver/bicyclist (conformer/nonconformist) divide, we approach the issue of how to change it much differently. Think about some of the arguments against bicycling youve encountered in this context: helmets, following traffic laws, riding this street or that, bike lanes, etc. in this context and you will quickly see the real issue has nothing to do with any of that. We have to normalize bicycling in our society. Thats the only way we can ever be truly safe on the road.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 19:32:39 +0000