OH-this is a piece I did for The NYT City section on fixies, fixed gear bikes. I love bikes and I love the idea of traveling and running errands by bike. When I'm out riding some drivers treat me like a bug, an irritant, even friends of mine who are quite open minded see the cyclists as pests. Ok, I'm done.
Adam's post on Afghanistan and the beautiful art on war got me going-but instead of hijacking his post, which I sometimes do to others, sorry, thought I would post this.
I was watching TV last night, won't tell you what I was watching but it was one of these home improvement, flipping shows which my wife loves and which I just rant and cus at all the way through.
Anyway, a commercial for Walmart comes on and it's all these people standing around pumping gas saying how much it (gas) costs. So all these gas pumpers have quotes regarding high prices and how we have to spend on gas but we can save at Walmart on other "essentials". So this one actor's line goes like this- "What am I supposed to do ride a moped to work" What? yes you should!
Advertising making something very reasnable and sane seem silly and unthinkable. Ever been to Europe? Asia? where the bike is a necessary and affordable means of transportation? In Paris where the streets are crowded with every imaginable two wheeled transport? Amsterdam, etc etc.
