Sunday, August 10, 2008

Bigger is badder

Article in today's Times Style section on the tensions between cars and cycles, increasing now that numbers of cyclists are increasing due to the price of gas. For once, the Times is not completely focused on New York, so there's some use for us in Small City land.

There may well be jerk bike riders, but most of the hostility, as is so often the case, comes from the people with more weaponry - in this case, more metal. Case in point, a recent Missouri case when a guy killed two riders just because he didn't want to yield, and was acquitted by a jury of vehicular manslaughter.

It's comparable to the discussion about SUVs vs. smaller cars five years ago, when George Will said, why wouldn't I want to be in the bigger car? There's a sense in this country that people deserve what they get, whether that's being without work, or a home, or health insurance, and if it includes being splattered over the sidewalk, oh well...

1 comment:

Mary said...

I so agree with your last sentence there. I was just following a thread on a blog and I lost interest when I started reading the 'holier than thou' stuff--'why should we help these guys who shouldn't have got in this situation... blah blah blah..' Makes me think--what on earth makes folks think they'll never be in a bad situation themselves? I mean-- what?? Is there a guarrantee someplace I missed??
Heaven forbid any of us put ourselves out for someone else.
sigh..