Comments on: More on-line hatred that gets us nowhere

By: George

George — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:36:38 +0000

“I pretty much can’t even read the comments sections on any on-line newspaper’s article about bicycles anymore. The comments are always the same.”

I agree so no longer read them. It took me a while to come up with that simple and elegant solution.

By: Coghauler

Coghauler — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:34:27 +0000

Well, as a reporter charged with just
one regular column a week, I find it
a bit dismaying that she has not become
more reasoned or thoughtful or
knowledgeable about the various aspects
of her subject. I guess I expect more
because we used to get more from reporters
than reader’s comments to fill an article.
She lost me with her comments on the New
Belgium’s Urban Assault Ride event. I’m
waiting for some auto event to be depicted
with such a disparaging slant.

By: Erik

Erik — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:35:22 +0000

I don’t think Andrea Kelly is a poor reporter and I certainly didn’t mean to imply that. I know she has worked hard to grapple with bicycle issues as well as other transportation issues. She even rode the bus to work for a week once in order to learn more about issues surrounding buses. That’s more than a whole lot of journalists would ever do. I just wish we could stop making arguments from ignorance.

EBR

By: Streetsblog Capitol Hill » New Jersey Needs to Face Its Pedestrian Fatality Problem

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:15:54 +0000

[...] GM should focus on its bike division if it wants to be viable for the future, says Boot ‘n’ Scoot. Tucson Bike Lawyer laments the hate-filled nature of online bike vs. pedestrian discourse. And Boston Biker has two [...]

By: scott

scott — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:19:43 +0000

I’m constantly reminded of the quote from the Republican (who’s name I can’t remember right now) toward the end of the Clinton administration, when asked “why are you Republicans always beating up on Clinton?” answered “well – he keeps handing us the stick!”

If most of the cyclists out there are ignoring traffic laws, riding like idiots, and generally pissing everybody off, we make it really east for them to hate us. Yeah, I know some will anyway no matter what, but why keep handing them the stick?

By: Mickey

Mickey — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:15:21 +0000

I also bike and drive and as a cyclist I hate ignorant drivers and drivers who are overly-aggressive towards cyclists. But at the same time, as a driver I really hate ignorant cyclists who flagrantly ignore the laws of traffic, weaving all about in the opposite direction of traffic. Rolling through stop signs after checking both directions is one thing, but I don’t think you get to complain about getting hit when you decide to hop on the sidewalk going against traffic.

If you intentionally try and run someone over, you should be held accountable. Conversely, if you decide that the most basic rules of traffic don’t apply for you and you get hit, then you also should be held accountable.

I don’t think really in terms of cyclist vs. car, I think more in terms of sane people vs. morons.

By: Coghauler

Coghauler — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:03:18 +0000

Oooh Red Star, that’s little rough….
let’s just say she hasn’t progressed
past the level of ‘intern’, yet.
The 27 comment above is very good, but
what media would have something like that
anymore? Some of the best thinking has been
represented on this blog, but none are
journalists that I know of. Most newspapers
are floundering under their own snow-balling
impotence.

By: Red Star

Red Star — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:16:34 +0000

What is stunning and disappointing beyond words about Andrea Kelly’s/ADS journalism is that there seems to have been no effort to report on local government efforts, if any, to improve matters: no interview of Zoll or the other one, nor of PAAG, nor of UA (which is pretty much preoccupied with UA semi-pro sports and planting tomatoes on the moon). No interview of experts by ADS: that would cost too much. Instead, we get beer gut journalism. It’s called pandering and that is what technically bankrupt newspapers such as ADS do. Andrea Kelly, whore?

By: Nate

Nate — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:41:43 +0000

The anonymity provided by the comments sections of online news stories gives the trolling bigots of the internet an opportunity to unleash their inner hatred in a public forum without having to look anybody in the eye. Reminds me of those yahoos from Hillsboro Baptist…

Anyway, it’s not just Tuscon man. A local firefighter shot a cyclist in the head yesterday because he was upset that the man had his child riding with him in a safety seat. Luckily, the shot missed by about an inch…but the comments section of this one is just depressing: http://is.gd/1PhL6

By: Michael McKisson

Michael McKisson — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:53:16 +0000

I think you are onto something about the ignorance part of the equation. In fact I almost posted that in her column last week.

It is easy to disregard the concerns of cyclist or drivers if you haven’t ridden around on their rubber for a while.

I try my best to be friendly and courteous to drivers on the road. I wave and smile and chat with them at lights if their windows are down. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn’t, but I feel like I am doing my part. Maybe they will too.