[RdTv]

I've been riding my bike back and forth to work for a while now and have inevitably been to the bike shop for a few tweaks and tubes. During which I've heard about critical mass and the escapades of said organization. I googled it, found out very little aside from youtube vids and a few unofficial websites. Wondering if anyone has been on one and if there is always drama.

[uhler]

i never been on but it's pretty cool, well it seems like it. i wouldn't do it personally because i don't like rising my bike in big crowds (nyc critical mass is pretty big). i have a dvd entitled "still we ride!". it's about critical mass protesting the 2004 republican convention.

[shentov]

critical mass is worth supporting that's for sure. 100% go for it.

[sticky money]

I have been on one when I was out on the east coast, but generally I ride with and L.A. group called midnight ridaz. It's fun as shit and everyone's drinking, though I don't like to because when the cops start giving you a hard time they talk about how you're drunk and it's illegal to ride a bike when intoxicated, yadda yadda. The cool thing is that if the cops give you a hard time there's like 200 of you and only up to 16 of them.

[sticky money]

*an L.A. group

[uhler]

Originally Posted by shentov

critical mass is worth supporting that's for sure. 100% go for it.

i agree with this statement.

[RdTv]

I just might have to go on one, I must admit that after a few close calls with horrible drivers, I do have the urge to ''take the streets''. I mean honestly, why would you be texting with two hands whilst driving in a 55MPH zone, it leaves me in awe.

[mangajunky]

Since you're not in NYC, you'll probably be okay. The NY cops are becoming more and more violent and intolerant towards events that involve civil disobedience. I've even had one of my friends arrested for just being on a bicycle near one of these events. He wasn't even participating.

here's video evidence of some of the NYPD bad attitude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ

[RdTv]

Yeah, I watched that.

That's kinda my thing, I'm not into the whole subversive aspect of it really, I would just like to ride around not looking over my shoulder for traffic and worrying about the ignorant driver. That and the look on the drivers faces when a glob of bikes pass them.

[mangajunky]

I think Critical Mass is very cool. Civil Disobedience shouldn't evoke these police responses. Getting arrested in a civil disobedient act is fine - getting assaulted and then having the system cover it up is out of control. NYC has some major fascist problems in recent years.

[RdTv]

The cons are that I live in a conservative town/city. Sure there are cool things to do and good bands from here etc...but the fact remains its Kentucky. The cops are arrogant, useless jerks most of the time and the money that runs the city is very very old, and very set in its ways.

[afterthefact]

Originally Posted by RdTv

The cons are that I live in a conservative town/city. Sure there are cool things to do and good bands from here etc...but the fact remains its Kentucky. The cops are arrogant, useless jerks most of the time and the money that runs the city is very very old, and very set in its ways.

I don't know if I would classify Lexington as a conservative city. I mean, in the sense you mention, all towns are. Cops are usually jerks in any town, but it seems that Lexington will usually allow most events that people want to host.

Keep in mind too that a city has to consider everybody that lives there. There may be people that want a downtown prayer vigilance just as much as others want a local critical mass, and neither would want the other. They have to weigh the pros and cons of each, and take into consideration everybody's feelings.

For now, just enjoy riding your bike to work

[gmku]

Big groups of people of any kind scare me. But this seems well-intentioned.

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by mangajunky

Since you're not in NYC, you'll probably be okay. The NY cops are becoming more and more violent and intolerant towards events that involve civil disobedience. I've even had one of my friends arrested for just being on a bicycle near one of these events. He wasn't even participating.

HAHA!
what in the f.

[RdTv]

Originally Posted by afterthefact

I don't know if I would classify Lexington as a conservative city. I mean, in the sense you mention, all towns are. Cops are usually jerks in any town, but it seems that Lexington will usually allow most events that people want to host.

Keep in mind too that a city has to consider everybody that lives there. There may be people that want a downtown prayer vigilance just as much as others want a local critical mass, and neither would want the other. They have to weigh the pros and cons of each, and take into consideration everybody's feelings.

For now, just enjoy riding your bike to work

Sure its conservative. A city can have liberal people within it and still be deemed conservative. With regards to cultural infrastructure lexington is very conservative. The mayor maybe a democrat, but is still very much on the conservative side. Anyways, I see your point about people within a town co-operating with one-another and I get that, really I do. But it appears as tho neither critical mass or a prayer vigil would be things that one would go about receiveing a permit for. Its jsut something that people will do if they really want to. The difference between conservative and liberla is in the response to the two. A prayer vigil in the streets holding up traffic would probably annoy a lot of people here, but they would see that it is a religous function and therefore understand. Kentucky, the bible belt, you get the picture. Fifty people on bikes holding up traffic would get a much different type of reaction. Granted there would be no religous overtones, but you take for example a critical mass ride in seattle or portland and you see peopple honk and wave and cheer, they identify with something that the critical mass ride contains. Lexington...no identification by the majority of people on anything that is any way out of the normal,ordinary thing.

But, yeah you're right. I'll keep on enjoying my commute to and from work, hey maybe one day you can come down from your yankee penthouse and join us simple-folk for a good old hoe-down!

[afterthefact]

Originally Posted by RdTv

Sure its conservative. A city can have liberal people within it and still be deemed conservative. With regards to cultural infrastructure lexington is very conservative. The mayor maybe a democrat, but is still very much on the conservative side. Anyways, I see your point about people within a town co-operating with one-another and I get that, really I do. But it appears as tho neither critical mass or a prayer vigil would be things that one would go about receiveing a permit for. Its jsut something that people will do if they really want to. The difference between conservative and liberla is in the response to the two. A prayer vigil in the streets holding up traffic would probably annoy a lot of people here, but they would see that it is a religous function and therefore understand. Kentucky, the bible belt, you get the picture. Fifty people on bikes holding up traffic would get a much different type of reaction. Granted there would be no religous overtones, but you take for example a critical mass ride in seattle or portland and you see peopple honk and wave and cheer, they identify with something that the critical mass ride contains. Lexington...no identification by the majority of people on anything that is any way out of the normal,ordinary thing.

But, yeah you're right. I'll keep on enjoying my commute to and from work, hey maybe one day you can come down from your yankee penthouse and join us simple-folk for a good old hoe-down!

I don't know, that peach moonshine you make doesn't have that same tang to it.

And maybe if you hold a cross in the air while you ride, it might be better accepted by the people?