I have to share this.
James pointed out this AMAZINGLY AWFUL letter in one of our local free weekly today. File it under "truly clueless white people." Seriously, check it:
DEAR MERCURY-
It's hard to believe this article ["Many Miles to Go," News, Sept 2] isn't a joke. Not enough women and minorities are riding bikes? Jesus Christ Almighty, riding a bike is one of ( Read more... )
DEAR MERCURY-
It's hard to believe this article ["Many Miles to Go," News, Sept 2] isn't a joke. Not enough women and minorities are riding bikes? Jesus Christ Almighty, riding a bike is one of ( Read more... )
What I'm thinking is like...when I see someone on a bike I never think like "OH HEY, A MEMBER OF THE ~BIKE COMMUNITY~". Lol. But when I read a big spread on Pedal Palooza or pass Filmed By Bike I do think "Oh hey, cyclist community!". And I think a lot of those folks LOVE being part of a "bike community" and would take offense to the notion that being a Portland cyclist is no more, um, uniting (?) than being a Portland driver-Come on, people in their cars are basically in little isolation pods! We wave and smile at our fellow bicyclists and host events-there's way more of a sense of community here! ...And others would probably agree with you. Bringing us to "you can't please everyone."
But I'm getting that your issue is more with over-generalizing, which of course I understand. It's why I said "I've seen a fair amount of white privilege in the Portland bike community/blogosphere" instead of "Bicyclists in Portland show a fair amount of white privilege." It's in the same vein I would say "There are drug problems in the Native community" (I really don't like making these comparisons, but they're the best way I can think of to illustrate my point, argh). Obviously I'm not saying WE ALL have drug problems and hopefully the Native people who read that sentence will realize that and not take offense.
If I were being really specific with my language, I suppose I'd have said "people who post and comment on bike blogs." Specifically BikePortland since that is the big one. When I say "whoa, white privilege!" I'm thinking of comments like on this post. Like if you scroll through, you'll see my "fair amount of white privilege" but also, of course, good thoughtful comments. (So neither am I saying BikePortland readers are all being ignorant, no way!) Anyway, I consider blog circles to be "communities" on the net. But the readers/commenters don't exist solely on the net (and aren't, I'd imagine, as scattered as non-local based blog circles)-I have to assume most of them are real live Portland bicyclists.
An aside on not saying "cyclist": I understand wanting to use person-centered language. A lot of communities prefer that because of the negative connotations associated with calling someone simply "disabled" or "homeless". However, terms like cyclist and pedestrian ARE more neutral than "disabled" or "homeless," even if they do carry stereotypes (though idk, I associate nothing with "pedestrian" aside from...they're able to walk?). Your transportation is also (more or less) your choice. I was trying to think of comparable terms to "pedestrian" or "cyclists"...like, idk, "vegetarian" or "pet-owner"? Like there are stereotypes associated with those terms but if you want to be a "person who owns a pet" I'll be like "really??". And yeah, vegetarians and cyclists can get flack for their choices-of course they can!-but there's still a difference between that and the institutional discrimination, say, people with disabilities or people experiencing homelessness face.
OR I MAY HAVE TOTALLY MISSED THE PONT ON WHY YOU DON'T LIKE SAYING "CYCLIST" AND GONE OFF ON A TANGENT.
ETA: And then I got excited and hit "post" instead of "preview." But this weekend is actually when we're in Ashland-maybe we can do skating sometime next week though? Now that the amusement park is closed, it's a lot less crowded!
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
The Mercury running this as the first letter on the page made me slap my forehead because PoC might see it and assume "So yeah, this is what bicyclists in Portland are like-count me out." The same way the non-law abiding bicylists make law-abiding bicyclists slap their heads (or to go a bit OT again, Elton John saying he doesn't support gay marriage makes most of the gay community slap their heads...okay, maybe that's a different, but it came to mind anyway).
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment