May 13 2008
Alex on Emerald City - Riding Your Bike is the Best Activism
I wrote a piece on Emerald City last week that I’m actually pretty proud of. I’m sort of a perfectionist and rarely happy with what I write, but this turned out well. It also features a pretty cool picture of Kieron, the iconic organizer of CRANK MOB. Please go read it!
Perceived as dangerous and stigmatized as an activity for health nuts and tree huggers, reasonable people do not ride bikes in L.A. So, when you step off a curb onto a bike you have just committed a flagrantly irresponsible act. “I do what I want!” you’ve just declared. Prepare for a wild ride!
As a pioneer of the irresponsible, you have an opportunity to recruit others. Every time you ride four miles to work, or 1,000 yards to the grocery store, you rebel against the little assumptions Angelenos make in order to live responsibly. “Cycling is dangerous,” “bicycling is impractical,” “BIKES ARE TOYS” — I challenge these notions with this short ride to the laundromat!
The title of the piece is lame - a collaborative fiasco combining bad title choosing by me and a bad edit of the title by someone else. As a friend says “writers shouldn’t write their own headlines.” Point well taken! I will try to avoid getting fancy with my titles in the future . . . and where possible get someone else to title them.
Finally, here is a picture from the Freeway Ride #2 that took place Friday. Expect a post soon!
Similar Posts
- Post at Emerald City by Alex: Cyclists Are Your Friends
- Bicycling Magazine Gets It WRONG
- Poll: Alex is Writing Weekly for an LA Times Blog Now. Also Post That Writing Here?
- On CICLE: bicycle advocacy, FAIL. Bike Activism, WANT!
the thing i like most about the posts on emerald city is that they make the common rider feel cool, rather than alone.