On the last leg of my commute, I ran over across three kids in their late teens with snow shovels. Apparently, I am a faggot as well. I've been called that a few more times than I can count. Way to be original, guys. Sadly, I'm taken by my wonderful wife. Sorry, boys. You ain't getting none of this.
To further amuse me, one of the impetuous youngsters had the chutzpah to ask me for a dollar. I can only assume that they were wandering around, offering to shovel driveways and parking lots for money. I gave them not word nor gesture in return, but if that's how they treat people they want money from, I'm thinking that their pool of beer money is going to remain scarce.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
... and a faggot, too!
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7 comments:
You know, I've had very little negative feedback from the public at large while I've been on my bike, at large in the public. I'm starting to worry. Surely, with all the stories I've heard about verbal violence committed against cyclists, I would have, by now, been party to some of that. Do they not see me? Am I invisible? Could it be that some day a driver is tooting about, minding his own business when *WHAM* all of a sudden, there I am (or not, as far as they can see) careening over their hood in a poor imitation of some cirque de soleil acrobat, with neither the acro, nor the bat?
My experiences have, by and large, been very positive. When, I wonder, will the hammer fall? When it does, I'm sure I'll have much the same answer... a brief sideways glance simply because I can't help it, and silence as I move on by. I might flash them. You know, simply to tease them.
All that said, my favorite, all time and perhaps forever, is "Dip Ass."
Well, I don't think the "Alien" comment was an insult at all other than to say "you look weird."
If it was an insult, it was half-hearted at best. I took no offense to it whatsoever. It didn't bother me. I thought it was funny, actually.
I do get offended at actual insults. However, there's a huge difference between getting offended and letting it bother me. One might deduce some kind of passive-aggressive behavior because I wrote about being called a Faggot. Sure, I was offended, but it was a fleeting moment and nothing more.
As far as being called names, the last time before this that someone called me anything was way back in October when some guy told me I was a dumbass. A few weeks prior to that, someone tried to save a few seconds by running right through a stop sign at a crosswalk while flipping me off. That was nearly four months ago. I can't remember any incidents prior to that, but among the 700-ish posts here I'd imagine there are a few more altercations. I'd comfortably say that in KC, encounters like these are few and far between and thus noteworthy when they do happen.
I've been called that more than a few times myself. Sometimes a specific reference is made to my riding shorts/tights, which is the only time I respond. This usually occurs riding the light rail to/from work in downtown Denver. The best comeback I've made is "Thanks. By the way, you're calling me that name but you're the one staring at my legs and ass." This usually shuts up all commenters, except one. This one challenged me to get off the train to settle this like a man. Needless to say I declined, while questioning his intent to "settle up". Giggles and laughs from other passengers saved the day that day.
Just make kissy noises at the next one who pulls that crap.
As for me, I don't wear lycra or anything tight. This time of year it's athletic thermal underwear with plain clothes over the top. In the summer, I prefer the look and the feel of baggy mountain bike shorts and looser-fitting synthetic wicking running or golfing shirts.
To each their own, though. I think people getting homophobic over athletic clothing is kind of ridiculous. I choose not to wear it for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that I'd look like the michelin man in a get-up like that, and the fact that I don't race or train means I don't demand or require performance clothing for what I'm doing. I can't justify spending $100 on special clothing just to ride to and from work at a pace equivalent to what you'd find on a "social" (i.e. chatty) group ride.
I've been given the verbal tongue lashing before which is no big deal but the worst was having a super size cherry slurpee thrown on me. It hit me dead center and cover me in sticky crap. I still finished my 20 mile ride. No way was I going to let a couple of punk kids ruin my ride.
I've tried riding the 2.5 miles to the train in regular clothes, but chafed really bad. Enough of that! Just decided to wear the lycra since I have it for mountain bike riding and commuting. Commuting in nice weather is 18+ miles each way. This means speed (18-23mph) to keep times in the 55 minute range. This does require proper gear.
Indeed. My mountain bike shorts have a chamois/padded liner. I can pull off my 14-mile each way in under an hour, but I think my personal best was 18.2 MPH. I don't usually want to push much harder than needed for a 15 or 16 MPH average. I definitely couldn't ride that far every day without some padding. Well, I could (and I've tried) and we'll just say the results aren't pretty.
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