"... forced to be on four to act all aggrieved. It’s pedestrians and drivers who need protection from them.... When I was growing up, bikes were for kids to play on and working-class people to get to work on. Their image was so mild that — along with cricket grounds and warm beer — John Major evoked George Orwell’s image of ‘old maids bicycling to Holy Communion through the morning mist’ in a rather laughable and desperate attempt to persuade us that his Tories were a wholesome bunch, rather than sneaking around having extra-marital dalliances with each other. Or bikes were amusing things ridden by clowns.... [A]ggressive young men on two wheels would have been written off as ton-up boys in the past; but because they know how to pronounce quinoa, this new lot are planet-savers, a shining example to the rest of us gas-guzzlers...."
From "The ceaseless self-pity of cyclists" by Julie Burchill (Spectator).
It was in a 1993 speech to the Conservative Group for Europe that the prime minister, John Major said, "Fifty years on from now, Britain will still be the country of long shadows on county [cricket] grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers, and—as George Orwell said—old maids bicycling to Holy Communion through the morning mist."
The George Orwell essay is "England, Your England" (1941):
When you come back to England from any foreign country, you have immediately the sensation of breathing a different air. Even in the first few minutes dozens of small things conspire to give you this feeling. The beer is bitterer, the coins are heavier, the grass is greener, the advertisements are more blatant. The crowds in the big towns, with their mild knobby faces, their bad teeth and gentle manners, are different from a European crowd. Then the vastness of England swallows you up, and you lose for a while your feeling that the whole nation has a single identifiable character. Are there really such things as nations? Are we not forty-six million individuals, all different? And the diversity of it, the chaos! The clatter of clogs in the Lancashire mill towns, the to-and-fro of the lorries on the Great North Road, the queues outside the Labour Exchanges, the rattle of pin-tables in the Soho pubs, the old maids hiking to Holy Communion through the mists of the autumn morning—all these are not only fragments, but characteristic fragments, of the English scene. How can one make a pattern out of this muddle?
Um... there's no bicycling in Orwell's essay! I can't be the first person to notice that this famous quote of Major's got the wrong impression of the old maids in the autumn mist. Come on, England! I know an "h" looks like a "b" but "hiking" isn't "biking," and when you inflate it to "bicycling," you're really drawing attention to your carelessness, there being no such thing "hicycling."
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64 comments:
hicycling is DoublePlusUngood!
Quinoa was pedaled as some sort of "high-protein" food.
It isn't.
It's nutrient density is terrible.
Individually, cyclists are fine people.
As a group, they are monumental assholes.
Orwell hated Christianity (he was delighted that the Republicans had burnt all the Churces, killed all the clergy). So you get his phrase that "old maids" as the only ones going to Communion. People forget about John Major. He was the British equivilent of George Bush, a dull, arrogant globalist who followed a great conservative leader. Regression to the mean.
Bicyclists in big urban areas consider themselves part oppressed minority, part arrogant elite. They're better than all those fat slobs in their cars, taxis, and buses. But they have to worry "the fat slobs" will run them over. Hence, the behavior.
Of course, those who read Althouse would never be like that.
On the best characters in the comic Pearls Before Swine is Jef, the arrogant cyclist.
My opinion is that bicyclists in Madison are very much a coddled minority.
"there being no such thing "hicycling.""
Who is being careless?
I read the Spectator article and I don't know what Burchill means by "big bikes". But I haven't been to England lately.
"They may speak English, over there, but it's a foreign country."
Why does it appear that these articles offer nothing more than to generate animosity between two groups? To bring the extremists in the two groups to the mainstream?
Joe Smith said...
Individually, cyclists are fine people.
As a group, they are monumental assholes.
This describe tribalism in general.
Most individuals in groups generally act better than the group.
But in order to gain acceptance in the group you have to act like an ass to those outside the group.
I would make one exception for Vegans. They seem to have problems on the individual level as well.
I work for an organization that has a two section (that's two square miles) campus. We have lots of green space and lot of winding roads. Amongst the 3000+ people working here there are some enthusiastic cyclist who liked to ride in big groups (the pandemic has killed the big groups for now) or individually. Car/Cycle/People conflicts were bound to happen.
So periodically, we would get a global email from the campus safety group reminding us to be courteous and careful around the bicycles. The next day there would be a follow-up email telling the cyclists they also have to obey the traffic rules, like stop signs, and give way to pedestrians.
John Major built his reputation on nostalgia. He was the little gray reliable man, the plucky Englander who kept the country going. That was probably phony at the time and seems even phonier in the age of Biden. Major lost to Tony Blair, who was phony in his own way. Although they were of different parties, you might detect a Biden-Obama relationship between Major and Blair. Like Biden, Major pretended to be a decent, compassionate (well more compassionate than Margaret Thatcher) little guy. Like Obama, Blair played the Messiah. It's easier to forgive somebody for not being a Messiah.
As an avid cyclist, I have come to realize that cycling unlocks a trifecta of smugness.
One, you're smug because you're operating a machine.
Two, you're smug because you're putting in physical effort.
Three, you're smug because the gear is expensive and you can afford it.
It's a smug hat trick.
Any adult using a bicycle to commute has a DUI
At least in Denver, starting in the 80s, the vanguard of the militant bicyclists were the messengers. They rode wrong way down one way streets, on plazas and sidewalks at high speed, treating all stop signs as optional. (One slammed into me on a blind corner sidewalk, cracking a couple ribs, scrambled back on his bike and sped away.)
Nowadays, despite the endless proliferation of bike lanes, this is normal behavior for downtown bicyclists, skateboarders and electric scooters. Let the pedestrian beware! seems to be the motto of progressive fiefdoms everywhere.
Burchill is right about bicyclists.
Bicyclists - the kind that demand their own lane on the road and then ride 4 abreast to hog the entire traffic lane as well. These jokers are one rung below vegans in the category of urban-related annoyingly useless public nuisances.
it is ludicrous for those voluntarily on two wheels rather than forced to be on four to act all aggrieved.
And therein lies the problem--it's not arrogant bicyclists, it's arrogant drivers. People in cars think all is for cars and anybody not in a car is there by the grace of the driver and should show proper deference and gratitude.
GRW3 said...
The next day there would be a follow-up email telling the cyclists they also have to obey the traffic rules, like stop signs, and give way to pedestrians.
________________________________________________________________________
Brother, you said a mouthful there. I've yet to see a cyclist in this metropolitan area (Ft. Lauderdale/Miami) obey any traffic rule, not even once. The worst is when they ride several abreast, instead of single file on the side of the road, and then get irate when you try to get around them.
When I'm King, things'll be different.
stutefish said...As an avid cyclist, I have come to realize that cycling unlocks a trifecta of smugness.
Horseshit. A vast majority of cyclists are, like a vast majority of drivers, simply people trying to get from point A to point B in the way that makes most sense to them. The smugness is not in them, it is in you.
Not a rider myself, but I have nothing against cyclists who stay off the sidewalk, ride on the proper side of the street and follow the traffic laws that apply to them.
I live in a cultural wasteland, urban-sprawl megalopolis, and when I washed up here, "Shipwrecked in the Eighties" (to use the title of a Kris Kristofferson song), the leftover hippie chick who let me chastely "crash" at her place told me a good way to get around town would be to use her bicycle. One week of that cured me. I learned that many motorists despised cyclists, and even though I obeyed all traffic rules there were still too many jerks who seemed as if they wanted to kill me.
I escaped Seattle a few years after they decided Bikes Rule. I can't say they were all @ssholes, but a large enough percentage of them were to more or less treat them as a big Group of @ssholes. Whenever our neighborhood had a get-together, half the conversation was about the @sshole cyclists (our street was designated a 'greenway' for cyclists). I'd actually picked up riding again (on my trusty old 1970s Schwinn Continental II), at least the couple miles to and from the gym in the morning, and made a point to not do all the @ssholish things I hated cyclists doing.
The police (ACB! ACB!) encouraged something called a Night Out where neighbors would block off the street (with a permit, of course) and have a little block party to get to know one's neighbors and such. One year we dutifully blocked off both ends, had a canopy tent set up in the middle of the street, when an @sshole cyclist rode right through the middle of the canopy. I don't know if it was that year, but one of the more truculent of our neighbors planted himself right in front of a cyclist who was riding down the middle of the closed street.
And yes, I was once run into by an @sshole cyclist who blew through red lights and into a crosswalk full of pedestrians.
'I would make one exception for Vegans. They seem to have problems on the individual level as well.'
Reminds me of the old joke:
"How do you know someone is vegan?
They will tell you."
Same applies to Harvard alums...
"A vast majority of cyclists are, like a vast majority of drivers, simply people trying to get from point A to point B in the way that makes most sense to them."
That would explain all the Lycra.
'And therein lies the problem--it's not arrogant bicyclists, it's arrogant drivers. People in cars think all is for cars and anybody not in a car is there by the grace of the driver and should show proper deference and gratitude.'
First, roads were built for cars, not bikes.
As long as cyclists follow the same rules that I, as a driver must follow, then I am fine with it.
We live off of a very nice 'country' road that winds through the hills. It is quite picturesque and attracts many cyclists and groups of cyclists.
There is a 4-way stop sign at the intersection near a school. In 20 plus years, I have NEVER seen a cyclist stop at this intersection unless there is a car already stopped.
I have seen many cars pulled over and cited for 'rolling stops,' but have never seen a cyclist cited for the same infraction.
When they are on the very narrow, windy part, they often cycle in the middle of the road far below the speed limit where no passing is legally or safely possible for about two miles.
Do they care? Not a fuck. It's all about them.
If you're a polite cyclist, good for you.
But if you're like 95% of what I've observed?
And don't even get me started on the anarchists like those in San Francisco who block intersections and shut down roads in the name of 'justice.'
They can all fuck off.
It's tough enough to commute in the Bay Area trying to make a living without that bullshit.
Bike lanes are sometimes a very poor solution to traffic control. They are a nice thought, but they do pose a problem for cyclists of which motorists might not be aware. Unlike the center lanes of the street, bike lanes tend to collect all the broken glass and other trash thrown from the cars or the sidewalk. It is often more dangerous for the cyclist to use the bike lane than to cheat towards or over the boundary of same. Not excusing rude or illegal behavior, but it's just one more thing to keep in mind.
As a bike rider from as young as I recall through college and beyond, I learned two things about cycling: 1. All cyclists will wreck, eventually. 2. The cyclist loses in any wreck.
The conclusion from those two simple facts is that there are safer forms of transportation to use than cycling. As recreation I still bike, and love it, but to get from A to B, give me my old pickup truck every time.
Cyclists lost me when that militant activist group from San Francisco attacked an elderly couple in a wheelchair van. The same group used to create a pedaling circle jerk in Colley Square once a month. I think they quieted down a bit after Google let them know ‘JDAM delivery- Boston’ was trending on.their search…
Now there’s a group of a 15-20 black kids who like to pedal their bikes against traffic once a week. I don’t think there’s much crossover with the stolen motorcycle/ATV group that likes to ride against traffic but I could be wrong…
Maybe Madison can send Art Ross, bycycle-pedestrian coordinator, over the pond to sort this all out.
Joe Smith said...First, roads were built for cars, not bikes.
Wrong, and irrelevant. Roads are built for transportation--for moving things from one place to another. They were built at great cost to the community and they should be used in the way the community think's best. Cars, bikes, pedestrians, scooter, motorcycles, skate boards. Everything the people want to use.
As long as cyclists follow the same rules that I, as a driver must follow, then I am fine with it.
That's what's known as a position masquerading as a principle. Bikes aren't cars. You know it, I know it, nobody thinks bikes are cars. You'll pass a bike on a single lane, no passing zone road without a second thought. As you should. Because a bike is not a car. There are things safe for cars that are not safe for bikes and vice versa.
I have seen many cars pulled over and cited for 'rolling stops,' but have never seen a cyclist cited for the same infraction.
Good. There is no reason why a bicycle needs to come to a complete stop to make the same safety accommodations as a car. They move slower, stop shorter, are more maneuverable, have a better view of the road, and do less damage when the driver screws up.
When they are on the very narrow, windy part, they often cycle in the middle of the road far below the speed limit where no passing is legally or safely possible for about two miles.
Now you're arguing against yourself. Pick one--is a bicycle a car or not?
If you're a polite cyclist, good for you. But if you're like 95% of what I've observed?
I am a polite cyclist. I follow 2 rules and I have never been in a situation where these two rules aren't a complete package of safety and courtesy: (1) I surrender the right of way to those who have it, and (2) I make it obvious I am going to obey rule number 1.
That's it. Those 2 rules are all that is needed for bicycles.
Boston quietly implemented ‘temporary’ permanent bike lanes in Back Bay and a few other neighborhoods. It was harmless during covid lockdowns but now it is accomplishing exactly what you might expect…
Yet another short sighted leftie policy, especially when you consider lefties tell us all our vehicles will be planet saving electrics in just a couple years…
'That would explain all the Lycra.'
If cycling is so good for your health, why are the majority of cyclists I see fat, verging on obese?
The lycra is usually working overtime...
"Any adult using a bicycle to commute has a DUI."
I commute by bike. Not only do I not have a DUI, I've never driven drunk, so pin a rose on me. I've done other bad things though.
tim maguire said...
And therein lies the problem--it's not arrogant bicyclists, it's arrogant drivers. People in cars think all is for cars and anybody not in a car is there by the grace of the driver and should show proper deference and gratitude.
Let me get this straight. Cycling 3 abreast down a heavily used, two lane state road during peak rush hour and backing car traffic up for miles is actually the fault of the motorist who're just trying to get home?
"Any adult using a bicycle to commute has a DUI."
If it's a wal-mart bike, sure. If the rider is on a bike with a saddle that costs more than a wal-mart bike, not likely a DUI rider. A couple of dead giveaways: the DUI guy is wearing jeans, has the saddle set so low his knees damn near reach his chest as he pedals, and the first thing he does when he gets off the bike is light a smoke.
The stuff that gets some people in this forum worked up is, sadly, a bit predictable.
mccullough said...
Any adult using a bicycle to commute has a DUI
Nah. Pretty sure that's what the moped was invented for.
"...simply trying to get from point A to point B..." Speaking of horseshit. I live in Los Angeles. I'd say over 95% cyclist I see are wearing Lycra. They are not commuting anywhere; they are exercising. They are going from point A back to point A. They are not a part of any solution to reduce carbon emissions. In fact they are actually making things worse. And it doesn't take a bunch of them to bring traffic to a crawl; it just takes two. Two assholes riding side by side in a car lane just so they can gab.
Trans saw what the cyclists could do and the sharing of bathroom spaces was born.
The Trans cycling history of America. 😉
tim maguire said...
People in cars think all is for cars and anybody not in a car is there by the grace of the driver and should show proper deference and gratitude.
Are you saying that they are not there by the grace of the drivers?
The drivers are the ones paying for the roads and streets via gasoline taxes.
Do cyclists pay any road use taxes, directly or indirectly, anywhere in the US?
John LGBTBNY Henry
Apparently Buttigieg is off breast-feeding duty and coming up with ways to stick it to drivers:
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/01/27/road-transport-overhaul-pete-buttigieg-vows-more-bike-and-bus-lanes-lower-speed-limits/
The England I grew up in and loved died the day they opened the Chunnel. I have hopes that Brexit will provide a path for revival.
Boston quietly implemented ‘temporary’ permanent bike lanes in Back Bay and a few other neighborhoods. It was harmless during covid lockdowns but now it is accomplishing exactly what you might expect…
Those stupid lanes popped up all over Manhattan under Deblasio, narrowing already heavily trafficked avenues from four lanes to three, which with all the trucks unloading and other double-parking means effectively from three lanes to two during the day. The result is what you'd expect, including no doubt increased pollution from the traffic tie-ups, and of course mostly empty bike lanes as well as pedestrian fatalities from bikes. Bikers often go the wrong way in the lanes, and many use motorized bikes going 20+ miles per hour. I do bike short distances in Manhattan, and preferred riding in traffic on the regular car lanes.
Orwell said "cycling." Major misquoted him.
'Bikes aren't cars. You know it, I know it, nobody thinks bikes are cars.'
Tell that to the state of California:
"California Vehicle Code 21200(a) states that bicycle riders have all the rights and are subject to all the responsibilities and duties as drivers of vehicles. This means, for example, bicyclists must perform such actions as:
Follow traffic signals
Obey speed limits
Stop at stop signs
Bike on the right-hand side of the road"
'There is no reason why a bicycle needs to come to a complete stop to make the same safety accommodations as a car.'
See above.
You're not an asshole? Good for you. Now tell all your cycling friends.
Eye Contact with drivers is the key to negotiating intersections with cars. If I come to a complete stop I jam up the flow of an intersection. Instead, I coast and brake before the limit line so drivers know I am not going to blow the intersection. I identify my spot in the rotation as if I had stopped and make eye contact with the driver. Often they wave me through. If I’m ever unsure of the situation I yield the right of way. It works well in suburban Sacramento; most drivers are used to bikes.
Cyclists on VT roads scare me! Our shoulders aren’t broad enough, our roads are winding and there are so many in a line it makes passing them difficult. Oh, well. 1st world problem, I guess.
It doesn't matter who feels more entitled to the road or what the rules might say. Physics says semi trucks have the right of way followed by pickups and SUVs, regular cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles then pedestrians.
I suspect Tim Maguire is exactly the cyclist some of us have been talking about. Self-righteous and wants it both ways. He's polite, but he's not going to come to a stop at a stop sign (even though that's the law). But you shouldn't pass him when he's riding in the lane because he's a vehicle and has a right to the lane (because that's the law). So, do you follow the law or not? Or do you follow the law that is convenient for you and ignore the inconvenient?
I particularly like the cyclist jerks who ride slowly down the road during rush hour holding up traffic. Cars carefully wait for an opportunity to pass. Then the cars reach a stoplight and here comes the cyclist up the shoulder and through the red light. Then we get to wait behind the cyclist for an opportunity to pass again.
Cyclists: do you want to ride on the road with the other vehicles like a big boy? Then obey the traffic laws.
James K, on point re bike lane travesty in Manhattan, but that initiative was Bloomberg’s baby. DeBlasio carried on with it, but the bike friendly transformation was well under way when he took office. I thought clumsy novice and tourist cyclists on Citi bikes was a disaster, but the last few years have seen the emergance of silent, speedy e-bikes which are technically illegal but increasingly predominant and occasionally deadly to pedestrians. Neither cars nor bikes should own our roads, but Manhattan is for walkers.
The Orwell Society Facebook page has a photo it says is of the first edition showing the word as biking.
"Old maids hiking" and "old maids biking" are two very different images. The cyclists are probably having fun and aren't so grim or glum. But "old maids" is problematic now.
I would mind bicyclists less if they were less like road warriors and more like the polite Dutch bikers who wouldn't be caught dead in spandex. Now that I'm less of a driver and more of a pedestrian, though, I feel solidarity, if not quite sympathy or approval, for cyclists.
Couldn't agree more with Julie Burchill, but the entire piece actually culminates right in the first paragraph, with her observation that "I really knew we’d reached peak woo-woo with the ceaseless self-pity of cyclists." The entire 21st century so far has been pretty much "peak woo-woo" and I have to say that I'm getting pretty tired of it.
I suspect people passing judgment on Tim McGuire's bicycling are obese slugs who's exercise consists of waddling to the fridge and straining extra hard expelling low fiber high residue waste products of the standard American diet.
Around here they wear "sponsored" lycra and those darling little hats with the brim flipped up. Reminds me of "those froggy little native boys in tight leather aprons". None of them attain the speed lint, even at 25MPH.
I’m not opposed to cyclists- bike commuting in traffic is not for me but I try to respect everyone and share the road. I do wish cyclists wouldn’t be so politically militant. With pipeline and rail trail lines Boston had/has an opportunity to create bike exclusive corridors to isolate car/bike/pedestrian traffic and keep everyone more safe. Instead, these militant political organizations repeatedly reject those ideas in favor of usurping vehicle lanes and vilifying cars and trucks…and joggers…and pedestrians…and anyone who conflicts with their agenda…
Two thoughts come to mind 1) I have a niece who's boyfriend was killed in Boston several years ago. He blew through a red light and hit the rear quarter panel of an SUV. Broke his neck. and 2) My wife and I live on a nice lake in Central Colorado. This lake has a nice Rec Path around the lake and we walk there every day except Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the summer. The very polite bikers from the CO Front Range converge there and scream "Get out of my way" to the people trying to enjoy a nice walk along the lake. Thing is, there's a street right next to the Rec Path that they could easily use, but don't...
Iowa County, Wis. was forced to pass an ordinance governing bike events, which includes among other things paying fees, providing "rest stops" and proof of insurance. Of course the bike groups were all upset, but so were the residents and others driving on the same road, a farmer who had thousands of dollars of damage to his crops, a deputy sheriff mistreated by a bicyclist, and a rural store owner who had dozens and dozens of bicyclists come in to use the bathroom but never bought anything.
In my search for printed info, I found a bicyclist forum that was quite upset when the ordinance was being debated. Lots of badmouthing, etc. But I had to chuckle when they claimed how much money the county was losing. What I saw when I lived there were hordes of bicyclists enjoying the scenery and then packing up and going home (or heading to Madison for overnight.)
When I lived in the area, I was driving the "back" way to work, which is very hilly and curvy. I came over a hill and right in the dip was a family on bikes (with children!) STOPPED in the middle of the road, admiring the scenery. Apparently they didn't expect any traffic on a back road in the sticks. My vehicle at the time had good brakes.
I grew up when bicycles had to watch out and get out of the way.
'I suspect people passing judgment on Tim McGuire's bicycling are obese slugs who's exercise consists of waddling to the fridge and straining extra hard expelling low fiber high residue waste products of the standard American diet.'
Then you would be wrong. 4 miles a day walking (usually double that) rain or shine. Always less than 2,000 calories/day.
I'm still not Twiggy...but if you're fat, don't wear lycra...
European Candybar Suits. The padded shorts look like a pampers exceeding capacity
Cycling to work in the city where live,is quite dangerous because motorists don’t respect bicyclists. I limit my biking to quiet residential roads and paved bike trails. In the business districts of my city, cyclists usually ride on the sidewalks for safety. Cyclists, however, can be quite aggressive In large numbers. About 15 years ago there was a cycling movement called “critical mass” that tried to take over the streets of
Minneapolis with large scale group rides through high traffic city roads. This tactic backfired, failing to convince drivers that they should share city roads equitably. The movement faded out quickly and it is no longer trendy.
Orwell’s essay is interesting. It reflects his socialist sympathies in 1941, when he supposedly believed in democratic socialism, which today sounds like an oxymoron. I especially enjoyed his sharp critique of the British class system and his analysis of the British working class. I strongly recommend his essay “Politics and the English Language “ (1946) that explains how politics corrupts language and clear . communication. His ideas on political corruption of written English were valid in 1946 and are probably more so today. He presents 6 sensible principles for effective writing to reduce obfuscation, vagueness, and flabby, manipulative rhetoric. Here are some of his “rules” : “never use a long word when a short one will do” ; “ never use the passive when you can use the active” ; “if it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out,” and “ never use a metaphor or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print.”
Maids bicycling in the mist is an elegant word image. Could we focus on beauty just a bit please?
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