First They Come For the Bicyclists
Humor is often filled with surreal violent imagery. For instance, Henny Youngman’s line: “A guy comes up to me, says he hasn’t had a bite in 3 weeks, so I bit him.” As Freud pointed out, this is often coupled with supressed hostility to some group or type of individuals. Such as: “What do you call a bus load of X’s going off a cliff? A good start.” Obviously, you have to fill in the name of some group in that line. I’m not trying to say anything against the letter X. I’m okay with the letter X.
Humor and anger are different sides of the razor’s edge that we walk. Sometimes we try to lean to one side and end up falling on the right. This is what I thought when I read this on local blog WhyIHateDC:
Mayor Fenty needs to instate “Maryland Drivers MUST Drive to Work Day” to coincide with “Bike to Work Day.” Bicyclists would be no match for all those clueless, swerving Maryland drivers. Problem solved.
I don’t know. That comes across as a little angry to me. Plus, there was this bit earlier:
Come May 18th, I’m sure to get stuck behind at least 1 of those 7,000 spandex-wearing fucks.
I’m definitely picking up some hostility here. Towards people from Maryland, at least while they’re driving, and bicyclists everywhere. I understand this was an attempt at humor. To me it errs on the side of vehicular homicide. So, I dig through the comments section, trying to figure out what this dude’s problem is. I learn that he lives on the Metro, but prefers to drive to work because it saves him, according to his estimate, 10 minutes.
As I occasionally point out, one of our biggest problems in our society is the effects of people who drive their cars when they don’t have to. Often in cars that are, how shall I put it.. unnecessarily piggy. It’s bad for the air, bad for traffic congestion, increases our dependence on oil in the Middle East, and some people believe we may permanently screwing up the planet.
So my reaction to the point this blogger makes? Oink. Now, I’m going to have me some frog’s legs.
