Originally posted by edk
I especially don't like the press that CM generates, it is very often focused on the wrong thing
Last December, the Chicago Tribune interviewed Critical Massers to do a positive article on winter cycling, and a local news channel did the same thing. Last January, the Chicago Journal did a positive article on the annual CM ride to the Baby Doll Polka Club. A few months ago, the Chicago Reader did an article describing one masser's efforts to lobby for improved safety on metal grate bridges. There have also been good articles in various newspapers on our annual Chicago conference. Locally, I've seen media coverage give a positive portrayal and can't imagine how any of this could be detrimental to cycling. (And given how heavily automobile advertisers influence the contents of local newspapers and TV stations, I was quite surprised to see all of this cycling-positive coverage.)
Originally posted by edk
The constant justification that what you do it [sic] right becuase [sic] someone else is doing something more wrong is immature. It comes across as 'holy-er [sic] than thou'.
It's not immature to stand up to unfair accusations. The whole blanket statement of "lawlessness" is questionable. In some cities, Critical Mass rides register as a parade or march; in other cities, the parades are more unofficial, on the order of the unofficial car parades that always seem to happen after a particular sports team wins a big game. When I'm on a Critical Mass ride, I'm willing to go along with what a traffic cop or a bicycle cop wants done in order to direct the flow of the parade. How this amounts to "lawlessness" is mysterious to me.
In June, I saw one rider do something particularly stupid and illegal, and he was arrested instantly by the police. The other riders and I were glad to see this rider gone from the ride. So I will grant that there is the occasional "lawless" person who joins in on the ride, but the police know how to deal with such individuals, leaving the rest of us to get back to a pleasant bicycle ride. And I will grant that masses in different cities have different personalities -- the Chicago Critical Mass is a love affair with the city. (Once while visiting the suburbs, I encountered a one-time Critical Mass organized by some local suburban students, and the ride seemed uninspired.) It's possible that I might go to another city and find that I dislike that city's Critical Mass just as strongly as I like my local Critical Mass. But to paint all Critical Masses as bad for cycling is unfair.