Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
I didn't notice anything in the purpose of this forum anywhere that said this forum was for advocating a carfree lifestyle or any other kind of lifestyle. Nor did I see any call for preaching political, social or environmental activism, extreme or otherwise.
Again, just because some LCF people have ardent positions on these subjects does not make their political/social hobbyhorses carfree subjects or a component of a so-called carfree lifestyle. Nor does the passion of some political activists make their OT rants appropriate as described by the stated forum purpose.
In this specific thread the subject of advocacy seems appropriate, but I believe it is a mistaken assumption of a few pushy advocates for lifestyle and political change, to include "extreme" activism, that their opinions and "activism" on those issues are on topic in any LCF thread, no matter if it has absolutely nothing to do with:
"Did you give up your car for good? Is your bike and public transportation the only way you travel from point A to point B? If your only mode of transportation is your bike, discuss your car-free lifestyle here."
The fact is that whether you're already living car-free or just want to, political issues are a factor insofar as urban planning facilitates or impedes your choice to live car-free. To say that people should just live car free if they want but not express any will for their geographical surroundings to be managed in a way that facilitates their choice, which amounts to facilitating the choice of anyone who is willing to live car free as well, is effectively advocating for anti-car-free interests. Really there is no politically neutral position, unless you consider car-free living neutral insofar as the human body is inalienable and anything else is, well, alienable.
Originally Posted by
GetOuttaMyWay
I initially thought like this, but then I went and looked up the various ways to define "advocacy". Turns out that like minded individuals that come together to form a support group (and this forum is just that) can be considered a form of advocacy.
That being said, I also tend to share your feelings that a few are a bit too strident in their anti-car mentality.
Originally Posted by
Machka
Machka's post here is a good example of advocating for the use of separated categories to relegate discussion away from where she doesn't want it to where she does. Machka, when you provided examples of various bike trails with amenities on the other thread, e.g. Harvest Trail, that was effectively advertising and advocating the use of those trails. I know you don't want to think of it that way because you want to have a line between advocacy and 'just normal talk' so you can prize 'normal talk' and decry advocacy, but the reality is that the word, "advocacy" literally means "speaking toward," i.e. ad = toward and vocate = speak. Anti-advocacy is thus also a form of advocacy. If you really don't like advocacy, you should just let things go that you dislike and not say anything. Otherwise you are advocating against them.