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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 16283119)
OK, thanks, now I understand.
Your subtle sense of humour and your self restraint was much appreciated. |
Originally Posted by FBinNY
(Post 16283048)
Though he probably misused the word.
trying to impress their college professor |
Should we talk about replacing "drivers" with "people in cars" first?
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People First Language (PFL) is prescriptive and awkward. It doesn't work in bicycle advocacy IMO. PFL is a distraction from the real issues affecting people on...oooops....cyclists and motorists.
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Originally Posted by spare_wheel
(Post 16285233)
hermeneutics is derived from hermes -- the messenger of the gods. i maintain that it is a fine way to describe a group of people who are more concerned with message than substance.
it amuses and saddens me that impressing a professor is considered to be something negative. |
Originally Posted by B. Carfree
(Post 16281533)
Many words have been used to label people as "other" in our recent history. Unfortunately, the censors won't let me list most of them, but consider how the gay community has taken ownership of words that were previously used to attack them. Just last year President Obama took ownership of the term "Obamacare", to successful political effect.
In my opinion, we should follow these examples and own the word cyclist with pride. It will still be used as a pejorative at times, but running from it gives it power over us. That said, I prefer to confine its use to a description of someone who is actually riding a bike (or trike, or whatever). When we're sitting on our hind-quarters writing these posts, we're not cyclists. When we get on our bikes, we're cyclists again. |
No more than saying Persons with HIV/AIDS.
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People on bikes brings up images of a bunch of clowns (literal clowns) trying to get as many as possible on one bike.
If one wants a general term bicycle riders seems good to me. Or even Bicycle users to describe one who may sometimes ride and sometimes not. Of course an article writer could reasonably decide to define different subgroups for the article if it was comparing and contrasting different sub groups. In that case people on Bikes could be used. My guess is it would not be for a group that has a positive image. |
My observation is that some people just hate those who ride bikes. I've caught someone's nasty frowning face when I was pushing my bike out of office. He had this nasty expression when the bike was half way out of the door, and I was not in sight yet, as if he saw a snake; as soon as I got out and he saw me looking at him, he switched to a smiling face.:lol: Happened twice so far, as far as I'm aware of.
Heck, no one is preventing you from also riding a bike or being physically active if it's a subconscious jealousy in play. |
But what I really want to know is just what should we say when we want to reach out and embrace an honest conversation, by the end of the day so that we have the correct narrative.
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Originally Posted by Deaver
(Post 16327289)
But what I really want to know is just what should we say when we want to reach out and embrace an honest conversation, by the end of the day so that we have the correct narrative.
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
(Post 16327303)
Say "bicyclist" which by definition is a person who rides a bicycle. Why clutter up the language with new words that don't add anything.
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Thought experiment for those who believe that changing how we refer to bicyclists will change anything.
You have to be a driver to conduct the experiment. At an appropriate time, say something to the effect of the following. I was driving home last night and I hit a bicycle"> No not say anything to imply that person was involved, just a bicycle. I'll bet 3 bbers to one, that you'll get a reaction to the effect of "Golly, was he hurt" or "was anybody hurt". Just the word Bicycle in this conrext conjures an image of a person riding a bicycle, rather than a bicycle that just a bicycle that someone left lying in the road or driveway. |
I simply refuse to use a bicycle...computers, well...
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