Advocacy & Safety - Automobile driver - letter in today's paper. This woman is nuts!!!!!!

Hi everyone, here is a letter to the editor that was in today Winnipeg free Press:

It is titled: It's clear which path to take.

I would like to commend Coun. Harry Lazarenko for his recent comment regarding " ignorant" cyclists on our streets.As an avid motorist, I am harrased daily by not only cyclists, but pedestrians as well. Granted, most of the time there are no sidewalks or paths other than the road, but we need to discourage the very idea that motor vehicles should courtesly share the streets with anyone smaller or cleaner than them.

THe Active Transportation study, would have us believe that only about seven per cent of commuters walk or or cycle to work, but I can tell you that even a few of these radical and often belligerent hippy-types are a huge inconvienience to motorists. I've actually been forced to slow down more than once, or even( if you can believe it) go around some of these people.

One middle aged woman I see often trudging down the street to work and back everyday actually had the nerve to give me a dirty look when I passed her at a speed just over the speed limit, and gave her a little " slush bath"

I say, scrap the whole notion of more studies, more paths, and more weirdos who don't drive everywhere. we should be spending our tax dollars on our overly stressed- health care system instead.

Deborah Smith.

Wow - think the paper printed it just to show what a crazy she is?

I will be sending a letter to the editor via E-mail about this lunatic. She says in her letter " I have been forced to slow down, and even go around these people". I say BOO ****ing HOO, I am sure that slowing down must have added 3 seconds to your commute. This woman should stop driving and take the bus.

I will be sending a letter to the editor via E-mail about this lunatic. She says in her letter " I have been forced to slow down, and even go around these people". I say BOO ****ing HOO, I am sure that slowing down must have added 3 seconds to your commute. This woman should stop driving and take the bus.


No, she should be forced to walk. Jeeze what an attitude... "Oh, I had to slow down... "

I wonder if she runs over small dogs and children.

Unless I actually see a link to the actual 'letter to the editor', I call bullshyt.

That letter is obviously sarcastic, if not a complete joke.

Calm down people, someone is having a laugh at our expense. I thought it was kind of funny.

Az

Irony: the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning.

That letter is obviously sarcastic, if not a complete joke.

Calm down people, someone is having a laugh at our expense. I thought it was kind of funny.

Az

Yea, I thought the humor was pretty obvious. And it is all the funnier if it really was published. And if it was don't for one second think the editor who included it didn't see it was good parody.

Unless I actually see a link to the actual 'letter to the editor', I call bullshyt.

bikepacker, I don't have a link to this story because you need to be a 7 days subscriber. But if you PM me with your name and address, I will mail you the article

Why does everyone think this letter is made up? It was really printed.

Does Deborah Smith ever use the pseudonym "Screwtape" by any chance"

This is complete sarcasm, if the last paragraph on healthcare didn't link her other sarcastic comments to seditary "car" lifestyle, I'm not sure how else she can make it obvious. I'd say she *is* the woman who get's slushed on!

It could be sarcasm, but knowing some of the people that I do, and their opinions, it could be real, sadly.

The letter was funny satire :roflmao:
but not as funny as the guys that believed it :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

OMG!!! This letter is just more solid proof that bike lanes are the devil!!! :eek:

It sounds like satire....

For example: "we need to discourage the very idea that motor vehicles should courtesly share the streets with anyone smaller or cleaner than them."

And: "I've actually been forced to slow down more than once, or even( if you can believe it) go around some of these people."

LOL.......maybe we need some "cyclist education" programs.....

WTF is an avid motorist? An avid golfer, cyclist, runner, etc. ok. But an avid motorist?

I love her comment on the overly stressed health care system. Doesn't she realize that it is overly stressed because to many americans are overly sized? If Americans rode bike to work/school, etc we would not be overly sized & the health care system would not be overly stressed.

I hope her car breaks down ... make her walk a few miles on the road to see what it's like.

jw

that letter can't be for real... that's gotta be satirical

I'm willing to believe the letter is for real in that someone actually wrote it and submitted it to the papers. I'm also willing to believe the author wrote it with the intent to "prove by absurdity" the attitude some motorists have regarding sharing the road. Hell, I'd be inclined to write something like that myself and send it in to the press. It's only when people are able to look at something so blatantly extreme and whacked that they can compare it to their own reality and get a good measure of where the differences are. What's scary is that sometimes they can find themselves a little closer to that extreme edge than they first realised.

It looks like satire to me. Any response should treat it as such. Even if the letter were serious, it would be more effective to treat it as satire:



To the editor:

Deborah Smith's satire of the dangerous attitude of many drivers hit home with me. . . .
That would be much better than an-all-too-serious response.

She's taking the pi$$. No doubt about it.

Anybody have Coun. Harry Lazarenko's recent comment that is referred to ? Her letter will probably make more sense then, but I'm going with the sarcastic views.

Sarcasm. And over the heads of more than a few readers.

That is why all the "porky" drivers subscribe to AAA so they don't have to walk! A perfect system of keeping people from having to move with two legs!

Keep Cycling!

WTF is an avid motorist? An avid golfer, cyclist, runner, etc. ok. But an avid motorist?


Its euphemism for 'Fat'. :D

sarcasm!!

And I got a laugh out of you people that thought she was serious. You need to take your 'everyone in a car is evil' glasses off every now and then and look at the real world. Not everyone in a car is out to put you in a grave.

I think this was meant as sarcastic humor to show those non-courteous drivers what as*#^&les they are. I don't think she was serious or crazy.

It sounds like satire....

For example: "we need to discourage the very idea that motor vehicles should courtesly share the streets with anyone smaller or cleaner than them."

And: "I've actually been forced to slow down more than once, or even( if you can believe it) go around some of these people."

LOL.......maybe we need some "cyclist education" programs.....


Good selection. But lust in case some still don't get it:

smaller or cleaner

There is NO chance anyone, no matter how stupid and blind, would use this seriously but for comedy it is perfect.

That is why all the "porky" drivers subscribe to AAA so they don't have to walk! A perfect system of keeping people from having to move with two legs!

Keep Cycling!
I'm a porky driver and I subscribe to AAA and I commute to work by bike. I also walk a lot. So f*ck you.

I have a sneaking suspicion the letter was written by an avid cyclist venting at the cagers he/she encounters.

"I say, scrap the whole notion of more studies, more paths, and more weirdos who don't drive everywhere. we should be spending our tax dollars on our overly stressed- health care system instead."

Deborah Smith.

Too much driving is probably one of the causes of an "overly stressed- health care system."

No question this is sarcastic. No one capable of writing the letter could be such a neanderthal.

WTF is an avid motorist? An avid golfer, cyclist, runner, etc. ok. But an avid motorist?



An "avid motorist" drives something like a 1957 AC Bristol or 1963 Elva Courier on winding country roads on sunny weekends; might also do some autocrossing.

The author of this letter clearly had satiric intent. She is likely not an avid motorist. She is, however, funny as anything.

Paul

This letter could be real? Read your local letter to the editor daily. You'll soon find out there are some regulars posting that write some very strange things. They write stuff about the size of their grocery bags at a local store, Scream about the length of toilet paper they use is to short, and why they can’t find a parking spot in the first row at Wal-Mart.

Every town has a few whackos.

Wow. Anyone who didn't see this for what it is needs to have their sarcasm detector recalibrated ASAP.

I thought it was hilarious, and got across the points that
cyclists and pedestrians often have no choice but to use the roads
bikes use less roadway (smaller) and are cleaner than cars
of course motorists should share the road with cylists and peds
very few people (7%) do anything but drive to work anyway, and we 'alternative transport' types aren't that much of an inconvenience to motorists anyway
increased cycling and walking would reduce the burden on our health care system.


Not that there aren't people out there who believe we should all be driving, or at least that cyclists don't belong on the roads -- but these people almost always write like the ignorant tools they are. This was intelligent and witty. Maybe too much?

Oh, wait a minute -- I get it -- you guys who "took it seriously" were just being sarcastic. My bad. :)

One middle aged woman I see often trudging down the street to work and back everyday actually had the nerve to give me a dirty look when I passed her at a speed just over the speed limit, and gave her a little " slush bath"

Deborah Smith.


Deborah Smith is on our side. She reminds me of when we'd play ball, and there was a guy on the other team who was so bad, we'd say "he's the best man on our side."

Everyone should check out "A Modest Proposal" sometime. If this letter upset you, then you'll really be outraged.

Damn that was funny!!!!!!! Slush Bath indeed...... lol

Come on guys (and girls), if you believe the letter was real then, I have A MODEST PROPOSAL. The solution to the problem of bicyclist and pedestrians getting in the way of cars is that we eat the bicyclists and pedestrians.

Signed,

Jonathan "san rensho" Swift

This letter could be real? Read your local letter to the editor daily. You'll soon find out there are some regulars posting that write some very strange things. They write stuff about the size of their grocery bags at a local store, Scream about the length of toilet paper they use is to short, and why they can’t find a parking spot in the first row at Wal-Mart.

Every town has a few whackos.
And a few more wackos who take such letters seriously. And even wackier, pass it on to others as a serious representation of public opinion; not just the rantings of a looney tune or a parody of same.

Out local Letter to the Editor page is a constant source of rants about interpreting the Bible's messages about gays, creation, or abortion, evils of the "traitors" who don't believe in every word from GWB, truck drivers throwing up too much road spray, "Communist Democrats" who want to take our guns, the world is going to blazes in a handbasket, and other assorted doozies from the same half dozen frothing-at-the-pencil types every day.

Kind of reminds me of the A&S ranters.

Winnipeg.

Wow - think the paper printed it just to show what a crazy she is?


Unfortunately, this lady didn't realize that her sarcasm wouldn't be obvious on a written page. As we can see from the very first reply, people seem to take things that are written out absolutely literally. Had this woman been speaking I have no doubt her sarcasm would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

It's obviously satire. C'mon guys.

It reads like a good little satire to me.

And a few more wackos who take such letters seriously. And even wackier, pass it on to others as a serious representation of public opinion; not just the rantings of a looney tune or a parody of same.

Out local Letter to the Editor page is a constant source of rants about interpreting the Bible's messages about gays, creation, or abortion, evils of the "traitors" who don't believe in every word from GWB, truck drivers throwing up too much road spray, "Communist Democrats" who want to take our guns, the world is going to blazes in a handbasket, and other assorted doozies from the same half dozen frothing-at-the-pencil types every day.

Kind of reminds me of the A&S ranters.


I read it as satire. But if it is real?

So what happens when a whacked out cager(AKA avid motorist :rolleyes: ) Takes this letter to heart and believes this letter is true. What is he or she going to do? The next time they have to pass a cyclist?

Sarcasm is wasted on the unintellegent.

I read it as satire. But if it is real?

So what happens when a whacked out cager(AKA avid motorist :rolleyes: ) Takes this letter to heart and believes this letter is true. What is he or she going to do? The next time they have to pass a cyclist?
Anyone who is stupid enough to take this letter to heart and believes this letter is true, doesn't need such a letter to do something stupid. He/she already is stupid enough and needs no promopting.

Are you sure you weren't reading the "Onion?"