Like most members here, I have had the ususal stuff yelled at me from cars. The Usual stuff includes such orginal things as "Get off the F__in road!", or "Get on the Sidewalk!!". Last evening, I had one that was different.
The Situation: I'm riding west on Beacon street, approaching Newton Center, a busy area with lots of Vehicle and pedestrian traffic. From behind, I hear the sound of a small-engine car, and loud young male voices. I'm thinking "ahh, here we go". The light at the intersection of Beacon and Center street is red, so I stop and wait. The car pulls up, behind a Mercedes. It's a VW Jetta, in rather sad shape, and with cloudy exhaust that suggested it was burning lots of oil. Its occupants are three males, all looking to be in their early 20's. College age, we'll say. All have body builds that resemble the Pillsbury doughboy. The one in the passenger seat has the hat on backwards. He gave me this look of disgust. Not the classic death look, just a look of disgust. He was about to say something, but for some reason, didn't. Maybe it's the idea of a guy in his late 40's, with grey hair, being in such obviously better shape than himself.
Anyway, the light turns green, and the Mercedes proceeds. For a few seconds, I'm right alongside the Jetta. About half-way through the intersection, mister hat-on-backwards yells "This ain't F__in' Europe a**hole!" Then they vanished, leaving a cloud of blackish smoke.
Folks, I must admit that this was not what I expected. I fully expected one of the standard comments, or something about my masculinity, but this? "This ain't F__in' Europe?!?" That's something new.
Comments? Think any of these nimrods could find Europe on a standard globe?
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-adv-
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you should have had a half a block or better on a crappy old jetta with loose rings and sloppy valves....
derath
Tour season...
John E
"Then why do you ride in a European car?"
bragi
Does anyone have any theories about why some people are offended by the mere sight of a person on a bike? Once in a while a car driver gets mad because I'm slowing them down, and, though it's irritating, I can sort of understand it; it almost has a basis in rational thought processes. But the ones who get pissed just because I'm there on a bike AT ALL completely mystify me. (For a while, I adhered to the "red-state a**hole" theory, but I've seen red-state a**holes on bikes, too, and some are on this forum, so that can't be it...)
jwc
Well, with fuel prices predicted to reach 4.00/gallon within a short while (the Israel/Lebanon war), they'll be giving up the VW soon and they will be riding a bike.
Az B
Does anyone have any theories about why some people are offended by the mere sight of a person on a bike?
It's the bully syndrome. On a bike you're a huge target and you're pretty vulnerable. That's pretty much it. Get them out of thier car and thy're generally all pussies.
In this scenario, it would have been a great time to shout something at them in German.
Hochstegeschwindikeit!
Az
bragi
In this scenario, it would have been a great time to shout something at them in German.
Hochstegeschwindikeit!
Az
How about, "Leck mich am Arsch, Du fetter, Donut-fressender Leichenficker" ? Crude, but to the point...
rebaths
"Then why do you ride in a European car?"
Booya!
Hey, at least the guy has some sort of idea that Europe is more bike friendly, etc.
Eli_Damon
My favorite retort to such statements is, "Wow, you're sharp as a bowling ball!"
Flamingmb
I love how he waited till he could get away before yelling at you, he was to much of a coward to say it when you were stading next to him and it was a fair fight. I hate people like that.
ch9862
All have body builds that resemble the Pillsbury doughboy.That's a hint - Americans are statistically more overweight than Europeans... Others may know more though.
gizmocat
"Fick Dich ins Knie" is the worst thing you can say to anyone in German. Not that Butterball and his friends would have gotten it.
Johnny_Monkey
Why not 'Va fanculo stronso'?
bike2math
This is something I've wondered about to. When it happens to me it's often on my grocery trip when I have grocery bags tied to the bike and stuffed in the panniers. The idea i've been kicking around is that people feel (rightly) that I am turning my back on their lifestyle, this is taken as an insult, and they react.
The bully idea seems reasonable as well.
I get the most things yelled at me by multiple college age males in foreign cars. Frat houses breed aggressivness, ignorance, and *******s.
(edit: I'm not allowed to say *******s, that's *******t)
krazygluon
Comments? Think any of these nimrods could find Europe on a standard globe?
I'd bet they could find europe on the globe...the bigger question is could they find their home state. My freshman year of high school we took a local geography test in civics... (and this was a supposedly advanced class) 3 out of 30 people mislabeled kentucky (the state we lived in) and 5 of 30 couldn't label the city we were in on a map of the state correctly.
nova
I'd bet they could find europe on the globe...the bigger question is could they find their home state. My freshman year of high school we took a local geography test in civics... (and this was a supposedly advanced class) 3 out of 30 people mislabeled kentucky (the state we lived in) and 5 of 30 couldn't label the city we were in on a map of the state correctly.
Lol i knew a guy who i sware to god could point out any non us city on the planet on a map in about 30 secounds. Yet would take 5 or 10 minutes to find any in the us. He lived here all his life. We all teased him about it and said things well i know who im taking with me to europe as a guide. He laughed as did we. Some people i dont know they just have a hard time with odd things. Cant call them stupid or morons etc as they are not. My only guess is that the teachers tend to concentrate more on non us geography than on us because they have some assumption that we/they already know us geography.
LittleBigMan
About half-way through the intersection, mister hat-on-backwards yells "This ain't F__in' Europe a**hole!" Then they vanished, leaving a cloud of blackish smoke.
Why do people waste their breath saying useless things to total strangers? Do they really think we'll stop and think seriously about what they said?
Feldman
I wonder if wearing a US flag jersey or, better yet, the Lynrd Skynyrd jersey currently available which is a glorified Confederate flag, would get a different reaction from 'necks.
Tom Stormcrowe
I wonder if wearing a US flag jersey or, better yet, the Lynrd Skynyrd jersey currently available which is a glorified Confederate flag, would get a different reaction from 'necks.
I dunno, some of the places I've ridden, a Confederate Flag would have gotten me shot!http://www.onlinewebservice4.de/forumowspix/wall.gif
sgtsmile
I find this whole thing weird. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times people have screamed at me while I was riding. I have never had anything thrown. I have been cut off / near missed a lot, but I am willing to admit that except in rare cases, this is the result of error rather than maliciousness.
I have a question for those living in the USA: is there a lot of fear in the media there? is there a lot of "us vs them" hype atm? is there a lot of hostility/anger/violence in pop culture there? (I ask this based on what I see spilled over in Canada, and some of what I know from reading here and talking with American friends).
If the answer to those questions is yes, and cyclists are perceived as different or counter culture, I think we might have an answer.
caloso
Funny. About a year ago (also TdF season), I was on a group ride and on the roll back through town to the bike shop and I remember some yahoo at a bus stop yelling "This is not France! This is not France!"
No duh.
desmo13
I find this whole thing weird. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times people have screamed at me while I was riding. I have never had anything thrown. I have been cut off / near missed a lot, but I am willing to admit that except in rare cases, this is the result of error rather than maliciousness.
I have a question for those living in the USA: is there a lot of fear in the media there? is there a lot of "us vs them" hype atm? is there a lot of hostility/anger/violence in pop culture there? (I ask this based on what I see spilled over in Canada, and some of what I know from reading here and talking with American friends).
If the answer to those questions is yes, and cyclists are perceived as different or counter culture, I think we might have an answer.
Yep, everything is labeled us vs. them. hey, even OLN is changing their name to "VS." Media, pop culture, advertising. You are made to feel that unless you have an agenda, a fight against some group trying to marginalize your existance, you are missing out.
It's becoming so reactionary, people pulling their kids out of school, to hold signs and march down to city hall.. to protest a change in the type of grass on a park field.
Then there are the types of people, who are reactionary against any type of reactionary-ism :)
trackhub
You folks are cracking me up with those great responses. :D I only wish I had thought of a good one at the right moment.
I think the bully syndrome and bike2math's statement about frathouses are pretty much correct. My own college days are well behind me, but I can tell you that nothing has changed as far as the frathouse crowd goes. It does seem that the more colleges try to crack down on this sort of behavior, the more defiant they seem to get.
Flamingmb, something that sticks in my mind about this one, was that he looked at me, and made eye contact. He was about to say something, but checked himself at the last second. Beats me as to what the deal is with these characters.
Lamplight
Something I can't figure out: What exactly do people like this think they are accomplishing? Is he so ignorant that he believes he may have caused you to rethink your choice of transportation? :lol: And yet here you are sharing your story online with a bunch of folks who think this guy is a moron. :lol: To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me too much if his friends thought his actions were dumb as well. Maybe that's just wistful thinking.
JohnBrooking
This reminds me of something that happened to me last winter. I was riding down the street in a mild snowstorm, minding my own business, not even at an intersection but on a straightaway, when this cager coming the other way rolls down his window and starts yelling at me as we pass each other. I couldn't make out a word he said, but he was definately angry. Why? I have no idea. I was on my side, he on his, I wasn't misbehaving or holding him up in any way.
The only thing I can figure is either he mistook me for someone else, or he had some idea that I was being a danger to myself and others (because of being out on a bike in the snow) and felt a need to tell me about it. :rolleyes:
nelson249
I bet these idiots never saw the irony in driving a Mexican-built German car while saying that. They didn't even have the decency to drive a beat up old Chevy....I mean.... really.... Their annoying redneck act needs work ;)
nelson249
This reminds me of something that happened to me last winter. I was riding down the street in a mild snowstorm, minding my own business, not even at an intersection but on a straightaway, when this cager coming the other way rolls down his window and starts yelling at me as we pass each other. I couldn't make out a word he said, but he was definately angry. Why? I have no idea. I was on my side, he on his, I wasn't misbehaving or holding him up in any way.
The only thing I can figure is either he mistook me for someone else, or he had some idea that I was being a danger to myself and others (because of being out on a bike in the snow) and felt a need to tell me about it. :rolleyes:
What were you thinking? Everyone one know that bikes are summer only toys! :rolleyes:
webist
I'd bet they could find europe on the globe...the bigger question is could they find their home state. My freshman year of high school we took a local geography test in civics... (and this was a supposedly advanced class) 3 out of 30 people mislabeled kentucky (the state we lived in) and 5 of 30 couldn't label the city we were in on a map of the state correctly.