Advocacy & Safety - Men's Journal: run by morons?

The San Francisco Chronicle ran this piece today:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/06/13/BA46760.DTL

Given I have not read the Men's Journal article yet. But it sure appears that (1) the author of the article never drove those roads to begin with and (2) no one at Men's Journal did their 'due diligence' as their spokesperson relates '(imagined)' editors there did.

What is going on here? Is every periodical writer actually Jayson Blair in disguise?

What boneheads. "We appreciate their pointing this out to us," their spokesperson said? Uh.... gee.... how is it that readers can point out to THEM for the first time that those roads are both popular with cyclists and go through residential areas? Advising readers on the best roads for driving and you don't know these things? How irresponsible and what poor journalism.

Of course, calling magazines like Men's Journal 'journalism' is using the term awful loosely.

this kind of stuff is so ridiculous, encouraging people to break the law at anytime is irresponsible. and if this idiot wants the perfect place to drive his car fast, why not encourage people to join one of the many car clubs in this country and participate in some club races, where your in a controlled enviorment, and not a danger to others.
this reminds me of a show on the travel channel a few days ago. the 10 most dangerous roads in the country. people wanted to spend 300 million dollars to widen one road to make it safer, but the local state trooper had a less expensive plant to make it safer.
follow the speed limit and don't cross the double yellow line. he figured that made too much sense though.

Originally posted by shaharidan
this reminds me of a show on the travel channel a few days ago. the 10 most dangerous roads in the country. people wanted to spend 300 million dollars to widen one road to make it safer, but the local state trooper had a less expensive plant to make it safer.
follow the speed limit and don't cross the double yellow line. he figured that made too much sense though.

**chuckle**

A police officer actually was allowed to say that? My, that's just so different because it's just so sensical.

I don't want to offend anyone. But let's be honest here: what kind of person actually pays to read those sorts of articles in the first place? Obviously, the editors of that rag think it's the kind of people who would disregard the law in such a dangerous and arrogant way to begin with, the kind of person who might see that article noted on its cover and say, 'Gosh, I gotta have that!' I think that speaks for itself vis-a-vis what at least part of their audience is like.

It reminds me of a play on a Dennis Miller joke: people who read those magazines for the depth of their articles probably use a highlighter and then break out into discussion groups afterwards.

In any case, it was just very reckless of them to write what they did (they can blame it on the article's author, but it's still their magazine and the article's in it). They can talk about 'due diligence' not being done all they want and how that will change in the future. But let's be candid here: how often do you think the notion of 'due diligence' comes up in that editorial office in the first place? It wouldn't surprise me if people in that office had to look up the phrase in a dictionary or google it.

I have friends with Corvettes and other sports cars. In contrast, my official male midlife crisis vehicle is my Bianchi. We need to promote bicycling as a positive way to enjoy speed responsibly.

Here in San Diego County, we have been losing dozens of teenagers and young adults to "Fast and Furious" street racing crashes.

I actually subscribed to Men's Journal for a year. (I got it thru one of those Publisher's Clearinghouse solicitations. When Ed McMahon didn't show up at my door with a check for $16 million, I cracked open a six pack of Budweiser and toasted Ed and the Clydesdales all the same. :beer: )

After a couple months, I realized what it was -- it was a men's magazine that was modeled after women's magazines.

What do I mean? Well --

-- if you'll peruse popular women's magazines, like Self or Cosmo, you'll find them filled with makeup-makeover, ab-buster, thigh-trimmer, hair-permer, face-lifter, and relationship pepper-upper articles that, to me, communicate the loud, clear message:


**** Hey, lady! You're an ugly, flabby, wrinkly old crone who nobody likes! ****

I mean, if a magazine is really about the cosmopolitan woman who's working on herself, shouldn't the first message be, "You're okay being who you are!"? Problem is, that doesn't sell makeup, clothes, health spas, and all that other stuff that the mag exists to hawk.

So instead, these kinds of magazines tell women what they aren't, and show them what they could be -- if they just spend a ho'lotta money!

Well, isn't it about time men got the same "benefit"? And so, we have Men's Journal, a magazine that shows you everything that you should be -- but aren't! So each month, you'll find out that your car is old, your job is boring, your gut sticks out too far, and your ... eh, ya know ... doesn't stick out far enough to get the girls who're shown in the mag with washboard-ab, Porsche driving, wavy-blonde haired tanned guys with $300 sunglasses.

MJ won't have much in the way of bicycling articles, unless it's about how to put your $3800 titanium mountain bike into the Thule rack on top of your Cadilliac Valdez SUV and drive it to Bryce Canyon for a weekend. The idea of maybe buying some groceries and hauling them home on a bike won't make it in there, because it just doesn't cost enough.

So not only does it not suprise me that Men's Journal is advising poseurs to engage in natural-selection advancing activities, it's also unnecessary to criticize it. That's because the guys who read that sort of thing either can't afford what the magazine promotes, or they can and they're gonna do it anyway.

And it's all best ignored, I say.

Originally posted by MassBiker
[snip!] .... And it's all best ignored, I say.

Well said Tom! I agree with the above 100%.

You nailed it MassBiker. I said the same thing to my wife and she wouldn't believe me until I held up a copy of MJ next to a copy of VogueCosmoMarieClaireWhatever and said, "Compare the cover articles: there's one on sex, one on dieting, one on whatever new "look" (for the women) and one on whatever new toy (for the men)."

I didn't even need to open the link to know what this is, we've got those types of magazines out here, too. They really are a load of crap, best ignored completely. Mass Biker (whose posts I'm really beginning to enjoy) nailed it completely.

I've found it!!! Target-shooting NIRVANA! :eek: The building that happens to house Men's Journal magazine has the most *fascinating* patterns in the brickwork between the windows! They look sort of like a shooting target!

Everyone get your firearms, and let's go practice our markmanship against the side of the building! :D Try not to hit the windows, though, that wouldn't be cool. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt ;)












[/sarcasm]

I wonder whether MJ would publish an article or two promoting bicycling or mature, responsible road use.

Originally posted by John E
I wonder whether MJ would publish an article or two promoting bicycling or mature, responsible road use.

Probably not unless it somehow also appealed to those with petty insecurities or want to impress 'hot chicks'.

Originally posted by mechBgon
I've found it!!! Target-shooting NIRVANA! :eek: The building that happens to house Men's Journal magazine has the most *fascinating* patterns in the brickwork between the windows! They look sort of like a shooting target!

Everyone get your firearms, and let's go practice our markmanship against the side of the building! :D Try not to hit the windows, though, that wouldn't be cool. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt ;) I have found that junk mail makes an excellent plinking target, and is much cheaper than the stuff deisinged as targets. I use the intersection of the borders between pictures as a target. It is all part of my environmental conciousness, and is an excellent way to recycle the paper.

Originally posted by John E
Here in San Diego County, we have been losing dozens of teenagers and young adults to "Fast and Furious" street racing crashes.

Not to be cynical, but as long as they kill only themselves, more power to them.

roughstuff

I kinda know what you are saying, roughstuff. A senior from our high school was going 80 mph in a 35 mph zone in his hooked up civic, and ran into the back of a van. He's been in a coma for a couple of months now, and did not get to walk across the stage at graduation. He had a full soccer scholarship to a decent school too.

It kinda sucks, though. He did get was coming to him, driving way too fast, but his family probably isn't too overjoyed, and the guy he ran into is probably overrun with guilt.

Originally posted by Phatman
It kinda sucks, though. He did get was coming to him, driving way too fast, but his family probably isn't too overjoyed, and the guy he ran into is probably overrun with guilt.

That's really sad. But there is something for every young person to learn through his pain: there are always consequences to your behavior and sometimes they are very dire and very painful and very sad.

If you drive recklessly and you wreck, you have absolutely no one to blame but yourself (even if you are just a teen). The only thing that can be hoped for is that you didn't hurt anyone else.

Originally posted by Roughstuff
Not to be cynical, but as long as they kill only themselves, more power to them.

roughstuff

Frankly, Roughie, I would feel that way, as well, but these clowns occasionally take out an innocent bystander or fellow road user.

But where is this nefarious article itself?

I also want to write the e-mail to the author and MJ.

Originally posted by Max
But where is this nefarious article itself?

I also want to write the e-mail to the author and MJ.
Max, I was going to give you the link but it looks like MJ has removed it from their website. I know that it was on their site last week. I guess the only way to read it is to find a copy of the issue of MJ that had the article.

the article enraged a large portion on our team up north since we ride on the road frequently and it is already narrow enough with just a shoulder. however, most the drivers on the road are totally cool with bikers and have no problem at all. i believe mj issued an apology later. i can dig through my emails from our team mailing list since it generated some discussion.

Originally posted by Phatman


It kinda sucks, though. He did get was coming to him, driving way too fast, but his family probably isn't too overjoyed, and the guy he ran into is probably overrun with guilt.

Why should he be overrun with guilt? If he is overrun with medical bills, lets take his soccer scholarship (and the fifty million 'memorial services in memory of') and give it to the family of the guy driving the van.

I have the same attitude with drunk drivers, mass murderers and these guys who spray bullets into schools, malls, and crowded theatres. Just kill yourself first! Thats all I ask.

Roughstuff

Well... I have a mixed opinion on this subject. Even though I agree that it was a bad idea for Men's Jounral to publish that article. Somewhere along the line this turned into biased opinions. I understand the point, but this requires more research to be a valid argument.