While I agree that CM, at least what gets sent over the media is nothing more than bike thuggery from people who never matured past listening to their "Suicidal Tendancies" albums then proceeded to spray paint Anarchy symbols all over their school, I do not think they are the greatest cause of Automobile angst.
I do not believe the 20 seconds blurbs, 1 column articles, the spammed youtube videos are enough for an average human to hold a grudge 15 minutes later.
In CM, (speaking of S.F., since thats the area I am in) you are talking about a localized event, in a deep urban area, in a limited time frame. An area where there are more people than cars. So why do we (cyclist) feel the hate way out in the suburbs, or rural burbs. A place where cars outnumber people.
Do the people who cut me off, yell things at me etc. every day have a CM video on their iPhone, and just happened to watch it moments before they let their superior 4 wheel presence known to me?
I don't think so. Driver are pissed at cyclist. Not CM'ers, but everyday cyclist. I get pissed at cyclist. I am a cyclist, (Fixie, Roadie, XC MTB, Downhiller, family recreation, shopping/errands) I have 5 different types of bike and they are all ridden regularly.
This is what pisses drivers off:
Roadies.. blowing stop signs, riding 2 and3 across when there is a shoulder (and bike lane) not even slowing for right turns on red. Choosing to follow traffic regulations when it fancies them. I do the roadie thing less and less. I do not blow stop signs. That means I am dropped 2 blocks from the coffee shop where we start. In essence, the mentality of "I can be traffic when I want, or excercise pedestrians rights when I want." It is that behavior the average driver see's everyday. Most people never see a CM event.
Mountainbikers: Speeding, tearing up trails, riding illegal trails, trespassing, Blowing by walkers/hikers too close, too fast. Those hikers and walkers you just pissed off probably drove to the trail. Now they are drivers.
The non-cyclist-cyclist: On the clunky bikes (or nice bikes) low on skills, unpredictable, on the sidewalk, off the sidewalk, riding on the wrong side of the street (sidewalk) cutting diagonal through parking lots. riding past all the cars waiting in line at a redlight, just to then ride across the lanes in the cross-walk.
These are things people see everyday. CM is just the occasional cherry on top.