livedarklions

Nuh-uh.

Chuck Naill

I wasn't aware that a generation didn't care about other people's rights. Were you referring to Thomas Jefferson?

jon c. 

I'm not sure what generation is even being referenced. It's hard to keep track.

But I don't think road cyclists have changed much in the last 50 years.

base2 

Ok, Boomer.

georges1

It isn't better in Paris where some drivers are absolutely disrespectful and insane.

JW Fas

French gonna French.

Oldairhead 

There is more than enough hate to go around and no generation is innocent.

Cager, Bubba, Fred, etc. You all know you've used them too don't act too innocent!

greatscott

There are reason that I see going on in our society. First off, (EDIT: blah blah blah blah blah) But just hate in general is increasing in giant leaps. People getting so mad they want to start a fight over the stupidest stuff, like just because a person took 5 seconds to long to go through a doorway. It's like the human race is going insane, but the question is why?

The other reason I won't get into, it will just piss a bunch of you off.

jon c. 

It seems that way, but it may be simply that we've developed technology that amplifies the hate. The basic level may be the same but it's a lot louder now,

Paul Barnard

Why? Most of us, to one degree or another are a product of and influenced by what surrounds us and what we are exposed to. We are exposed to a constant stream of negativity and divisiveness.

Watch the news, any news, it is chock full of bad news, controversy and conflict. We also live in a society where everyone is a damn victim of some sort. I love the TV show The Voice. It's a great talent competition. I don't think they have ever had a performer on there who didn't highlight their trauma. I don't watch much pro sports. No pro football. It was impossible not to be exposed to the Bills player who had a heart attach on the field. I thought it was a thing of beauty how that served as a unifying influence in our divided society.

Watch the presidential debates or any other political debate. Everyone is waiting for their party to launch a powerful knockout punch. Here's an idea. Why not instead of a debate, let's watch them come to some sort of mutual agreement or solution on an issue on which they disagree.

We aren't taught and don't value real tolerance and understanding. We aren't taught and don't value conflict resolution. Watch the threads here. Few, very few, members show any real desire to come to an understanding of those who have a different view of a given topic. The longest running threads are those where there is the most conflict or disagreement. Rarely do you see a vigorous back and forth that brings members to a greater understanding of or appreciation for an opposing point of view. Seems everyone is on some form of social media, and social media flourishes on conflict.

Daniel4

Try this old idea: If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.

Yeah, I'm going to get criticized for promoting censorship instead of free speech.

base2 

Self-censorship is often good manners.

SurferRosa

Sooner!

Century Bob

Most drivers are at least courteous in Tucson. But it just takes one to ruin the vibe. So hard to not escalate with the finger, but it cant make things better, only worse.

greatbasin

Now they're not just running cyclists down with motor vehicles, but they're getting out and stabbing them too.

Polaris OBark

Yeah, I think he was the gen previous (modestly referred to as the "Greatest Generation").

I'm one of the earlier X.

Now we have generation wuss.

rydabent

I lay much of this at the door step of todays society. It is absolutely the "ME" generation, and anyone that get in their way should be hated. It is not just cyclist.

holytrousers

Maybe it's not that bad. It seems that most agressive reactions come from inexperienced drivers unable to deal with the existing traffic where everyone wants to go faster and overcome them. What happens when they see a vulnerable cyclist is that their inability to deal with all their anxiety and the unexpected situation turns into panic and all the frustration simply overflows.

Daniel4

inexperienced drivers= lousy driving schools

livedarklions

What generation exactly is the ME generation? I'm pretty sure that term was first applied to your generation (boomers), which was an extremely violent one in its youth.

"Old guy straining to make this a generational issue"" is not a good look, and I'm pretty sure you don't have any empirical proof to make these broad generalizations.

livedarklions

The guy got out of his vehicle to beat the cyclist to death with a tire iron. That's not panic, that's just plain malice.

livedarklions

I'm pretty sure driving schools will tell you not to get out of your car and beat someone to death with a tire iron.

We're trying desperately to turn a murder story into something it's not.

GhostRider62

How is a murder or attempted murder related to politics or generational differences. Bizarre.

There has always been bad people in the world which of course is the source of this conflict.

I can tell you why motorists hate cyclists where I live. Cyclist break the law. They ride 3 and 4 up when the law requires single file. Motorists get pissed and eventually it sours into hatred. If that hatred goes further, then one must be prepared to defend oneself if possible. I suppose I should have a video camera on my bike but the aesthetics offend me.

livedarklions

I think it's the other way around because there's absolutely no evidence that cyclists are any less or more law abiding than drivers. Drivers routinely speed, turn or change lanes without signaling, roll through the first seconds of a red light, take rolling stops at stop signs, pass unsafely on the right, etc. People don't remember incidents of this because it's just considered normal. But because drivers see far fewer cyclists and are inclined to hate their presence on the road because it necessitates more care on their part, they vividly remember any time they see a cyclist violate a law, no matter how trivial the offense.

base2 

I showed him this video in another thread. Evidently there is an inability at self-reflection, too.


The guy from the generation that stole everything for themselves calling others the "ME" generation. That's rich.