OK. Well nevermind then.

BIS, it was not "poor" driving, it was aggressive, dangerous driving and she was behind me threatening me while driving a 6,000lb vehicle. What I did wasn't productive, but she certainly isn't the victim in this.

we all writing from comfort and safety behind our screens

had we experienced all stimulus and blatant disregard for human life in such instance and to be fingered at and screamed at viciously in such manner we may still be behave like he did

for many in such circumstances, some may have done more, some may have dones less
soem may have done comparable

but we all cannot say because we are not in exact circumstance and life events leading to the point

it is terrible to have someone attack with SUV and show no remorse

but not to condemn or condone spitting

we have all been to low point in our lives and each one of us has feel bad or worse than this or done much more worse than this at one point in our lives, regardless of past present or future

we have our low points and it is easy to speak the wrong ness of it especially sight unseen behin d anonymus internet

take heeed to this

HAHA! I totally understand that rage you get. I was a bad boy last week. A fellow decided to cross the street on red, I almost hit him, and the only thing I could say was, "you f'ing n****r." He yelled something back but I had earphones on. I felt bad but laugh at it now.

Oh yeah, I spit on cars all the time. But never have I spat on a driver. Brutal, yet funny.

Thanks Mars. I don't feel good about it, and it's made me think a lot about how to deal with something like this in the future.:)

wow, you and Treespeed should be watching your backs on your commutes for a while. Good luck.

You sir, are the kind of ingnorant fool that may one day cost me the right to own a firearm. For that, I resent you wholeheartedly. You realize that any jury worth its membership will give you murder, correct? Let us be reasonable, you are going to murder someone for spitting on you!?
As soon as I see you reach for the glovebox I am going to start leaving. The physics of LHD cars helps a lot also. Most people are right handed which means you must use your non-dominate hand or lean out of the car. Either situation leaves you with a terrible shot. And in the city, if I want to get lost on a bike, I can more than likely outrun your car.

It's a big city! :D

Wow, lot of hate going on. Glad I never started commuting in the US. Threats of guns, racial slurs, spitting. I guess I'll stay over here in Japan and not perpetuate the stereotype of the "ugly American."
Never had anybody give me the finger and cut me off, then again I never responded with spitting. Kind of a chicken and the egg problem, but maybe if everybody relaxed this kind of thing wouldn't happen.

You behaved badly, you know it, you said it. Chalk it up to losing your temper and move on. Try not to do it again.

That is illogical thinking given the microcosim of life that is BF as well as the "internet tough guy" circumstances.

Tree: It may have been a dumb thing to do but yo have learned a lesson. Perhaps this incident will stop you from having escalated a futur altercation which would have ended far more negatively. Knowledge is priceless and you gained a lesson for a small cost.

i say yeah good job yo should off took her keys and then left

nice sexist double standards

So what would you do if someone assaulted you with a deadly weapon?....Roll over and let them scratch your belly?

Yup...

strawman

Sure beats being taxed to death or dying while waiting for mediocre medical care....But I digress.


Spitting is assault. Ever heard of Hepatitis? I can certainly understand the frustration and anger of almost being run into, but you cannot assault someone.

Next time, throw your bike at her car like critical mass ! LOL

Booger head.

Yeah, that's how I always respond when someone points out a logical fallacy in one of my arguments. Good work.

Now, now children, let's play nice . . .

:p

Yes, not a rational response.

However, an understandable response.

I commend and thank Treespeed for sharing this experience, owning it, and exposing himself to criticism.
I have learned much from this whole discussion.

The typical American automobile and driver, taken together, strike me as "irrational."

1.2 Million people a year die in automobile accidents; mostly because of arrogance, convenience, laziness, ignorance, selfishness, inconsideration, egoism, and compensation for personal insecurity.

I think we perfectly imperfect bicyclists represent the standard of mental health, and not automobile drivers, even if we bicyclists do at times behave "irrationally."

It would surprise me if, given a few minutes and the intent, I couldn't get even someone as rational as BikinginSeattle to behave "irrationally" in the face of my self-important rudeness.

Yes, we all feel very rational and composed when seated at our computers, imagining someone else's situation and how we, with the luxury of hindsight-imagination, would have behaved so much better and more wisely.

Every time I ride my bike I do something "irrational," and from which I learn and grow as a person.

Personally, I find female relational aggressors (also known as bullies), who bank on my good behavior to protect them from the consequences of their own bad behavior, particularly enfuriating.

Many years ago, a friend got off a plane in a West Coast American city, having just returned from Vietnam.
As he left the debarkation area, a young woman spit on him and called him "baby killer."
To which he responded, "I don't know about any babies, Ma'am, but yesterday afternoon I killed a woman about your age."

Yeah, let's threaten people with death for spitting on us.:rolleyes:

I guess we think alike then.

oh yeah, he's going to sit there with you and you gun waiting for the cops.

And if he walks away, then you'll shoot him? I thought guns were only for self-defense.... [ I had more to write, but I didn't want to digress this into an anti-gun thread]

If you carry it a step further...he just might pull his gun out at cyclists if they "take the lane".

And if you actually hit them with the spit, its battery.

comedy gold.. You have a subscription to this magazine dont you?
http://images.somethingawful.com/ins...dorquemada.jpg

Wanted to say thanks for a very interesting and honest thread. Many of us run into situations like this when cycling. It has helped me to read and respond, and to reflect on how to handle these situations in the future. It is a challenge to find right ways of dealing with these things. I'm working on it myself.

One thing that has come to mind is the way people in the Civil Rights Movement during the '50s and '60s behaved in the face of hatred, abusiveness, violence, etc. Gandhi, Tolstoy, King, Thoreau all addressed this issue, and came up with ways of maintaining decency and dignity. (That seems to be one aspect of it... when I have behaved badly, part of the regret is that -- aside from mistreating another human being -- I lost my own dignity, or allowed myself to follow some line or some behavior pattern that is not one of decency.) I have great respect for the way many of those people in the Civil Rights Movement behaved. (And it isn't always easy.)(Maybe that's part of why it engenders respect....)

***
Next time, reach inside and take her keys!

Or you could climb aboard and make a citizen's arrest.

Here's one approach to it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7LQ9L5f7iOE

You should have farted in her general direction. You can never go wrong with Monty Python insults.