Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Interesting. That might be true for some folks, I certainly wish it was true for me, but my experience has been exactly the opposite. I did carry a firearm in a moving vehicle exactly once because there were credible reports of sporadic, but very violent, rioting near where I had to work. I saw some scary-looking people, we stared at each other and gunned our engines, and I felt more likely to escalate, not less. I never repeated the experiment. I can get in quite enough trouble in my car without weapons!
This is a contentious issue, but it has got me thinking: Is this a cultural thing about acoustic bikes, or is it about road rage? I think there's some overlap, but when someone shouts, spits, races, or cuts you off, that fits the profile for road rage, and I think the same principles generally apply, though tactics need to be adapted-- you both have less physical protection, but also less likelihood of weapons being involved.
I had a long battle with road rage, and I think part of what it started it was an earlier battle-- between acoustic cyclists and cab drivers-- in New York City in the 1970s, when 'road' or, as we called them, 'touring' and 'racing' bikes, became popular on the street. Cabbies started it, but riders definitely escalated, yours truly included. I screamed, banged on roofs, and led cabs on short chases ending in one-way streets. At a certain point, it didn't matter who started it or who was "right" -- I was just a habitual asshole. And before long, that's kind of how I was behind the wheel, too.
And that habit was very hard to unlearn. (As Mr. Coffee observed, skill at using firearms or any other form of combat is usually the opposite-- very hard to maintain, except, of course, for law enforcement or military who have so many years of training that it does stick. For the rest of us, these skills are not 'like riding a bike.')
When I was in clinical training, I quickly realized that I couldn't be a street-racing, profanity-screaming psychotherapist. I'm very grateful for the patience-- and good sense of humor-- of my long-suffering supervisor, therapist, and colleagues, because I'm a different guy on the road today, though I'll always have to be careful.
One thing that helps when I have a rare obnoxious encounter on my bike or in my car: I remind myself that I don't know what's going on with the other person. Maybe their daughter has cancer, maybe they just got fired. But even if not, I think about how miserable it is to walk around with that much anger. Hate to sound like a headshrinker, but if some roadie spits at us, is it really about our e-bikes? How does that guy get along with his wife, his kids? Can he enjoy a little league game or a few beers with his buddies without fearing he'll wind up in the back of a police car? It's a shitty way to live, and I know that because I've lived it-- and I've had people who lived that way in my office.
When I focus on that, I'm less likely to get angry. And when I'm not angry, I make better decisions-- even if in the very rare situation where I might have to defend myself.
A U.S. Class 1 e-bike is good enough and the Class 3 will outrun most of dogs.
