[Closed] Matthew Parris' piano wire + cyclists column

Still didn't do anything about it did they?
I'll walk out of a room if he turns up now.

Thereby proving the ability of cyclists to mass-mobilise a brigade of disgruntled letter-writers and semi-professional whiners? 😉

Parris is right about so many things I am willing to let him off for that. It was a stupid column, but I am fairly content to believe he did not intend it as an incitement to mass murder.

Thereby proving the ability of cyclists to mass-mobilise a brigade of disgruntled letter-writers and semi-professional whiners?

Nowt wrong with that. I know it's been a while since the last really vitriolic anti-cyclist rant but there is definitely an undercurrent of irrational resentment out there, and when this bubbles to the surface it's good that we can let them know we're not all semi-literate anarchists who can't afford cars.

Off course he didn't incite murder, but encouraging the idea bikes don't belong in the countryside and linking that idea to a dangerous method that is actually used to discourage bike use in some areas, was, well, stupid.

I know, but that article still contributes to the general populace's contempt for cyclists and reinforces their belief that we're all ignorant, lawbreakers who deserve all we get.

Oh yes, don't whinge and complain, be British, moan to your mates and do nothing about it.

If the ignorant perceive those in positions of power to support their anti-cyclist views then that helps them feel that they are the norm. Just looked on Facebook and there are loads of anti-cyclist groups there.

Recognize yourselves?!:

This groups purpose is to express deep hatred in the direction of Lycra wearing road hogging, slow, arrogant scum other wise known as cyclists. We have all been there, on our way to the pub on a nice day, or trying to get somewhere in a hurry, and there in front of you travelling at 10mph in the middle of the road, is a road rat.
There because his wife left him, and he has no personality so unable to socialise elsewhere than next to cat’s eyes and country lanes. When you finally get past them they give you dirty looks, or in one case I experienced verbal abuse because I wouldn't move over. Well who pays the road tax chum? You’re never going to win the Tour de France mate so get off the road. And the next time any of them call me a ****er for driving down the same road I have driven down for 10 years, I will get out my truck and beat them senseless with their own cycle pump.

Truouble is Mr Agreeable, you know exactly what a huge majority of the people who do this complaining are like.

They aren't [i]semi-literate anarchists who can't afford cars[/i] but sandal-wearing, lentil-munching, mung-bean weaving, liberal-democrat-voting, farmers-market-using, humourless, self-righteous, pannier-utilising, stupid-kids-name-applying, bearded, slightly smelly, faded-fluo-jacket-wearing pompous grumpy-knickers. They are very, very easy to write off as having no sense of proportion or humour. Which is what Parris immediately did. 🙂

Not supporting his article, which was rubbish, just questioning whether the CTC-manufactured outrage was particularly useful.

BD, I think you do the whingers a disservice. It doesn't matter if someone eats mung beans, wears sandals or calls their kid Tarquin, as long as they can construct a literate rebuttal to tiresome canards like "cyclists don't pay road tax".

Parris's article accused cyclists of dropping empty energy drink bottles and a few commenters put down their Guardians for long enough to debunk this completely - I think one guy even put a rather poetic description of spectators at the Tour clamouring for the honour of taking home a discarded bidon.

Anyway, I trust you are also aware that the opposition all eat Fray Bentos Pies, read the Mail or the Sun, and shop via the Littlewoods catalogue?

"[i]They aren't semi-literate anarchists who can't afford cars but sandal-wearing, lentil-munching, mung-bean weaving, liberal-democrat-voting, farmers-market-using, humourless, self-righteous, pannier-utilising, stupid-kids-name-applying, bearded, slightly smelly, faded-fluo-jacket-wearing pompous grumpy-knickers. They are very, very easy to write off as having no sense of proportion or humour. [/i]"

I complained and you really couldn't be further from the truth...

Fair enough, both. 🙂

I complained.

I'm a liberal-democrat-voting, self-righteous, bearded, grumpy-knicker but I'm not sandal-wearing, lentil-munching, mung-bean weaving, farmers-market-using, humourless, pannier-utilising, stupid-kids-name-applying, slightly smelly, faded-fluo-jacket-wearing or pompous.

Well, maybe a bit pompous. And I have an orange Endura jacket that's a bit grubby.

If you're going to write an article advocating violence against cyclists, PJ O'Rourke did it much better years ago:

http://www.bikereader.com/contributors/misc/menace.html