To Arms, To Arms

You know there is one thing that the Donald has done well. For all his non-sensical rhetoric, his dearth of legitimate ideas, lack of substance, and hateful, belittling speech, he has still managed to rally supporters. He has done so by tapping into a sense of aggrievement (the fact that he is from the part of society that is the source of much of that sense, seems to be missed by his supporters). But that is another story. The important point to take note of here is the effect that a large group of mobilized people can have.

In this age of social media, many of you already know of an incident in which a local rider was harassed by a driver whose place of employment was clearly noted on the vehicle. Driving at the same pace as the rider, within inches of his handlebars, cursing from the safety of a grossly out-weighed vehicle is a clear attempt at intimidation, harassment and bullying. How an, otherwise, clear-thinking [?] adult could believe this to be anything other than unacceptable is beyond me, but then so is the fervor of Trump's support corps. Go figure.

Who knows how many times each day similar incidents happen around this big metropolis. What makes this one different is that company name splashed on the side of the vehicle. Cyclists are a tight-knit bunch, and within a short period of time of a Yelp review being written and shared, word began to spread. Turns out another local rider is a manager at said company. When the owner of a local bike shop got the word he gave a call to said company and had some words of his own to share. I can well imagine what they were.

The point of all this is not to encourage you to search out the who's and what's of involvement in this case; I am sure that word will get to the perpetrator that his actions were both unacceptable and dangerous. In fact they may have very well already done so. The point has to do with mobilization. Large numbers of people acting in unison, for a common good, can make a difference. Just imagine if everyone who heard the story of the incident, or read about it here (or elsewhere), took a minute to write an email, post on a Facebook page, or even place a call to the business in question. Hit 'em where it hurts, as they say - no, not in the gut, not in the nose, in the wallet of course.

Like Paul Revere calling for action, it starts with one, finishes with many. Mobilization; whether it is an attempt to correct the dangerous attitude of a single individual, or to argue for infrastructure improvements for the benefit and safety of all, our voices can have a positive effect. All we have to do is use them.