The Discrimination Against Cyclists
Cyclists go places; car drivers go places. The only difference between cyclists and car drivers is that cyclists ride bikes and car drivers drive cars. Does this one difference mean that cyclists should endure the physical and verbal harassment of motorists and ordinary people? When you go out for any kind of a bike ride, do you want to live in mortal fear of cars?
The fact that cyclists are discriminated against cannot be avoided. Many car drivers obviously think that cyclists don’t belong out on the road and should be riding on the sidewalk. This discrimination leads to a lack of respect by car drivers when confronting cyclists on the road. When I ride on Huron River Drive with my dad, we are never surprised to see a car come speeding up from behind us, narrowly missing us by only feet. This kind of disrespect leads to an alarming rate of biking crashes involving cars, which translates to roughly two killed cyclists per day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Center for Statistics and Analysis (Darlington 63)
Is this discrimination lawful? No! Cyclists have the same road rights as motorists. The State of Michigan Legislature states that
Each person riding a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, or moped or operating a low-speed vehicle upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to the provisions of this chapter which by their nature do not have application
In other words, cyclists are bound to the same rules that car drivers are bound to. Cyclists have a right to ride on the road, but since drivers don’t know the law, they continue their verbal and physical abuse of cyclists.
Maybe cyclists are actually in a position to discriminate against drivers. After all, what has a car ever done to help the environment? Sure, Honda can sell a new Hybrid that will apparently “help” the environment, but it merely limits the damage that its fumes produce. All cars are powered by engines which produce fumes that damage the environment. All bicycles are powered by a person’s legs, and do they produce fumes? No. Therefore biking is better for the environment than cars and provides quality exercise for people of all ages, without the loud and sometimes dangerous attributes of cars. Biking provides a positive way to travel, exercise or compete, which is by far better than sitting in the middle of a traffic jam with people angrily honking their horns at you.
Why would a person look upon a cyclist with disrespect and contempt? One reason might be the image of racing in general. The pro racers who compete in Europe undergo severe pressure to take performance enhancing drugs, EPO in particular, a drug producing red blood cells. To a professional cyclist, resisting performance enhancing drugs could mean the end of his or her career. Frankie Andreu, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong stated,
You had riders who shouldn’t have been in the front group leading up the climbs and riders who should have been there who weren’t. It was probably a division between EPO users and non-EPO users. It seemed like more and more were starting to join the [doping] program so that they could actually compete in races, instead of just hanging on (Walsh 60)
It is a common belief among all hardcore cyclists that Lance Armstrong has doped, although Armstrong never tested positive for taking performance enhancing drugs. Countless pieces of evidence have proven his guilt and if American public finds out, it will be a dark day. It seems that Lance Armstrong is cycling’s ambassador, famous for his amazing comeback against cancer and his seven victories in the Tour de France. If the media reveals that the only racer that the average person knows about was a miracle of drugs, all cyclists will be looked down upon. If only the media exposed all the good things in professional cycling! At least in cycling many of the dopers are caught! Other sports like baseball don’t seek to punish steroid abusers.
Many outward things that people notice about cyclists communicate that cyclists are freaks, cheaters and eccentrics. For, in what other popular sport do competitors wear spandex, and even shave their legs? Since people only see cyclists’ outward appearance, they may figure that cyclists’ inward appearance is as extreme as their outward appearance.
Finally drivers may dislike cyclists on the road simply because of they’re in the way. Long time racer and author Jamie Smith, sums it up:
We train on the roads. Not on the sidewalk, not in a field behind the school, not in a gym, not in a lake, not in a bowling alley, but right there on the road where people can see us, and worse: people have to go around us, and even worse: sometimes they have to slow down for us. There's the conflict. That's what separates silent wonder from verbal scorn
Perhaps we cyclists have contributed to our own poor image. There may be rude drivers, but there are certainly rude cyclists as well. Last summer, I was riding with some of my dad’s teammates, when a car came by us and didn’t give us much room. One of my dad’s teammates “dropped” one of his water bottles, which “accidentally” hit one of the car’s tires. I thought to myself If we don’t want drivers to think we’re rude, then why do that? The person who was driving that car may generalize all cyclists now, simply because of one man’s actions. These rude cyclists poorly represent the sport of cycling to the world. If we want to show people that cycling is a positive sport we must show them courteous cycling.
Many people have seen the good in cyclists, for there are cities in the USA that protect and support them. Cities like Portland, Oregon and New York City have made more room for bikes on the shoulder and protected cyclists from “right hooks” at intersections by setting up “bike boxes” that let cyclists wait in front of cars while waiting for a green light (Yardly The New York Times; Neuman The New York Times). It is wonderful to know that cyclists can safely ride on the roads in Portland and New York City, but I don’t want to move to one of those places just to ride safely. In fact, I’d prefer to ride safely in my own state.
10 comments:
Go James!
Would you like me to show this to one of the English instructors at work?
When is it due?
Sounds good, I head the computer read it to me, I did not hear anything sound out of place.
Are you using MLA, APA, or another format for citations?
I don't know about you, but when I finished that last draft, I was in a state of complete bliss. This is mine. You don't have to read it all if you don't want to, I didn't finish yours anyway!
End Slavery!
Most Americans simply do not realize that their planet harbors 27 million slaves. In fact, more people are enslaved today than at any other time in human history (Jacobs 1). A friend watched Amazing Grace, a movie about the abolition of the slave trade over two hundred years ago. Talking to me about the film, she expressed surprise to discover the existence of modern day slavery – she thought that slavery was over for good and couldn't believe that slavery still exists. She asked with a surprised glance, “What modern day slavery? Slavery isn't an issue anymore, is it?”
Other Americans hear about slavery too and feel upset by it. But the next minute, they have forgotten all about it and go on with their daily lives, no more concerned than before. Author Gary Haugen describes this phenomenon, remembering his own visit to Rwanda. He was appalled at the conditions there, the treatment of the people: bodies thrown thoughtlessly all over, cities reeking of rotting flesh, people pouring into mass graves. Less than forty-eight hours later, he found himself riding to work, amazed by how normal everything felt: “In a matter of hours I have traveled from the slippery mud and corpses of mass graves in Rwanda to my usual seat at the right hand of my neighbor on our dependably boring and climate-controlled bus ride to my office.” Haugen also remembers “reclining on a comfortable living-room couch among friends and family in California, talking about soaring real estate values in Orange County when only days before I had been exhuming the remains of a woman raped and butchered by soldiers in the Philippines” (Haugen 21-22).
Modern day slavery is a brutal trade which includes bonded labor, forced labor, child soldiers and sex slavery. The process to bring about change is a challenging and daunting task but do not fear! We do not need to remain uninvolved, ignorant or indifferent. There are many things that Americans can do today to change this worldwide problem.
The most prevalent form of modern day slavery is bonded labor, when a family borrows a small amount of money, agreeing to send some or all family members to work for the lender. The workers are paid little or nothing, and all that they earn often pays back only the interest on the loan. In many cases, this loan passes down from generation to generation – breaking out of it is nearly impossible. About 20 million of the 27 million slaves in the world today are in bonded labor (Masci 4).
In forced labor, poverty-stricken parents sell their children. Slave traders kidnap others, forcing them to work at physical labor, such as rolling cigarettes while their feet are chained and their hands bleed (“Just 15,”). Child slaves also make bricks in Pakistan, harvest salt in India (the glare from the salt makes them color-blind), pick cotton in Egypt, harvest cocoa in the Ivory Coast and mine diamonds in Sierra Leone (Masci 4).
There is also a form of slavery known as child soldiers. Abused and tyrannized, forced to fight – children as young as 10 live with this terror. Sometimes these children escape, telling stories of how they had to kill and abduct other children. Sometimes the children themselves later take the place of the kidnappers, creating a vicious circle in 30 countries, with a total of about 300,000 child soldiers.
Another terrible way of robbing humans of their rights is through sex slavery. Young girls and women, usually in Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia, may respond to a sign advertising a trip to America to become a model, with pay three or four times their current wages. Poverty-stricken parents sometimes sell their children to pimps, believing false promises that their children’s lives will change for the better. (Masci 1-2). What happens to these girls and young women? People whisk them away to brothels where anyone with money can use them (Caswell, Bryce et al). Organized crime rings usually control this kind of slavery. These smart and sinister people know that they can make lots of money from this trade and the involvement of local police makes it impossible to enforce the law. This kind of slavery continues in poverty-stricken places all over the world, as in Nepal, where “entire villages have been emptied of girls” (Masci 1). These girls and women often die at a young age, usually from AIDS. When they are found to have AIDS, they are immediately cast out into the street like trash.
The question faces us: what can we do to make a difference? Does ending slavery feel impossible? Truly, changing something as widespread as slavery is a difficult task to undertake. For inspiration, we can look to great leaders of the past who have accomplished the abolition of slavery. William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln were two great abolitionist leaders; Wilberforce abolished the slave trade in Great Britain in 1807, while Lincoln freed the slaves in the United States in 1863. Although most of us probably aren't such great men and women with political position and authority, we must remember that these great leaders didn't change their worlds in one short sprint. They ran long marathons, with a lot of help, support and encouragement from friends along the way.
If you want to help free slaves, your age, gender or fame do not matter, as long as you felt a burning sense of injustice just minutes ago when you read about slavery in our world. You don't need to be a great speaker, a convincing author or a strong leader. With passion, you can use your particular talents to transform yourself into an abolitionist. It's not as hard as it looks.
First, stay informed! You've taken the first step by reading this paper. Now also reach out to extend your knowledge. Read the magazine articles and books about slavery that tell you what you can do to help. Watching Amazing Grace will inspire you to follow what Wilberforce did over 200 years ago.
Once you know more about slavery, spread the word! Put links on your blog, organize events at your church or school, talk to people about slavery and give Amazing Grace to friends as a Christmas or birthday present. Raising awareness in your community motivates people to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
You can do something, even if you're only twelve years old. Loose Change to Loosen Change, an organization started by a seventh grader, targets the leadership and passion of young people all across America. The goal is to collect the loose change in American homes. This money then goes to International Justice Mission (IJM), one of the leading groups in the abolition of slavery, which puts it to use right away, sending out teams of people to countries with slaves. The teams work together with the government of that country to raid slave owners and free the slaves. An estimated 10 billion dollars of change lies around in homes across the country. Just think about how many slaves all that money could free! You can become an abolitionist by campaigning for this organization around your school (International Justice Mission).
International Justice Mission also supports races for college and high school students. The students pledge to run a certain distance and collect money from supporters. This money also goes directly into the task of freeing slaves all over the world. Last year, Michigan high school and college students raised over $5500 to help free slaves (International Justice Mission).
People of all ages can write to their senators or congressmen and ask them to support the efforts in Congress to end modern day slavery. Some bills insist the U.S. Government spend more time in “investigating slavery that could expand protection and legal options to combat slavery...[and] make abolition of slavery a priority” (Amazing Change).
If people in America of all ages unite, slavery can end. Keep that burning sense of injustice in your heart and carry it into actions and words instead of just feelings. Remember that a small amount of effort can go a long way. Be concerned, stay concerned, act concerned and change the world. And let me urge you to “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has” (Hunter 34).
um, that made about as much sense to me as the italian i sang tonight at pioneer. ok, so it made sense, but i guess i'm really not the audience you're looking for...
kath, that wasn't very nice to take up so much space.
yeah....Kath!
Maria
Now that I've actually /read/ the whole thing I can give some /real/ input. That was really well-written and, unlike Kath who probably didn't really read it, I'm convinced you're right. So good job!! (Now do you want to do my persuasive writing essay for me?)
Kath, yours was pretty good too!! Between the two of you, this persuasive writing unit should be a breeze for Abby!! (Just kidding, by the way. But if you really want to help, I'd be all for it!)
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