So I was reading the July 2007 issue of Motorcyclist magazine && have a bone to pick regarding the Perspectives: Full Circle article by Mitch Boehm on page 33. I guess this blog post will be my open letter criticizing some of his conclusions.
Boehm talks about government meddling in riders' sport && business. He mentions their penchant for parroting their do-gooder mantra "We'll save you from yourself" as supposed justification for such meddling. He relates the cautionary history of Missouri Senator Danforth who had a knee-jerk reaction to the perceived hazard of the bigger faster sport-bikes, mistakenly assuming them to be statistically more life-threatening than smaller meeker bikes. This Republican proposed legislation which would have had a severely negative impact on what street-bikes could be purchased. The foolhardy Senator had neglected to conduct even the most cursory research on the subject though. The premise that high-horsepower super-bikes were a greater mortal threat turns out to be "ass-backwards" because most inexperienced riders buy the more under-powered bikes for their affordability && they turn out to unsurprisingly be the ones who suffer bodily harm && death with greater frequency. So Boehm acts like we just got lucky dodging that bullet but it was apparently too close for comfort for him. Then he goes on about the "swell of bone-headed riders" && negative media attention (with a prime example being the American Chopper stupidity disparaged on the Last Page, 138). He attributes much of the negative attention as being fueled by a new generation of riders who "don't give a rat's ass." Then he has this retarded last paragraph advising readers to ride responsibly, setting a good example by shaming the so-called idiots both verbally && socially when one is unlucky enough to encounter them (us) && to keep watch && remain willing to fight Big Brother.
I'll talk about shame. It's a shame Boehm doesn't realize how cowardly && inconsistent he's being. Maybe I can help clarify. Is the enemy that is deserving of your ire more the government or the new generation of bolder, more defiant riders? Are you scapegoating the latter there due to your own pathetic compliance with the former?
I presume myself to be "new generation" even though I can't fairly speak on behalf of anyone but myself. I zoomed by a Highway Patrol car today at double the speed limit, shirtless && in shorts. They might have radioed ahead but they don't even attempt to pursue at 150 miles-per-hour with their inability to split lanes. I haven't hurt anyone && am not out there actively trying to injure or kill others or myself. It might happen but it's certainly not my intention. I simply love the thrill of life at speed && the ever-present risk of death which people delude themselves to think they can ever be well shielded from. I usually wear protective gear to mitigate some of my risk but I'm still pretty fragile, feeling like a cheese-ball in a razor-storm out there. The government doesn't respect me so I don't respect it. I don't give a rat's ass. I don't give a flying fuck.
I hate Big Brother even more than Boehm && I think he has lost sight of the fact that us new-genners (or whatever he wants to label us as) are fighting in the best way we know how. We're doing what we want to do && telling the government to shove its mantras && unsolicited salvation up each politician's ass. I also happen to be running for President in my quixotic way. We each fight with different strengths && focus.
You want to shame me verbally && socially for being an idiot? How about I shame you for being too damn timid to stand up to the government && fight as you claim you're eager to do. You've turned yourself against other riders because they're more courageous && ballsy than you. You've been deceived into thinking you need to operate in some pseudo-stealth mode. You errantly imagine we all can hunker down to avoid detection by the meddling authorities. That's totally wrong. Fuck that! Maybe if more of you old-generation farts would stand the fuck up && resist more loudly, actively, && aggressively, we'd have more of a fight on our hands. So who's the idiot? Why the hell should I give a rat's ass about an increasingly irrelevant, out-of-touch, religious, prejudice, closed-minded, unjust, irrational, parasitic, luddite, cowardly, antiquated, greedy, deceptive, meddling government again?
Thanks for the article, Boehm. Sorry we have to fight each other. I'm trying to get us onto the same page. Please keep up the good work, everyone at the magazine. Let's keep our heads on && our engines hot.
P.S. High five to Motorcyclist for an almost perfect verdict on page 44 regarding the Gilera Fuoco. My only complaint there is that you wrote "America" when you seem to have meant "United States." I'd be glad to see it beefed up && brought to all the Americas but I expect the U.S. to have the most egregious do-gooder legal exhaust restrictions which are the major hindrance I imagine they would need to overcome && we have quite a lucrative market for performance vehicles here so it's likely worthwhile for them to do it. Things would be much better still if we had fewer restrictions on everything. Don't trust authority. History proves authorities never deserve much if any trust.
