An open letter to all condescending male chauvinist cyclists

[User32269]

I'm willing to accept PayPal in order not to quote previous posts before deletion pact.

 

[theclaud]

I'm willing to accept PayPal in order not to quote previous posts before deletion pact.

It seems to have all gone tits up.

 

[jonny jeez]

Some on here have been busy being mortally offended while I was at work.
I truly did not expect this.
Well, look at your behavior, if you are not like the cyclists I have described good on you, if, on the other hand you are, kindly stop it.


Yes, all male cyclists that exhibit that behavior.
When I find my rides peppered with women doing that I will write a letter to them also.
To date, after 6 years of cycle commuting plus leisure riding, no woman cyclist has rattles my mudguards yet, so I have not yet cause to write an open letter to women cyclists about this topic.
l.

yeabbut, why not just write a letter to all "male cyclist exhibiting that behaviour" then.

Or perhaps all idiot men?

but you wrote "Dear male cyclists". I am a male cyclist and so assumed you are addressing me too.

Some on here may be morally offended, others may just be unclear of the point that you are making.

Anyhow, I'm sorry to hear of the levels of idiocy that some men seem to have displayed towards you, they sound like bloody idiots.

 

[gaijintendo]

yeabbut, why not just write a letter to all "male cyclist exhibiting that behaviour" then.

Or perhaps all idiot men?

but you wrote "Dear male cyclists". I am a male cyclist and so assumed you are addressing me too.

Some on here may be morally offended, others may just be unclear of the point that you are making.

Anyhow, I'm sorry to hear of the levels of idiocy that some men seem to have displayed towards you, they sound like bloody idiots.

If the thread was called "An open letter to all a***hole cyclists" then only a couple of us may have read it.

Edit: The subject title has now changed, and the letter is immediately less jolly and less offensive, and the "all men" debate is immediately quashed. Another minor victory for menkind!

 

[winjim]

[QUOTE 4755893, member: 76"]Your argument kind of falls apart in the first half a dozen or so lines eh? 'If you aren't like this you are ok', 'All men do this' Doesn't make a huge amount of sense does it?[/QUOTE]
Read very carefully the line which you have underlined in bold.
[QUOTE 4755893, member: 76"]Why on earth are your feelings more important than the males on this forum who are a little offended by your post[/QUOTE]Because women have to put up with this sort of shoot all the time. All the time. The men on this forum who are offended can just log out and go back to basically being in charge of the world.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

[QUOTE 4755893, member: 76"]Your argument kind of falls apart in the first half a dozen or so lines eh? 'If you aren't like this you are ok', 'All men do this' Doesn't make a huge amount of sense does it?[/QUOTE]
Where did I say "all men do this"? I said "All who do this are men".
I will add "All who have done this to me in the past were men"
Also "all of this I have witnessed done to my riding companions were men".


[QUOTE 4755893, member: 76"]Who are the CC members then, let's have some names, you are the fearless Belles, don't be cowed by their maleness, strike back, name names.[/QUOTE]
Are you a child???
What "cowed by maleness", it's simple good manners not to name them on the forum.
I will nevertheless hit them with my pump in person if they ever do it again when we meet.

[QUOTE 4755893, member: 76"]Why on earth are your feelings more important than the males on this forum who are a little offended by your post?[/QUOTE]
Did I say my feelings are more important than yours?
You're free to write your own letter on CC about anything cycling related that grates your chain, that is one of the purposes of this forum, don't you agree?

 

[ufkacbln]

You still did not read the op!
Nobody asked for help, nobody was offered help, we were cycling in a non obstructive manner, on a road devoid of motorized traffic, we were reprimanded by random cyclists, men we'd never met before.

You have chosen a single post out of context as it is a reply to another poster


The point is that there are circumstances when offering help is appropriate and a the early post you took exception to illustrates and a contrast to the generic claims you are making

Others have understood that angle.......and don't have any issues with it

 

[RedRider]

[QUOTE 4755893, member: 76"]Your argument kind of falls apart in the first half a dozen or so lines eh? 'If you aren't like this you are ok', 'All men do this' Doesn't make a huge amount of sense does it?

Who are the CC members then, let's have some names, you are the fearless Belles, don't be cowed by their maleness, strike back, name names.

Why on earth are your feelings more important than the males on this forum who are a little offended by your post?[/QUOTE]
a) "that"
b) diddums

 

[Pat "5mph"]

The point is that there are circumstances when offering help is appropriate and a contrast to the generic claims you are making

Oh for goodness sake!
What help?
It went like that:
8 Belles riding on a Saturday morning, empty road part of the NCN, chatting, laughing, we enter a bike only precinct, leading to traffic lights into a main road.
I start to practice no hand, laughing. Behind me another does the same.
Suddenly a few guys appear behind us, one starts to say we should not wobble allover the road, then he proceeds to skip the lights.
Nobber!
On another occasion: empty road, sunny Sunday morning, we are cycling towards town, a random guy appears, joins us, "hi, who are you, what, Belles? what is this then? no hi-vis, no helmets?"
Oh, go and do one! Btw, he did contact one of the girls later on our meetup page, with a view of asking her out. Charming first approach, eh?
Here's another: I'm cycling home minding my own business, I leave the paths for the road because I decided to go to the shops, the guy behind me informs me that I can stay on the shared pavement after this point.
When I say, yes, I know, he says "Oh, I thought you didn't"
Oh right, who died and made a random man my cycling mentor?
What about that poor woman I witnessed shouted at by a speeding male cyclist, again on a shared path?
Her crime: she was cycling on the wrong side of the path, slowly, because there was pedestrians walking on her left.
There is lots more, but I'm heading for bed.
Be offended as much as you like
Btw this thread's title will be changed soon (not by me ) to cause less offense.
May your manliness keep proud and strong

 

[mickle]

Maggot. FFS.

 

[Shaun]

Any man who read @Pat "5mph"'s OP and took genuine offence on behalf of "all" blokekind really missed the point; that The Belles (fellow cyclists) are being badly treat by a few condescending and patronising blokes whilst out trying to enjoying their cycling.

It's a shame. Women should be able to go out and enjoy their rides and each other's company, and not have to worry about unwanted attention or advice from random strangers who are men ("strange men" seemed a bit loaded, even if it might be appropriate in some cases ).

I don't doubt for a moment that Pat and her friends enjoy the company of men on non-Belle's rides, and are willing to accept help if they need it - but I can see how the unsolicited comments and advice might grate. It would certainly get on my tits.

 

[subaqua]

'Apparently'?

well all the years i have been alive I have never been taught it was a social construct, even in PHSE by a raving Feminist . thats why "apparently" . will it change what I do , will i still stop . yup of course.

 

[theclaud]

well all the years i have been alive I have never been taught it was a social construct, even in PHSE by a raving Feminist .

Raving?

The entire purpose of gender is to make the inequality of the sexes appear normal and natural in order to perpetuate it. This life-changing insight is feminism's gift to you. You're welcome.

PS I fix people's mechanicals too. Most often men who've already destroyed two inner tubes, used up all their CO2 and didn't bring a pump.

 

[summerdays]

I've tried to think about where I stand on this issue and it's a bit muddled for me at least. I find most men are nice (hopefully that will keep a fair few of you from feeling I'm attacking you personally), but I've also been on the receiving end of "helpful advice". Problem is I have no idea if they offer the same advice to men as well.

There was the man who stoped to help fix a puncture by the side of the road, so I assumed he would be an expert, problem is that I knew more than him, the only thing he had going for him was brute strength but he used that to force something that he shouldn't have done, and I just wanted him to leave me to my slower but careful fixing, but I'm a wimp so didn't tell him to get lost. He may have stopped for men too .... but I think he saw me as a damsel in distress rather than a damsel running late.....

There have been other occasions when you wonder if they would treat a man the same (I'm assuming they don't give some of the sexist comments I occasionally hear). But luckily I've forgotten them for now!

 

[srw]

[QUOTE 4755892, member: 9609"]If I kept schtum on stuff I knew nowt about I probably wouldn't have got to double figures. I just give it a wurl and see what happen[/QUOTE]
When someone points out you're wrong, the trick, as not a few men on this thread are ably demonstrating by their failure to shut up, is to give way gracefully and accept that you might not know everything, even on subjects you might think you're an expert in.

(And I apologise for a hideously ugly sentence.)

I wouldn't dream of giving advice to @Pat "5mph" and friends, but I think it might be quite funny if the next time they were patronised en masse while on a ride they gave some unwanted advice back. Form up into a circle around the man so that he can't escape and fire away with the womansplaining.