Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 8, 2010 at 3:43am

What is it supposed to be then?

Isn't mass what you make it?

I want it to be a fun bike ride to celebrate the joys of riding a bike, what do you want it to be?

Mass has no leaders and everyone is a leader which when combined with the 'mass is what you make it' thing the long and short of it is that if you don't like what it is or how it is do something to change it.

I find it interesting that you have meandered all over the place and bitched, moaned and complained in every direction aren't actually doing anything beyond that. Unless you plan on showing up to the next WPCM with maps and fliers and put the effort that you are telling others to put in you need to shut up.

Pete Fein said:

As I said earlier, if that's all you're taking away from Critical Mass, we're doing something wrong.

People, am I on crack here? In this thread, we've had CM described as usually a drunken clueless mob, the point of which is to have a good time. Is that all we are/were/want to be? Does anyone else who's been at this more than a few months see a problem here?

notoriousDUG said:

I'm pretty sure the whole point of the event is to have fun...

So yeah, there ya go.

Pete Fein said:

And thus peace was achieved on earth. Seriously people, is that all you care about?

Marrrrk. said:

I went. I had fun.

The End.

Permalink Reply by Pete Fein on March 8, 2010 at 4:04am

Lee Diamond said:

Pete,

Of all the silly, silliness that exists on the internets, your ranting about them on the internet may be the ultimate incongruity.

Yeah, fair enough. I've hit "Stop Following" a few times already, but it appears to be broken. Guess I'll resort to client-side measures. See ya.

Permalink Reply by Pete Fein on March 8, 2010 at 4:43am

And, for the record, I think I had a really important point to make here, but it got totally lost in the course of my acting like a jerk. Sorry 'bout that. ;(

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 8, 2010 at 5:13am

Well then what is the point? Restate the point of your original post with no commentary beyond a clear and concise statement about what it is you wish to say.

It seems the only point you have been trying to make is that the ride was not as organized as you want it and it is all the fault of The Chainlink but maybe I am confused as to your actual point.

Pete Fein said:

And, for the record, I think I had a really important point to make here, but it got totally lost in the course of my acting like a jerk. Sorry 'bout that. ;(

Permalink Reply by wig [ isaac ] on March 8, 2010 at 6:25am

20 people riding bikes with no place to go.. Sorry I missed it. Next time I'll be there sounds like a lot of fun.
Peace.

Permalink Reply by Pete Fein on March 8, 2010 at 9:24am

Twenty people showed up on Friday for Wicker Park Critical Mass. Fifteen of them (3/4ths) heard about it through The Chainlink and had never been on any Critical Mass ride before. These folks went home with the idea that Critical Mass is "usually a [drunken] clueless mob" "the whole point of [which] is to have fun" (your words, not mine). During the ride, we repeatedly rode into oncoming traffic, antagonized drivers, nearly ditched our slower riders and generally followed the crowd without thinking & acting for ourselves. That hardly lives up to the ideal of the Mass (and I'm happy to provide more references than y'all care to read to that effect).

Getting people to show up is easier than ever, thanks to the Internet. That's a good thing. Transmitting the practices and values that make Critical Mass different from just a mob of bikes is as hard as it's ever been. It requires the continuous, active, on the ground involvement of the 'old hands' - and the cultivation of new ones. When we call for a Mass and then don't turn out to pass on our culture, we run the risk of losing it entirely.

The Chainlink is an incredibly powerful tool for organizing and recruiting. We could probably get 20 people to show up uninvited at Howard's house next week for a party. However, it's not the only tool - we still need to flyer - and more importantly, to ride. Otherwise we're no more than an echo chamber, and a Critical Mass in name only.

I ride Critical Mass every day of my life, even those days I don't get on my bicycle. I'm proud of that, and incredibly grateful to many people in this community for what they've taught me. But I'm scared and angry to see us at risk of losing what makes us us through negligence.

notoriousDUG said:

Well then what is the point? Restate the point of your original post with no commentary beyond a clear and concise statement about what it is you wish to say.

It seems the only point you have been trying to make is that the ride was not as organized as you want it and it is all the fault of The Chainlink but maybe I am confused as to your actual point.

Pete Fein said:

And, for the record, I think I had a really important point to make here, but it got totally lost in the course of my acting like a jerk. Sorry 'bout that. ;(

Permalink Reply by dan brown on March 8, 2010 at 9:37am

here's my story (it's sad but true)


(background)
I wasn't planning on doing it at 4pm (I was not prepared with enough layers)
I said...screw it, I'm going.
waiting around for 40 minutes I was freezing (I handed out one Miller High Life btw)

I never warmed up (the temp was dropping (yeah...this is Chicago))
(btw - there was confusion at Damen Ave) - some went north, some went NW

*I* was the guy who turned and went in Cermak (I was freezing / starving and 2 blocks from home)

I didn't want to go a a bar at Foster Ave and drink...so I went home

the big Mass works because it is just that...a Mass. Yes - a map / route is needed (esp. with a theme)


Hey...20 ppl is more then the Feb version. IIRC it was 5 or 7 of us riding to the coffee shop for the
opening of the bike art show (and it was snowing pretty good too)


DB (don't shoot the messenger)


T.J. said:

Me too ,I maybe new to cm riding, but I had fun aswell! ....... the end

Marrrrk. said:

I went. I had fun.












The End.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on March 8, 2010 at 9:52am

These folks went home with the idea that Critical Mass is "usually a [drunken] clueless mob" "the whole point of [which] is to have fun" (your words, not mine).

How is this inaccurate? Riding CCM is basically what turned me into a hardcore cyclist and it did so precisely because it's a semi-drunken, clueless mob of people out to have fun. Greybeards preaching about the solemn responsibilities that go along with riding in it would have been a huge turn off. Obviously you don't want people riding into oncoming traffic and you probably don't want to ditch slower riders but otherwise I'm not seeing the problem, especially as the couple of times I've been to WPCM it was, if anything, way too sedate and orderly to be any fun at all.

Permalink Reply by Marco Rayos on March 8, 2010 at 10:14am

People please, let us not lose the focus here. Are we not all still in agreement with the fact that we all Love our bikes and riding them. Let's not set such ideals higher than necessary, lest we look like argumentative bureaucrats and all fail to remember that this is OUR biking community and TOGETHER we maintain its integrity. So hash out what you will but please do not allow this to become a matter of division.

Marco Cholo

Permalink Reply by heather s on March 8, 2010 at 10:33am

The number of people who show up at CM in the summer leads me to think that info about CM is pretty widely disseminated among people who are interested and able to attend. Not every cyclist wants to participate in or likes Critical Mass--or the Chainlink for that matter-- which I think is OK.


Pete Fein said:

Good thing you're already on The Chainlink then. What about the rest of the bicyclists in this city? Or are they just stuck in the past and not worthy of our attention?

Permalink Reply by Ron on March 8, 2010 at 10:34am

Well said Marco, this thread is a lot like the bridge to nowhere. (silly)
Pete, you wanna an organized ride? Contact a few people here, myself included, and you will have the time of your life.

Marco Rayos said:

People please, let us not lose the focus here. Are we not all still in agreement with the fact that we all Love our bikes and riding them. Let's not set such ideals higher than necessary, lest we look like argumentative bureaucrats and all fail to remember that this is OUR biking community and TOGETHER we maintain its integrity. So hash out what you will but please do not allow this to become a matter of division.

Marco Cholo

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 8, 2010 at 10:43am

OK, so to distill it all to concise points since you apparently can not:

1) You feel the mass was not well organized and that people where riding A) unsafely and B) to fast and where upset it did not measure up to the ideal mass.

2) You feel that even though Chainnlink gets people out to many of then are 'too new' to properly do a mass and there are not enough 'old timers' around to pass on the knowledge.

3) You feel this lack of 'old timers' is endangering the whole concept of Critical Mass.

4) You feel you ride Critical Mass every day, what ever that means, even if you aren't riding...

5) You feel we (not sure why you are including me, or anyone else, into your statement but whatever) are in danger of losing our identity through inactivity.

6) You do not like the concept of mass as a unruly drunken mob or a ride where the only point is to have fun.

7) And this one is implied to me; You think that the concept of Critical Mass is a fixed criteria.

Now I refute:

1) I agree this is often the case on every Critical Mass ride, ESPECIALLY the down town one and agree that everything should be done to prevent it and every Mass I am on I put effort into doing so. Many times I have yelled at people to ride safe, stay out of oncoming traffic or sprinted to the front to tell people to slow down. If you are not, or are unwilling, to do those things shut up because unless you are working to enact change you are simply another part of the problem. Of course this means you have to accept that you may never change these things but still does not mean you stop trying; Every large Mass I am on I end up unhappy about part of it but I try to change it from inside rather then uselessly complaining.

2) People have lives and you can't expect everyone to make every ride. Along those lines you where there so why did you not pick up the torch and lead? Oh, wait you did but then when things stopped going your way you got frustrated and stopped... You think every ride like that goes the way the leader wants? Why would you expect it from a ride where part of the whole concept is that there is no leader? I am confused as to how you can be such a proponent of a movement that has no leader but get so upset no one leads an event that is part of that movement... Think about it.

3) See above for most of it but also consider this: Mass is supposed to be an evolving concept.

4) How do you ride a ride that is meant to 'take back the streets through sheer numbers' every day even when you don't ride? This doesn't even make sense.

5) This one does not even make sense to me; Critical Mass does not define me as a person or a cyclist nor should it define anyone else or the cycling community as a whole. I know there are a lot of active cyclists in the Chicago area who give back a ton to the community and have a strong desire to not be associated with CCM. If we use CCM as our identity as a community we are cutting out a lot of good people.

6) Like it or not the Mass is a unruly drunken mob, especially in the summer. Half the people there are just there to party and make trouble which is a lot of the reason people have problems with CCM; if you do not see this or believe it you are lying to yourself. As for having fun as a purpose; what other purpose is there to ANY bike ride? Sure it is a way to let people know we have a right to the road and all that other stuff but trust me on this one, people come out because it is fun. Have a ride for the same purpose but make it no fun and no one is coming to your ride.

7) Critical Mass is not a fixed entity, it has changed over the years and will change in the years to come. Before my time, and the advent of 'Happy Friday' CCM was a much less friendly and happy event.

And with that I am done with this conversation unless you say something that is a clear and original statement or argument to any of these points because up till now you are continually repeating the same argument over and over again and never addressing or discussing the things that others have said. The idea is to have a discussion of evolving ideas and concepts not to simply repeat the same thing over and over again.

Pete Fein said:

Twenty people showed up on Friday for Wicker Park Critical Mass. Fifteen of them (3/4ths) heard about it through The Chainlink and had never been on any Critical Mass ride before. These folks went home with the idea that Critical Mass is "usually a [drunken] clueless mob" "the whole point of [which] is to have fun" (your words, not mine). During the ride, we repeatedly rode into oncoming traffic, antagonized drivers, nearly ditched our slower riders and generally followed the crowd without thinking & acting for ourselves. That hardly lives up to the ideal of the Mass (and I'm happy to provide more references than y'all care to read to that effect).

Getting people to show up is easier than ever, thanks to the Internet. That's a good thing. Transmitting the practices and values that make Critical Mass different from just a mob of bikes is as hard as it's ever been. It requires the continuous, active, on the ground involvement of the 'old hands' - and the cultivation of new ones. When we call for a Mass and then don't turn out to pass on our culture, we run the risk of losing it entirely.

The Chainlink is an incredibly powerful tool for organizing and recruiting. We could probably get 20 people to show up uninvited at Howard's house next week for a party. However, it's not the only tool - we still need to flyer - and more importantly, to ride. Otherwise we're no more than an echo chamber, and a Critical Mass in name only.

I ride Critical Mass every day of my life, even those days I don't get on my bicycle. I'm proud of that, and incredibly grateful to many people in this community for what they've taught me. But I'm scared and angry to see us at risk of losing what makes us us through negligence.

notoriousDUG said:

Well then what is the point? Restate the point of your original post with no commentary beyond a clear and concise statement about what it is you wish to say.

It seems the only point you have been trying to make is that the ride was not as organized as you want it and it is all the fault of The Chainlink but maybe I am confused as to your actual point.

Pete Fein said:

And, for the record, I think I had a really important point to make here, but it got totally lost in the course of my acting like a jerk. Sorry 'bout that. ;(

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