“Get a car!”
Um, huh? Why did this 30-something baseball cap-wearing dude, seated in the passenger seat of his friend’s SUV, feel the need to yell this imperative at me on my bicycle as he whizzed by?
1) I was slowing down progress in some way (as I rode on the far right of the road), so he thought to urge me to rock a faster mode of transport so this sort of delay wouldn’t happen in the future?
2) He felt affection for me and thought I’d look good behind the wheel of a snazzy car–just trying to help in that What Not To Wear sort of way?
3) He liked the look of me and thought to reach out… and that’s the first thing that popped into his head to say. You never know what might spark a fulfilling relationship?
4) He thought himself superior to me, sitting in that passenger seat… and he wanted to proclaim to the world that the ONLY way to roll is to “Get a Car!”??
5) He noticed that he was going faster than I was. He thought I looked like the sporting type and might be fun to drag race with, but he thought I’d need a car in order to race?
If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably interested in frogs, wellness, wholeness, or me (thanks for your good taste and judgment!)… so you probably would find this scene as distasteful and humorous as I did.
But it turns out there are actually people MY AGE who have not caught on to the idea that cars are not so great. Sure, they are convenient. Sure, I use MY car way more often than my bike. But I’m certainly not going to honk at the low carbon footprint guy with groceries in his panniers who is strengthening his heart, lungs, legs and appetite… even if he WERE slowing my crappy car progress.
Duuuuude: what about the frogs? They are good barometers for the health of our own habitats. Frogs are wicked sensitive. Many species are dying out, in large part because habitats are getting gunked up with air and water contaminants.
WE are sensitive, too. And we are getting asthma, allergies, cancer, in part because of the gunk we’re putting in our air, water, food: Save the frogs, save ourselves. (Forget the cheerleader.)
Next time some dude yells something at me from a car window, I’m going to slap him upside the head with my long frog tongue.
Aw Shannon this is an uphill bike battle that I'm not about to give up on!!!! First of all, eff that guy. What an idiot frat-boy. I know I'm probably no better to insult him, but SERIOUSLY THIS IS GETTING OLD! Drivers insulting and playing “chicken” with bikers is super lame and dangerous.
You can just assume that people who conduct themselves like this gentleman, hate their lives and would like to you to feel as bad about yourself as they feel about themselves. Best thing to do is rise above, smile and blog about it.
xoxoxo
I had a guy last summer scream at me to ride on the sidewalk (with lots of obscenities). Which, hello, is *illegal* in my city. (Kids under 14 can ride on the sidewalk- adults cannot.) And then, when I stopped behind him at the red light- because his Hummer took up all the road!- he screamed at me to come up alongside so he could berate me some more. I don't think so. Unfortunately, the jerks are very noticeable. I'm hoping that there really are a lot more people like me- who drive by the cyclist with a smile, and a wish I was on my bike too.
Good on ya for considering all the possibilities of what his communication meant, Shannon, and not taking it personally. It just ain't worth it.
I love seeing your froggy entries show up in my reader!
Slap him silly! It is amazing there are so many folks out there who are still ignorant about such things. Down here on Cape Cod, we have ignorant NStar officials deciding to spray up to four herbicides to clear brush under the power lines, rather than mechanical mowing, more expensive, and those toxic chemicals will get into our water supply. Not cool.
(A friend of yours sent me here. Since you like frogs, check out the cute frog in the puddle on my blog post today.)