Please respect my individuality.

[OakLeaf]

What lph said - all of it. I haven't seen any taunting either, and AFAIK I've read all the threads where this has been raised.

But yeah, I have seen disrespect, and at the risk of biting on a troll, I'll respond to that as well. There's a phenomenon I see more often on the motorcycle boards, but I think it's in play here, as well as on the earbud threads. I consider the relationships I form on this board to be real relationships and I care about the people here. So if the first or second thing I learn about someone is that she has a death wish (and likes to irritate motorists in a way that might someday make me the victim of road rage), I'm not going to go out of my way to get attached to her.

I think we've all done our share of really crazy stuff when we were young, so it's not "judging." It's just protecting ourselves emotionally against the big crash that you're inviting for yourself. On the chance that you hadn't thought about how dangerous it is to motorpace with any inexperienced driver anywhere, let alone on public roads in rush hour traffic, we pointed that out to you. Since you've chosen to ignore that advice, this is going to sound cold, but I'd rather that you be a stranger than a friend to me when you go under the wheels of that SUV.

[Mad Kate]

What lph said - all of it. I haven't seen any taunting either, and AFAIK I've read all the threads where this has been raised.

But yeah, I have seen disrespect, and at the risk of biting on a troll, I'll respond to that as well. There's a phenomenon I see more often on the motorcycle boards, but I think it's in play here, as well as on the earbud threads. I consider the relationships I form on this board to be real relationships and I care about the people here. So if the first or second thing I learn about someone is that she has a death wish (and likes to irritate motorists in a way that might someday make me the victim of road rage), I'm not going to go out of my way to get attached to her.

I think we've all done our share of really crazy stuff when we were young, so it's not "judging." It's just protecting ourselves emotionally against the big crash that you're inviting for yourself. On the chance that you hadn't thought about how dangerous it is to motorpace with any inexperienced driver anywhere, let alone on public roads in rush hour traffic, we pointed that out to you. Since you've chosen to ignore that advice, this is going to sound cold, but I'd rather that you be a stranger than a friend to me when you go under the wheels of that SUV.

Your point is well taken, but I feel there is a misunderstanding here. I only attempt this chase with my partner, Yin. I will never try it with just any motorist. Plus, it’s on a rural road. Besides, usually there is at least a 50 feet gap, so I guess I used a wrong word, as it’s more of a chase than motor pacing.

[OakLeaf]

Okay - fair enough. <olive branch>

[jobob]

"taunted"? I didn't read your posts originally (I pass over a lot of posts nowadays), so I looked up all the threads that you've contributed to and I've seen nothing that would qualify to me as "taunting". Legitimate concerns over your motorpacing hobby, yes, but taunting, notsomuch.

Your first post to this forum was a description of your hobby, prefaced with the following:

Is my behavior based on pure determination or is it a obsession?

Many thanks ahead of time for your genuine answers.

Followed by this:

This might be a bit silly, as I enjoy trying to keep up with Yin while she drives her car. This is the best option, especially since I love cycling and she loves driving. Therefore, every time we have an outing, she would drive and I would ride.

People think that it is silly of me to desperately try to race or keep up with Yin’s car, while I am on a road bicycle, but I guess that we all have a child side to things. Especially when the field of estate law can be quite stressful, so by setting a mental goal that keeping up with Yin is a compulsion, I push myself riding as hard as possible to unwind from work.

You've brought this matter up in a few other threads.

What are you looking for? Validation? Praise?

People who took the time to respond brought up legitimate concerns. Others perhaps chose to remain silent because they didn't have anything constructive to add. I certainly wouldn't have responded. My philosophy is, you're an adult and can make your own choices, and so long as you don't disrupt others' lives, go for it (I'd use the phrase "knock yourself out" but maybe that wouldn't be a good choice here )

Anyhow, welcome to TE.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

"taunted"? I didn't read your posts originally (I pass over a lot of posts nowadays), so I looked up all the threads that you've contributed to and I've seen nothing that would qualify to me as "taunting". Legitimate concerns over your motorpacing hobby, yes, but taunting, notsomuch....

...You've brought this matter up in a few other threads.
What are you looking for? Validation? Praise?

People who took the time to respond brought up legitimate concerns. Others perhaps chose to remain silent because they didn't have anything constructive to add. I certainly wouldn't have responded. My philosophy is, you're an adult and can make your own choices, and so long as you don't disrupt others' lives, go for it...

I agree. I don't see any taunting either...unless you are getting creepy private messages? Why bring up threads asking if we think either your partner car chasing is an obsession or not, or whether we think your performance level during menses is a concern...if you don't want our actual input? Sounds like you know what you want to do in your riding, so just keep riding and having fun I guess.

[ginny]

um... so, context has probably told me all I need to know, but will someone define "forum troll" for those of us not familiar with the term (okay, then, for me)?

Thanks!

[malkin]

Wikipedia has this for internet troll:

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.


Dictionary.com has this for taunt:
taunt
–verb (used with object) 1. to reproach in a sarcastic, insulting, or jeering manner; mock.
2. to provoke by taunts; twit.

–noun 3. an insulting gibe or sarcasm; scornful reproach or challenge.
4. Obsolete. an object of insulting gibes or scornful reproaches.

Origin:
1505–15; orig. uncert.

[ginny]

malkin: now why didn't I think of looking it up on wiki? Thanks...

[Trek420]

um... so, context has probably told me all I need to know, but will someone define "forum troll" for those of us not familiar with the term (okay, then, for me)?

Thanks!

I once saw an illustrated guide to trolls that was hilarious. But here's a non illustrated guide to varieties of trolls:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1032102

[witeowl]

There was a time in my life (high school) in which I would work my religion (Paganism) into nearly conversation. I was just itching to be challenged, and my elation upon being challenged was matched only by my disappointment upon being easily accepted.

Honestly, it seems to me that most people here have responded with a fair amount of indifference to the whole motorpacing issue. This thread, then, has brought to mind a scene from the Simpsons where Bart is jumping up and down, complaining that people aren't paying attention to him. "Why won't you pay attention to me?" he whines at one point.

It probably won't be a surprise to hear that this part of Trek's linked post on forum trolls stood out for me: "When trolls are completely ignored they sometimes step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them. Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed."

Mad Kate, I'm sorry if my assessment is wrong, but I looked back through your posts and I can only find one not alluding to your motorpacing. You've thrown it in where it didn't really fit (the dog doo response). I find a couple of threads you started yoursely which ended very quickly (indifference). In light of everything else, they truly seem to be of the "pay attention to me" variety.

I don't know what to say. It seems to me that the problem here isn't that people aren't respecting your individuality; it's that they are.

[shootingstar]

I think we've all done our share of really crazy stuff when we were young, so it's not "judging." It's just protecting ourselves emotionally against the big crash that you're inviting for yourself. On the chance that you hadn't thought about how dangerous it is to motorpace with any inexperienced driver anywhere, let alone on public roads in rush hour traffic, we pointed that out to you. Since you've chosen to ignore that advice, this is going to sound cold, but I'd rather that you be a stranger than a friend to me when you go under the wheels of that SUV.

I apologize Kate if I sounded negative to you. But like Oak, it is abit hard for myself personally to understand your method of self-training, by courting death. Yin, your partner is a human driver. She's not a robot. She also could make errors or yourself. For instance, How would you know there would never be black ice on the road in winter to cause you to fall? I've fallen twice on black ice on the road....going slowly up a hill. I've also been hit by a car as a pedestrian, so definitely I know I am not infallible/invincible and probably way more cautious cyclist than ..someone like you.

Oak is absolutely right that some women here in TE form personal face-to-face friendships and that comes from understanding more about each other in terms of personal details. I personally have met 7 women via TE forums.

I also spent considerable time and words describing my own weight, health since I believe I am low in BMI also and had my experiences with loss of periods. But unlike you, a different experience physiologically. I did give you a thoughtful response, but i wondered if I was wasting my words..to a troll.

Other than the fact you have a nice bike, had this health problem and like to car-pace via bike, that's all we know about you. Do you cycle long distances on weekends when not working?

[Biciclista]

I read a lot of your postings too, and you seemed to me to be taunting US.

"I like to draft off cars, I dare you to say something about it"

You can be as individual as you want to, but if you're hunting for approval, you're not going to get it from people who think you're being willfully reckless. I don't care if Yin is the best driver in the world, stuff happens. And to think you would put a burden like that on someone who cares about you tells us a lot about what you're like.