Riding Solo - staying safe

[kamikazejane]

Moi aussi - My original reply was also referring to that, more than the issue about carrying weapons. I found it to be, even as a small statement, highly politically charged and rather confrontational, yet also flippant.... and not a lol matter at all to my mind. That is what spoke volumes to me.

The Internet is about the worst way to judge how or in what context someone is saying something. How do you know if I was being "flippant" or "confrontational" or thinking that anything is or isn't an "lol" matter?

[Eden]

The Internet is about the worst way to judge how or in what context someone is saying something. How do you know if I was being "flippant" or "confrontational" or thinking that anything is or isn't an "lol" matter?

Actually I said that I found it to be so. I note it was all OK and smilies when you thought I agreed.....

I don't intend to debate politics with you. It is not appropriate here. Perhaps this should simply be a lesson in take care what you type, because if I don't know in what context it is being said, you also don't know in what context that it is being read. Perhaps I am alone in this, but I found it inflammatory. Please feel free to set your account up to ignore my posts. I won't be offended.

Taking a look back I don't think I'd have even said anything at all if you hadn't come back to Tulip with a Geeze I hardly said anything at all attitude, because I thought you said plenty.

[lovelygamer]

Wow. Touchy Subject. I try to limit my riding to before 10 p.m. I was out at that time a couple of weeks ago and my "hood" was scary to say the least. I was more afraid of the people than the cars AND I saw more people in the streets than cars. That said, I don't use guns. I would just pedal faster if I was concerned. I keep my cell and road ID on me too, at all times I am riding.

[Bike Writer]

There has been an abundance of thoughtful ideas posted here and good dialogue over this emotionally charged subject.

There has also been a level of "attack" type posting criticizing someone's opinion or perspective and that adds nothing to the discussion.

As another poster pointed out, nothing said on these forums is going to change a person who is pro-gun into anti-gun and vice versa. Thankfully we live in a nation where opinions are freely accepted and encouraged.

To the original poster kamikazejane; while I dislike generalizations I have found the following to be the norm in this environment - many comments that express a liberal point of view are passed on without comment (which is really how it should be, a persons POV is just that) - many comments that express a conservative point of view are debated or challenged, sometimes hotly.

I come here for cycling information, comraderie and try to ensure that for the most part my contributions don't contain something that can be construed as offensive, instead I try to offer helpful advice or tips when I am able to. I'm sure that you didn't intend for your comment to cause a ruckus, but it has. Lesson learned, I speak from experience with having made what I considered to be a small offhand personal opinion that stirred up quite a hornet's nest at the time.

Not sure how the weather is in the rest of the world today, but today is a GREAT day to live in South East Michigan, we are having one perfectly gorgeous day!

[kamikazejane]

Not sure how the weather is in the rest of the world today, but today is a GREAT day to live in South East Michigan, we are having one perfectly gorgeous day!

We had some nasty storms over here in Shelby Township this afternoon. Drying out now just in time for a ride

[Bike Writer]

We had some nasty storms over here in Shelby Township this afternoon. Drying out now just in time for a ride

I just realized you are from Michigan. Not a drop of rain only mild temps and sunshine just north of Ann Arbor.

[velo]

As the OP of this thread, I want to say sorry for even asking the question. The thought that this discussion would turn to a debate on firearms did not even cross my mind. The thought of *arming* oneself didn't even cross my mind as an option. I was thinking along the lines of the suggestion given about your SO being able to track you on GPS. Had I known that we'd even be talking about carrying a gun on a ride, I would never have started it. Political biases aside, I was hoping that this would be constructive. Although I had no way of knowing that it would devolve to this, I will say that some of the *reasonable* (and no, I don't consider carrying a GUN to be *reasonable*) suggestions were helpful and I thank those people. /thread

[kamikazejane]

As the OP of this thread, I want to say sorry for even asking the question. The thought that this discussion would turn to a debate on firearms did not even cross my mind. The thought of *arming* oneself didn't even cross my mind as an option. I was thinking along the lines of the suggestion given about your SO being able to track you on GPS. Had I known that we'd even be talking about carrying a gun on a ride, I would never have started it. Political biases aside, I was hoping that this would be constructive. Although I had no way of knowing that it would devolve to this, I will say that some of the *reasonable* (and no, I don't consider carrying a GUN to be *reasonable*) suggestions were helpful and I thank those people. /thread

You have no need to apologize. You had a valid question and concern and there were some good suggestions. I don't think anyone made the suggestion to carry a gun. The original question/concern that I asked was on how to carry one while biking. I would have to read through all the posts but I don't think anyone including myself actually said/suggested that you should carry one. I probably should have started my own thread asking my own question instead of interjecting it into yours. The gun talk turned into an off topic tangent that unfortunately I initiated with my comment and question so I apologize that your thread was blown up by it and the focus of your post was lost at some point.

[lovelygamer]

Velo



/thread



.......

That was win!

[snapdragen]

Let's all step away from the thread for now, m'kay?

[roo4]

Susan,

Would this be an acceptable topic for the "way off topic ongoing conversations" category or are all posts that mention guns banned from TE forums?

edited to add: or how about "Open Topic (non-cycling related)?"

[Irulan]

I'm going to bet, based on,

Remember, the focus of these forums is women's cycling and fitness. Other forums exist elsewhere on the Internet for involved discussions of religion, politics, etc.

probably not.

[Susan Otcenas]

roo4 & Irulan,

Good question. Being totally frank, I'm not sure I have a good answer. Full disclosure: I'm a "free speech and open, frank discussions are good for us" kind of gal, so my natural inclination is to put as few limits on topics as possible and trust everyone to be civil and thoughtful in their discussions. But, I guess I see multiple angles, some of which lead me in the opposite direction on this particular topic. Here's my thinking:

On the one hand, whether or not to *legally* carry a gun while riding isn't really "off topic" to these forums. Whether we like it or not, it is a legal thing to do throughout most of this country, and so a discussion of the merits of carrying or not while riding our bikes is a legitimate topic of discussion on the forums.

That said, discussions of this type rarely stay on topic. They tend to devolve into heated & emotional discussions of gun control laws, whether guns prevent or cause violence, etc., and *those* types of discussions are most definitely NOT on topic for these forums.

Soooo, where does that leave us? I guess the middle ground would be to approve a CLEARLY LABELED thread in Open Topic (Non-Cycling Related). Something along the lines of "Hot Topic: Carrying Guns While Cycling". (Yes, it's on topic, but we all know its going to stray, so might as well resign ourselves to that fact and put it in Off Topic.) I would just ask that everyone try to remain civil while expressing their opinions and remember that it really is hard to convey thoughts and emotions in written form. Let's try to be respectful of one another, even when disagreeing. It would sadden me greatly if feelings were hurt or people left the forums over an off-topic subject because they felt they'd been insulted or disrespected. It's happened before. Sometimes those people return to the forums, but sometimes we lose them forever. The women's cycling community is small enough as it is, that it would sadden me to see these explosive topics drive wedges between us.

Other thoughts on this? I'm open to ideas.

Susan

[Irulan]

My thought is that the topic goes so quickly into politics that there's no way to have a civil online discussion about it. I will underscore that I've never seen anyone's mind changed by an online discussion. This topic has come up in other forums, and other biking forums especially that I read, and no good comes of it. No matter how polite we think we can be here, I don't see how it could be done.

I am filtering this through my "formerly a moderator" filter. I've moderated here and MTBR and a couple of other boards, so I think it's fair for me to take a strond stance.

If there was such a thread allowed here, I'd probably just pull up a chair, grab my popcorn, and see how long it took before it did have to be shut down. I think it would be inevitable.

[kamikazejane]

I note it was all OK and smilies when you thought I agreed.....

Like I said, I don't care if you agree or disagree with my opinions. I was actually poking fun at myself when I made the "proficient subtle sarcasm" comment. I wasn't thinking "oh cool she agrees with me."

Actually I said that I found it to be so. I note it was all OK and smilies when you thought I agreed.....

I don't intend to debate politics with you. It is not appropriate here. Perhaps this should simply be a lesson in take care what you type, because if I don't know in what context it is being said, you also don't know in what context that it is being read. Perhaps I am alone in this, but I found it inflammatory. Please feel free to set your account up to ignore my posts. I won't be offended.

Taking a look back I don't think I'd have even said anything at all if you hadn't come back to Tulip with a Geeze I hardly said anything at all attitude, because I thought you said plenty.

Sorry, I was only trying to figure out how or why what I posted came across as it did to you. Why is it inflammatory? Why do you think it is flippant? What makes you think I thought it was an "lol" matter? Just wanted your side of how you perceived it so that it was clear and not inferred on my end.

I have no problem and will continue to express my opinion on matters whether on an internet forum or in person. I never expect everyone to agree with me and have no problem if people disagree. How one reacts to what I say/write or how I say it is something only they have control over. As long as I am not slandering/attacking another person then if they don't like what I say or how I say something then it is their right to and so be it, that's the harsh reality of life. You can't expect to agree with what everyone has to say. I just try my best to understand where that person is coming from when they do disagree rather then respond on an emotional level.

Also, there is no reason for me to block you. I find your comments challenging, of interest and worthwhile.