Ahoy! Just a quick story which illustrates how bicycling is not just spokes and wheels, but liberation as well.
I was riding in the annual Moonlight Classic ride last summer. for a good portion of the ride I was riding with a young woman named Leah, who is also a triathlete. She had similar politics and was just one of those people who are just great souls all around. Anyway, she gets a flat, luckily right at a rest stop. She is ready to just walk her bike back, as she has not changed a tube. Ever? I still cant believe it! Anyway, I am all ready to be superhero patch tube guy, when we notice a van. COOL, local bike shop is there and gives us a tube. Local bike shop mechanic is there and he is the super alpha burly bald with goatee type, and says he will help in a minute. Do I look like I cant change a tube? Then, a Feminist (said so on her T shirt) from Derailer steps in and shows Leah how to change a tube. She is a much better instructor than I would have been, going step by step patiently, making sure Leah does the work. When she struggles, the alpha male mechanic tries to take over. In a loud and very authoritative voice the Feminist from derailer commands to let her fix it herself. She does, of course and has a happy ride back. Also, the Derailer volunteer gives me a bilingual flyer, which I give to an Immigrant I know, so he can go build a bike. RIGHT ON DERAILER! Art
> Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 13:22:54 -0600
> From: plan_9@riseup.net
> To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org
> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Volunteering time
>
> Kyle, I will stand in solidarity with everything you just said. It's
> refreshing to hear someone frame the idea of white and class privilege
> in such an elegant but accessible way. Mainly I just wanted to voice my
> support because this is a tough discussion to have but an important one.
> To Bruce's comment about women and bike shops, I'd have to say that you
> are using a symptom of patriarchy (few women not in bike shops) to
> justify that outcome. For an analogy: if there was no bike rack or pole
> or anything to lock your bike up to outside of a new Thai restaurant,
> should the owner of the shop assume that you not eating there because it
> "you as a cyclist innately don't like Thai food" or because there is
> barrier to entry, not having a place to put your ride? If he assumes
> it's because cyclists don't like Thai food, he'll never put a bike rack
> out front and you'll never eat there. Maybe that's a goofy analogy but
> maybe it's still relevant. We actually had this discussion with a couple
> of women that frequently patronize the shop when we asked them if they
> would be interested in a womens only night. Their response was pretty
> interesting. They said that it would be nice so that new women patrons
> could become comfortable in a new setting with other women but then once
> they felt confident in the basics they wouldn't have any problem going
> to regular shop hours because the wouldn't feel like they were relying
> on men volunteers for everything. I think that makes a lot of sense.
> As to the folks that get uncomfortable about this and feel they are
> being accused of "being a racist" this examination of privilege isn't
> about personal prejudice but rather about institutional racism, the
> systems that have permeated American society from it's inception. Wage
> and wealth inequities based on race, access to services based on race,
> gentrification, unfair employment practices, structures of the economy,
> allocation of democratic rights, these are all part of institutional
> racism that is at the core of white privilege. Really it's about
> admitting that it exists, owning it and trying to find ways to use it to
> a mutual benefit of everyone involved (organizing a community bike shop
> and empowering those communities without white male privilege) and that
> is light years more progressive and effective than than going on about
> how your not a racist and your oppressed too (not saying anyone here has
> done that but it's a common response from liberal folks).
> I think paying wage is a great way to enable marginalize peoples to
> participate in Com. Bike shops and I'm sure there are many more, we need
> to find those too! Keep the ideas coming!
> Andrew
> FM Community Bicycle Workshop
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