Andrea, Joshua, and everyone else,

Moderator here. All the Community Bike Shops would LOVE to figure out how to tip the scales so the bicycle industry so it isn't male dominated. We WANT to hear what you have to say, but you have to keep your tone calm and positive. If you can do that we are all ears, if you can't I (or one of the other moderators) will remove you from the list, not for the topic of the content, but for negative delivery.

This will be applied to ANY topic.

And for the record I don't have long hair anymore and there is too much snow for sandals, no comment on body part color. :)

Sincerely,

Jonathan Morrison Executive Director Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org

The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Bike City bikecityrecyclery@gmail.comwrote:

Greetings all butt-hurt dudes,

I'm a man working on a bike project in Arkansas. I know better than all of you who don't live here how sexist the South is, in general and in bicycles specifically. I haven't seen any behavior on your part that leads me to believe that you guys are any different. You are all part of the problem.

I read the beginning of this thread and all I saw was a person pissed off at bike talk emails on this list. I think bike talk should get their own list and stop mining this one. They aren't a bicycle project. They just talk about how cool bicycles are. Big deal.

I have read elsewhere on this thread where men have taken posts to this list personally. I never saw anyone mentioned by name, so why are you all so butt-hurt and defensive?

Furthermore, why shouldn't we discuss our privilege as males in life and in bicycles? If all of the books on bicycle history are going to link bicycles with dress reform and women's liberation then why shouldn't we discuss male privilege and female oppression, as it exists in the bicycle industry today? Why is this topic off the table for discussion?

I don't have the economic privilege to go to BikeBike once a year to spend an hour or two discussing the real problems with our male dominated bike culture and then pat our male selves on the back for being so progressive. This list is the only forum where I can discuss this. Or, to be correct, where I can try to discuss this.

What's your hang-up? Why does any attempt to discuss sexism on this list turn into a woman bashing free-for-all and all of the guilty men claim to be "good guys."

I'll confess that I'm writing to see if I, a dick-swinging man will get shouted down by the other men on this list. Or even...kicked off the list. Oh no!

I remember the last purge on this list when sexism was discussed. The male moderator who I'm sure is one of the "good guys" and above all reproach, kicked off his list anyone that disagreed with the de facto ethic that a woman's place is to shut up and get fucked.

I'm sure you're one of the good guys, dude. You probably fit the archetype of the "good guy." Chaco sandals, pony-tail, Subaru with some witty bumper stickers, white skin, pink penis, organic diet; and I know that your heart bleeds for the less privileged. Its easy to feel pity for those "less privileged" people when you don't have to confront your own privilege at the same time.

Truth is, I don't give a fuck if the only moderator is a male and he quashes any discussion of sexism on this list. I don't care if he kicks us off the list. Fuck him. I don't care because I know that all you guys are doing is making it clear to women and their allies that you are not people we can trust or work with.

If you're ever in Arkansas look me up, Moderator. I'll be the rabble-rouser with the wrench in his hand. If you feel tough enough, we can tussle.

Yee-haw,

Joshua

On Mon, 2009-12-28 at 21:31 -0800, John Boyer wrote:

...

rabble-rouser n. a person who tries to stir up groups of people with speeches tending to arouse them to acts of violence against some existing condition, usually to serve his/her own ends. - World book Dictionary

SBK (Sacramento Bike Kitchen) went through a period where a few rabble rousers had their way and it ended up in disintegrating the org. One must shine the light of day on this person quickly and deep six them from the org. Its the only way you can restore order, production and prosperity to your community bike shop.

John Boyer. Sacramento _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to

TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org

...

To manage your subscription, plase visit:

http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...

---

Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:

http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...