(I answer below this wise assessment of why cars hate us)

Originally Posted by trackhub
The question of "why do people really hate cyclists?" is one that
really confounds. Heck, it could probably me the subject of a few
undergrad sociology papers. But basically it's:

-Cyclists are in the way, "blocking traffic!" (Numero Uno.)

-Cyclists are not part of the mainstream. They ride bicycles instead
of drive cars. They don't spend their weekends at shopping malls, or
parked in front of the tv, watching a "real sport". "Real" because it
involves a ball, and lots of screaming and yelling.

-Cyclists don't eat at fast food restaurants. This is not to say
cyclists are all veggies. I'm not. It's just that most cyclists don't
eat the arty-clogging sludge sold by the clown and company, and they
choose to not be part of "consumer culture". This is not just breaking
the status quo: It's downright un-american. People regard any such
group, cyclists or otherwise, with suspicion. (Search your feelings,
you know it to be true!)

-In the backs of their minds, people who live at malls, and behind the
wheel, know that people who exercise by riding a bike will probably
out-live them. This drives them crazy, knowing that when they're below
ground, many cyclists will still be riding around.

-The bike is a versatile device. It has been around for more than 100
years. So, here we are, in the "age of the automomobile" . I still
believe that in another 100 years, the car will be gone, but the bike
will still be here. They know this too, and it drives them crazy.

-Motorists, especially American motorists, are convinced that "the
roads were put here for cars!" Trying to tell them facts, such as the
fact that bicycles were on the roads before cars, or that roads were
paved after lobbying by the League of American wheelmen, is wasteful
of time and energy. But secretly, they know you are right, and they
hate it.

Well, that's my two Turkish Lira's worth.

***

And they hate us because we get away with beautiful vehicles for a
fraction of what they pay for theirs...

I think this is at the core of their hate: "I BOUGHT THIS CAR, I BUY
GASOLINE, INSURANCE, TOLLS, ETC, THEREBY THIS ROAD IS MINE AND THESE
MONKEYS WON'T SLOW ME DOWN!"

Of course, we hate their arrogance, but do you expect?


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In a land where the average driver doesn't seem to be above the ape,
it may seem counterintuitive or even stupid to ride a bike... But a
man gotta do, what a man gotta do.