Fahrradsozialismus

Came across this BBC programme exploring some current issues in road use in Britain posted here. Regardless of the necessarily limited background information, perspective & purposefully sensationalistic choice of style & subject matter that is almost inevitable in the mainstream media, it is still an excellent documentary providing some wonderful insights, especially as valuable lessons & warnings for Australia in terms of what can happen when a car culture tries to evolve, though some imageries strangely reminiscent of the early days of cycling:

Mao said once that correctly identifying one’s enemies is of principal importance in the revolution. In this case there are no enemies but ourselves.

Ariel in Disney’s Little Mermaid, fascinated by the human artefacts, remarked that no being who can create so much beauty can be evil (or something along those lines). Without entrapping myself too deeply by trying to define good & evil, especially in the context of human activity (though arguably they only apply therein), but many aspects of what is considered to be “evil” are nothing but complex manifestations of natural selection, that of the strong triumphing over the weak, be it in warfare, politics, economics or personal interaction. It is often despairing to think that despite the glossy appearance of civilisation & progress, we are still inherently driven by the natural laws of survival, and being alive is nothing but a struggle for supremacy, be it over one’s peers or one’s surroundings, just like the rest of what we call life. After all, success is defined by the relative failures of others.

One crucial difference however, is that we are aware, or at least are able to decontextualise actions enough to assign some meaning & order to our seemingly inevitable path of struggle, and rationalise them by creating higher purposes & that little thing called posterity. Taoist view on morality suggests that the very inception of such moral values & social norms are nothing but evidence of triumph of the opposite. Indeed due to the limitation of human language and perhaps cognitive processes in general, ideas are inevitably contrastable.

Ultimately then, this is an issue of universal values, something I have battled with ever since that initial curiosity that many are confronted with concerning what is right or wrong.

Take the varying views presented in the video, I have no doubt each individual view presented is sincerely believed. Isn’t the father wanting maximum comfort, convenience & security a perfectly reasonable response to what is perceived to be a hostile environment, even though others might not? Don’t the actions of critical mass “anarchists” demonstrate a sincere desire to defend & exert their rightful respect & recognition as road users, even if it is also perfectly reasonable to view them as confrontational & disruptive by the everyday motorist? Ultimately people will be first and foremost selfish, that again is perhaps animalistic. Tolerance & consideration for others, at least in the way we understand them, would have to be something uniquely human, and are often forgotten when one’s immediate interest is perceived to be threatened. I believe what I believe because I believe it, yet this applies to everyone, and being individualistic creatures without a shared consciousness, the beliefs will necessarily be different, even if they are rendered into identical linguistic symbols.

As communal creatures, we must make judgement on others in order to interact, and inevitably they will be based on one’s own predilections, even if we consciously remind ourselves to consider others’ opinion, for those still will be our own – evident in the irony that is this very post, but dualism is an integral part of human experience.

Having excelled my previous efforts in having an irrelevant interposition, do I really have anything constructive to offer thematically related to cycling, apart from the usual convoluted syntactic travesties? Not really, since I am only too aware of my biases & unreasonable partialities often on purely emotional & aesthetic grounds, but that, too, is something human.

Perhaps it is empathy towards one’s own kind, but my sentiments have often been on the side of the weak & the loser, be it in history, literature or on the rare occasion, sporting events. It’s not just that old rooting for the underdog mentality, but a general distaste for power projection & imposition, at least on a conscious level – such things should be fictitious & facetious only. One can certainly regard such a mentality as weakness itself or even cowardice, and in the animalistic sense it indeed would be, and perhaps a trend evolutionarily undesirable, but I do believe there is something to be said about holding the welfare of the weak, or more precisely those perceived at a disadvantage to yourself, as being paramount, and disengage from the race to the top, even if just a little bit.

In essence, the message is very simple – be considerate to other road users, and in particular, to those road users who are at a disadvantage to you – even if they might not be reciprocal or in the right technically speaking. For example, I tend to ride onto the dirt next to the cycle path when people take their walk occupying both sides. I’ve also often been given way to at zebra crossings which strictly speaking should only be done for pedestrians. Regardless of actual motivation, be it courtesy or caution, it is simply nice to give & receive such consideration to others. Perhaps a principle of least imposition, if a wanky name is called for.

Granted I do commute in the relatively insulated & relaxed traffic environment that is Canberra. Indeed I often have trouble crossing roads in some parts of China where it would be impossible for pedestrians to cross without forcibly cutting cars off. I don’t know whether such ethos is the product of the environment or vice versa, but I suspect it’s a little of both. Like all such idealisations, it’s only workable in any real sense when everyone is willing to give it a go, but when it become natural, the road will be infinitely more pleasant to use. One could go further and say that such attitude should pervade other aspects of human activity, and indeed it’s certainly not novel in the least in the message. That however, would be an ecumenical matter.

Or El socialismo puede llegar solo en la bicicleta in the original Spanish by José Antonio Viera Gallo. Came across this quote whilst search for random associations between political movements & the proliferation of bicycles. My knowledge of Spanish rarely extents itself beyond the culinary fields, and thus I have no idea whether the English rendition is a faithful one or not (If any Spanish speaking readers can help out, it’d be muchos bueno. Gracias!). The most obvious interpretation I get politically is that socialism should take place gradually & not through violent & reactionary social changes, evolution, not revolution - to use an over-used phrase.

Irrespective of what he meant, the quote is quite perfect for what the cycle-socialist cause stands for -as confused and confusing ideologically as it maybe, both literally & in its implied message.

There are increasing number of public demonstrations regarding the better recognition & general road rights for cyclists around the developing cycling cultures such as Critical Masses & more arguably more eye-catching World Naked Bike Ride. One must admire the level of energy & devotion the participants have in events such as these, and the level of exposure alone would indeed have some impact on the public perception of cyclists. However as fond of dynamic or even militant political imagery as I am, personally I tend to favour more subtlety in one’s words & actions in reality. And like all forms of political activism, there’s bound to be some hostile reactions to the act itself, regardless of how well-meaning & logically sound the arguments are. There is a great little discussion over at Zakkaliciousness’ site with some helpful suggestions & insights.

Look at Jesus for example, some of the most beautiful ideas to ever grace this earth, and look what happened to him?! Ok perhaps not entirely comparable, not to mention grossly irreligious, but the point is probably valid. so ardent activism aside, perhaps it also will help to take a rather more relaxed position in the promotion of cycling, a form of political passivism if you will. Instead of organised mass rides of power projection & tours of solidarity, try to influence those around you through your own actions through practical examples of using a bike for everyday purposes & not just something for the weekends. Sure the statement you are making won’t have the same “Shock & Awe” as riding an iridescent pink Penny Farthing through CBD in your birthday suit (though to me probably less confusing), but in the long run the permeation is more enduring.

Like what is said in the Tao Te Ching (or was it an episode of Futurama?)

The best sovereigns rule with insouciance. Once his deeds are accomplished, people will say, “This has always been the way it has been before .”

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Though without full knowledge of the affair about initial agreements & settlements from both sides it is unwise to make any comment, but it is a proud tradition to root for the underdogs regardless of legal & moral correctitude - though one could always argue about what can be construed by the term “underdog” and its specific interpretation under this particular circumstance, but such things should come from the heart, not the mind.

It is not too often (or perhaps it is not often enough) you see such defiance against the currents of globalisation where profit reigns supreme. Of course conditions of the workers in mass manufacturing plants in developing countries are bettered in absolute terms, and the economic progress & social stability implied by such inflows of foreign capital does wonders for market confidence, so that they too can one day become a developed nation, so it all seems like a win-win situation. But without even suggesting the neo-impreialist undercurrent of such mode of development & the inherent condescension of the morality behind it, the smaller manufacturers in the developed world are also direct victims. Call it petty provincialism, but keeping local things local has its quaint charms.