Over the past few days Singletracks has shared news about the current dialogue around racial justice and equality as it intersects with the cycling world, and frankly I’m feeling disappointed and discouraged. Disappointed by the negative comments and emails sent by readers. Discouraged that people of color continue to struggle for equality and basic empathy despite so many wake up calls over the years, not unlike the one we’re experiencing right now. Again.
Perhaps the most discouraging part to me is that none of this is news, even when it comes to our relatively insulated world of mountain biking. Four years ago we talked about just how white and male mountain biking is. In 2018 we explored why that’s the case, exposing the barriers to mountain biking for African Americans like Donna Iannicelli. We’ve highlighted communities where groups like NICA and Trips for Kids are doing their part to make mountain biking more accessible to people from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. But it hasn’t been nearly enough.
Ever since serving in the US military, I’ve believed in fighting for freedom and justice for all, and as the editor of Singletracks I’ll continue to lead and do the same within the context of covering what’s happening in the mountain bike industry and culture. We work hard to remain unbiased in our coverage of the mountain bike world, but racial injustice and discrimination is one area where we’ll proudly wear our bias for inclusivity, empathy, and compassion, especially for those who are marginalized.
And there’s still a lot of work to be done. While Singletracks may not have a pile of money to donate or bikes to give away, we do have a voice and will use it to more clearly support those who are treated unfairly. I’m optimistic that perspectives can be changed through hearing each others’ stories and learning about the world around us. As journalists, sharing stories what we do best. And we all have much to learn.
So many of us turn to mountain biking to escape from the turmoil and current events in the world around us, and we know many of you read Singletracks and listen to our podcast for a similar escape. But racism isn’t something we can just put on mute; unfortunately it still exists everywhere, even within our sport and industry. If reading about these issues in your favorite mountain bike publication makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s a good thing. That’s how progression works, in mountain biking and in life.
And if you’re fortunate enough to have the time, energy, money, and freedom to go for a bike ride this weekend, use the opportunity to clear your head and think about the current situation and how you can help.
At the very least, let’s all consider what we can do to “love one another.”
Share This:
35 Comments
Thank you for calling us all in to the conversation, Jeff. We’re long overdue for some important learning and cultural growth.
Login to reply👏 👏
Login to replyI am older and have had the opportunity to travel around the country and worked internationally in multiple countries during my life. I have seen many instances of racial, ethnic, religious and economic injustices everywhere I have been. It is a sad statement for humanity that we cannot seem to overcome personal prejudices just because we don’t like people that are ‘different’. Through all my travels, I am convinced that everyone wants the same thing, a way to make a living, a sense of security and to feel accepted into the community. For some reason, we as a species cannot seem to overcome simple differences even though we all want the same thing. So please, going forward, try and remember that the person you have just judged as inferior or a danger just wants the same thing you do.
Login to replyIn the past few days I’ve seen a great number of black cyclists come online to discuss their experiences. I’m encouraged to act because of their courage, but mostly because I’m white and part of the problem. I need to listen, make space in my environment to help, and follow through with action. The cycling community has a great volunteerism which I’ve been fortunate to be a part of in the past. I need to return to that calling.
Login to replyThose who say “this is a mtn biking site, no room for politics” are probably the same ones who boo’d Kaepernick for kneeling during the NA. Yet they want peaceful protests. I guess Kaepernick’s form of protest was too violent for them. I thought this is the “land of the free”, where we claim “Liberty and justice for ALL”? #blacklivesmatter
Login to replyIt is best said that all lives matter… Why is it limited?
@Sunspot, Pinkbike actually had a pretty good explanation for this in their post about the current movement.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/race-and-accessibility-in-the-mountain-bike-community.html
“For practice, here’s the first new guideline. No #alllivesmatter or #bluelivesmatter comments. While they’re technically inclusive, they’re designed to undermine and delegitimize the movement. It’s saying “the status quo is fine, your suffering doesn’t matter” to people who are hurting. #blacklivesmatter has an inclusive subtext—“Black lives matter too,” not “only Black lives matter.” Saying “all lives matter” is like going to an AIDS walk and shouting “All Diseases Matter!” It’s interpreted as a thinly veiled racist statement. Please don’t do it.”
Jeff, I find that in my experience on the trails or in town, I ride with many different people regardless of nationality, skin color or any other thing that some will use as an excuse to pass judgement. These folks are my community, and we have one hell of a good time doing our rides, deeds etc. since we are on bikes, getting around, doing a variety of things. Since there is that diversity, it is in a healthy state until there is inherent exclusion from God only knows what source. We stand together as protesters were bused in to our town to create a ruckus. We will continue to do so. BLM is sounding so excessively exclusive! I insist on outsiders letting us live in harmony since we have it and did it without outside influence.
People across the globe have been bigoted since time began and it has been unacceptable since and still is. May we grow past the current state and take something away from it and heal, I certainly hope so. MLK would be furious with how far back things have gone in the last decade or two…
Many of your readers are discouraged by your view point that because we disagree with you we are uncaring racist. Where is your outrage about comments like the one by grannymaster- where is your harsh response to her???. Your article is condescending and weak. If you have to back your point up by saying “If you disagree you’re a racist” it is because your point is weak. If you were such a great guy, why did it take this incident for you to act? Where were you last week, last year, all your life??? Your article and your actions appear disingenuous to me. All lives matter and Black Lives Matter is a racist organization. Have courage, do the right thing, don’t just spout off like you’re a great guy. What did you do about the 18 blacks killed in Chicago just last weekend? Or do you only care about blacks killed by white cops? More unarmed whites were killed by police than unarmed blacks (greater than the population percention). We should be worried about all people and all lives. It appears the police grossly mishandled this situation and will be in court to face the penalty- that is how our system works. I hope they are punished to the fullest extent. But if all you “High Road” people really cared, you’d care about all the blacks dying in this country, not just the high profile ones where you can make yourself feel good.
Login to reply@Gdb49: I don’t think being intentionally inflammatory is helpful here. Of course all lives matter, that’s the point isn’t it? The intent I personally get from “Black Lives Matter” is to recognize that the world is a very different place for some. Saying all lives matter all the time diminishes the hardships and unique difficulties many have to live. I’m thinking you could use some of your anger about your own life to help empathize with those that are clearly and unfortunately disadvantaged. Just a thought.
No judgement, and I am loathe to accuse anyone of being racist — this is not a personal attack on anyone. Admittedly I’ve had racist thoughts myself, and I’ve surely done things that could be considered racist. All I’m suggesting is that we all, myself included, take a moment to see things through others’ eyes, to listen to their stories, and to empathize with what they are feeling.
I’ll freely admit that I don’t know everything, I’m not perfect, and I have a lot to learn. Sorry if that wasn’t clear from what I wrote.
Zoso- Did you forget to comment on grannymaster??? The only anger in my comments is directed towards the condescending tone and assumputive statements made. If the rest seems angry it’s because you can’t stand being disagreed with. Look how condescending and assumptive your last sentence is- where was your statement grannymaster, who was far more inflammatory? This article is insulting, and yes that pisses me off, but that does mean I’m an angry person, it means I have feelings and can be hurt by insults. How could not think there was not more than one possibility? It’s simply you people on the others side are racist, uncaring and angry. Well the people on my side think you are oversimplifying the situation. BLM is still holding signs that say “Hands up don’t shoot” and that NEVER happened, they pay people to insight violence- so yes I call them a bad organization. Why not answer some of my specific questions? Where all of you just last weekend when 18 blacks died in just Chicago? Where were you anytime before this incident? If these officers are going to trial, why can’t we wait for all the facts and there punishment before we decide if it was handled correctly? Anger? What about people out on the streets vandalizing? Where are your comments about that? Isn’t that your side of this issue behaving poorly? This isn;t just one simple issue and people can disagree without the high and mighty calling everyone who doesn’t jump on their bandwagon a racist. We will never solve racism as long as we continue to let the wrong people lead the discussion and until we have an honest and OPEN discussion about race. This is not a 100% white person driven issue. Finally- I love you criticize me and within one breath insult me. please feel free to comment on grannymaster.
Login to replyHopefully we can all agree that within ANY group, there are some individuals who will exhibit bad behavior. Personally I won’t even go so far as to say there are good people and bad people because no one is always good, nor do I believe anyone is all bad either. We’re imperfect — and incredibly complicated — humans. Not to be trite, but it’s the same with bikes. With every bike we test there are things we like about a particular model, and things we don’t. But we don’t judge an entire brand based on one bike, or even worse, one aspect of one bike.
Yes, there are protesters who choose to do bad things sometimes (most don’t.) And there are law enforcement officers who also choose to do bad things sometimes (again, most don’t.) Is either group bad, or good?
No, that’s not fair to say and frankly, it’s what this whole call for awakening is about. African Americans have been judged, as a group, by many of us based on negative stereotypes. We don’t do that to bikes, and we certainly shouldn’t do that to humans.
Maybe there are folks out there who already get this and execute it perfectly in their thoughts and actions. Kudos to them, and sorry to waste their time. But I personally have work to do and can use an occasional challenge and reminder.
How does the Donna Iannicelli story have anything to do with racism?
Login to replyI don’t think the word racism was ever used in the context of that story. But I do believe that by understanding others’ struggles and getting to know them, we’re less likely to be prejudiced against others who look like them.
Jeff, The headline is barriers to mountain biking for African Americans and it is included in this article about racism…. why include it if there is no racism. What does her economic struggle have to do with her looks or anyone that looks like her?
Good questions. It’s a complicated relationship for sure and worth researching.
Jeff- Thank you for that last comment, it is appreciated. I think the frustration for me comes from when people believe they are so much smarter that they can judge our intent. I believe there is a very different solution to this problem then you and some of your members. For someone to think they can judge my intent (call people racist) is insulting. I do believe we can do better, but we are so one sided and unwiling to have an honest conversation that it won’t happen until we change the leadership that currently is dictating this discussion (to be clear, not the leadership of this website). Everytime the conservatives speak we are shut down with intolerant language and it seems to go unnoticed- happened on this site several times. Why have and others responded to me so many times but seemed completely unoffended by the rude comments made by those agreeing with you. I would like to hear your opinion on grannymasters comment, agree with her or not, but comment on it. Until we have the courage to have an honest conversation and change the leadership that has plagued this issue for decades (Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, BLM) we will never solve the true problems. They might not be the people you think of as leaders, but they have been at the forefront of the public forum, and profited greatly for it. I am a conservative and so are many of my friends and everyone of us was offended by the recent incident and hopes those men are punished for their crimes!
Login to reply👍
Your comment about online comments is noted. Comment moderators aren’t perfect people either (myself included), and it’s a hard job because there’s a lot of gray between an acceptable comment and an unacceptable one. We actually started researching an improved comment system a couple weeks ago and hope to have a better solution in place soon.
It’s important to have a forum for discussions about mountain bikes (and very occasionally other topics) so we’ll do our best to support helpful and informative conversation.
Thank-you for jumping into this subject. It is complicated.
I freely admit I am ashamed that I have not taken this issue…problem more seriously. As soldier and Christian who has taken multiple short term mission trips, I have been much more gracious to other peoples’ struggles in other countries but have not be as attentive to my fellow Americans. I have failed in the past but that is not an excuse not to act, speak, listen now.
Recently in a conversation with a black man, David, he made the point that the ‘Too’ gets left out of ‘Black Lives Matter.’ Black Lives Matter Too. The statement is inclusive when properly quoted.
Many here seem to against the organization Black Lives Matter. I can get the issue there. So I asked my new friend David, a black minister, who should I support. He suggested the NAACP. He also encouraged me to talk to my white friends, family and acquaintances. People I have access to that he would not come in contact with.
I say this with all humility. I don’t have the answers but would challenge all of us to drop the defensiveness and listen and appreciate diversity in color and thoughts. We don’t have to agree 100 percent.
Login to replyI’ve been visiting this site as of late. I generally do not respond to articles, this post was enough to cause me to register.
Jeff,
First, three questions:
1. What is your evidence or rationale for asserting that Derek Chauvin’s killing of George Floyd was motivated by racism?
2. Is truth a virtue worth pursuing…or signaling?
3. Does the name Daniel Shaver ring a bell ?
Do you really want a dialogue?
Discussions about racial justice in the public sphere are rarely if ever a “dialogue”. They are a mono-logue with the implicit assertion that there is one way to think about the matter, based a set of pre-suppositions with a pre-determined conclusion. Regrettably, but not surprisingly, your article is not an exception. Even more regrettable, is that the discussion is buried deep within a larger political and economic agenda. All the while, the very legitimate issue of police brutality, morality, right and wrong are mere road kill. You claim to want a dialogue, but are then discouraged that people disagree with you. A real dialogue includes degrees of disagreement and agreement.
To use a BLM graphic as a header really does a disservice to the notion of having an honest dialogue about race and police conduct. BLM is a framing device for the issue. It is assumed that the only way correct way to think about race and police conduct is through the filter of this organizations viewpoint and agenda. Pardon the pun, but this black and white thinking is smokescreen to eliminate and stigmatize those who do not subscribe to their narrative. People are now getting fired and investigated for “hate crimes” if they assert that “all lives matter”.
It is certainly worth noting that BLM’s originated in the corrupt prosecution of another George- George Zimmerman. A gross miscarriage of justice. It was a political prosecution. Read the case, read the evidence, and research the media’s role in prosecuting George Zimmerman.
Related observations:
Why is it offensive that mountain biking is “white and male” ? At my local park, a bunch of guys play Cricket. They are all dark and Indian, is that wrong? The players in the NBA and NFL are 80-90 % black, is that exclusionary? Why isn’t that problematic? I have yet to see a Japanese American in a Mariachi band. Is that evidence of exclusion? Racism? Why not?
On that note, I’ve long been troubled that there aren’t more Filipinos in the NBA. Surely that’s a sign of systematic exclusion and racism. Isn’t it?
Your assumption and the dominant narrative, is that because a racial groups representation in a particular institution, industry or in this case a sport, does not correlate with the statistical representation at large, then there is something racist going on. This assertion is so myopic, shallow, and anti-intellectual that it boggles the mind. There’s a level of willing ignorance going on that’s hard to get my head around. “Racism” and lack of “diversity” are now the magic unicorn terms to explain every real or perceived injustice and inequity. “Racism” has become a smokescreen to obfuscate truthful examination, multi faceted examination in order to come to predetermined political and economic outcomes. The definition of the term is now so vast, so elastic and so all encompassing that it has lost meaning. More so, the term is applied so selectively, that the hypocrisy is clear to see by any halfway honest person.
The military?
When’s the last time the U.S, military fought for freedom and justice? Whens the last time the US military was merely a defensive force rather than the imperial cudgel that it is? Certainly not during your stint in it. You voluntarily worked for an institution and government that has killed, maimed and displaced millions of darker skin people in the last 20 years. They just happened to be located on another continent. Apparently the unjustified killing of dark skinned people is ok as long as it’s in the Middle East or Africa. Not that there is unwillingness to kill light skinned folks as well, Serbs, Russians… I know, I’ve seen the Defense Dept recruiting propaganda… the US military is a “Global force for Good”. Yep, the US military are social workers in camo, just with M4’s and Hellfire missles.
Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain
Lastly, but most importantly, there is a real and present danger of excessive deadly force by police in America- on everyone. The data and the contextual data strongly contradict the assertion that blacks are particularly vulnerable to death by cop, and that racism on the part of the police is a motivating factor. BLM, politicians, corporate America, the corporate media , and the power elite have everything invested in propagating this narrative. Facts and data be damned. A divided public is a controllable one. It’s worth repeating, I’m only referring to deaths, not other forms of unjustified harassment.
This is the real issue that the powers that (shouldn’t) be, want to hide- excessive force on all Americans. Government violence is a threat that we all face.
Which leads me to the Daniel Shaver question at the beginning of my post… Unless you web searched him- no you most likely have no idea who he was. He was murdered in cold blood by the Mesa, AZ police dept. in 2016. Unfortunately he suffered the misfortune of being a white victim of police criminality. No one will protest (or loot & riot) , no one will march, No political activist orgs will collect millions in checks, no celebrities will preen about with their virtue signaling, no corporate websites will not celebrate his cause, no so-called civil rights leaders will give a damn about him. You see, he’s the wrong race, he does not serve the real agenda. For all the faux talk about “inclusivity”, Daniel Shaver like thousands of others is not the right race to matter.
Maybe, just maybe this is why some utter that all lives matter. There are many that truly do believe all lives matter… the George Floyds and the Daniel Shavers.
I’ll warn you now, the footage is cop-cam footage. It is extremely graphic, and disturbing. Do not allow your young ones to watch.
Daniel Shaver Youtube links of the actual murder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OflGwyWcft8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBUUx0jUKxc
Login to replyThank you, Soulcrafty for a real message regarding a difficult topic. Putting into perspective is really necessary and this does the deed very well.
Racism has no place in humanity, period.
Soulcrafty,
The reason that the killing of George Floyd by officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests and discussion around institutionalized racism is not based on any knowledge that Chauvin is racist. Only he, and possibly his wife who filed for divorce the following day, know that. We all have unfounded biases toward other people that we may not even know about, but we don’t know what Chauvin’s are.
These protests and discussions are born from the fact that another white police officer used his power to kill another unarmed black man. A disproportionate number of people of color who are stopped by police are then shot by the police, as compared to white people who are stopped by the police, and people are tired of it. There are countless statistics to back up those correlations, but I’ll let you look those up. While white people are also shot and brutalized by police, that violence is not perpetuated because of the color of their skin.
Hence the movement titled Black Lives Matter. The point is not that other lives don’t matter. It never has been. The point is that Black people have been treated as if they don’t matter for hundreds of years, and the fact that they have to fear for their lives on a daily basis hasn’t mattered. Those of us protesting for a change to institutionalized racism are asking for everyone, including police officers, to see our Black community members as full and equal humans–and to behave accordingly.
To continue the conversation about diversity in cycling, both as a sport and a subculture, here is my philosophy as a journalist. Riding bikes is something that feeds my soul in ways nothing else has. I want to share the joy and challenge this sport gives me with as many people as possible. When I talk to women and people of color in the community I consistently learn ways that the sport, industry, and culture are exclusionary and could be improved. I report on those stories and will continue to because I want everyone to feel welcome to enjoy riding bikes.
As in our broader society, having a more diverse range of voices, experiences, and perspectives throughout cycling culture can only make our sport better–for all of us.
Brian
Can you specific examples of exclusion that are not related to economics?
The current discussion about race-based inequality in America goes well beyond the specific cases you mention. If you’re truly interested in getting answers to your questions I suggest consulting a news publication rather than Singletracks.
Bacon Fat,
There are many examples of exclusion that are not related to economics, and I’ll let people of color, women, and other folks, share those stories through a series of coming interviews. Stay tuned!
Login to replyJeff, since this is a mtn bike website. I am specifically interested in cases of racism in cycling. Let expose the problem in detail so that others can learn and work to fix it.
We’ll do our best. Unfortunately in addition to overt forms of racism, systemic and institutional racism do exist in mountain biking even though we’re not always aware of it.
Brian,
You wrote:
“While white people are also shot and brutalized by police, that violence is not perpetuated because of the color of their skin.”
You know this how? On the one hand you assert that Derek Chauvin’s racial intentions are not really germane to the discussion, while on the other hand you posit the absolutist claim above?
Justice necessitates precision, evidence and an earnest attempt to pursue the truth. George Floyd deserves it, Derek Chauvin deserves it and the broader issue deserves it. Additional deaths (including many black victims, millions in destroyed property and and trashed infrastructure… and you don’t think a more circumspect analysis is in order? White on black racism is always assumed in these deaths- even when the narrative falls apart after further examination. George Zimmerman was a white man, except he was half Peruvian (hispanic). Phillando Castille was shot by a a white cop, except the cop was hispanic, Freddie Grays killing was from racist cops, except 5 out of the 4 cops who were indicted were black- including the supervising officer. The cops who were responsible for Eric Garners death were racist, except one of the arresting officers was a black female detective, if memory serves. It doesn’t matter, nothing to see here- the conclusion is always racism and it will always be racism, irregardless of other facts and considerations. In conjunction, typically the corporate media does their best to propagate this narrative and attempts to cover their tracks when found out. Most people lose interest once the story leaves the news cycle in the United States of Amnesia. Attention deficit disorder democracy. In each of these cases, the media was caught red handed crafting the narrative through omission or commission.
In so many of these cities either the mayor, the police chief and a significant number of city council folks, or all of the above are black. Yet, “institutionalized racism” must be the cause of excessive force? The most powerful entities in the US: the government, political, corporate, big tech giants, entertainment, sports, financial educational (and often) religious elite talk are all on the same page with the assertion of “institutionalized racism”, yet they are the ones in charge. Hmmm.
If these cities were so concerned about cop racism, why haven’t they enacted meaningful reforms before? Did the police unions interfere? Do they really want to reform or is it lip service? Do they have contradictory motives? To the degree that this police behavior goes on, it goes on for years with no remediation from the city until it blows up in their face. Then they will invoke crocodile tears and institute reforms that often put the public at greater risk while also taking their rights away. Well, at least the rights of certain groups.
Does hiring a bunch of combat vets to be cops seem like a good idea? The combat mindset should be very different from being a policeman in a civilian environment. How much battlefield mindset spillover happens? How effective if there was any, was the screening for PTSD?
Last but not least, the concept of “Qualified immunity” should be a more understood term in this discussion. It is a policy derived from a Supreme Court decision handed down in the early 70’s. It is a probably as great as any incentive for police to behave recklessly. What could go wrong, police are nearly certain to avoid prosecution for heavy handed behavior. What could possibly go wrong?
Why does so much of American policing depend on consultants and training form the Israeli military? There appears to be a strong correlation of mindsets and tactics.
Brian, I have looked up data, I’ve also been following this issue of excessive use of force by police for years.
The assertion that a disproportionate number of black people are killed by police is true. It’s also true that %52 of homicides are committed by blacks (1980-2008) . It’s also true that %40 of homicides of police are committed by blacks (recent, although not 2020 numbers) . Additionally blacks are significantly over represented per their population in manslaughter, aggravated assault, robbery and rape per capita (2011-2013). As a racial demographic they are far more inclined to be suspects in crimes and circumstances where deadly force by cop is involved. Drug offenses are also a significant contributor to the greater likelihood of police encounters. Another great reason to end the insane drug war. Another research study also showed that cops were slower to pull the trigger on black suspects than whites, measured by the time elapsed between presentation with a threat (either black or white) to the release of the trigger. Also important, black on white violence is incredibly disproportionate to the percentage of blacks and whites in the population. Interracial violence is a thing, a predominantly black thing. Sorry it turns the black genocide by whites trope on its head. Avail yourself of the DOJ data liked below. Likewise, the Washington Post database also shows the genocide by cop trope to be fallacious, at best. Shooting deaths of unarmed black suspects in the last year of the project (2019?) were shown to be exactly ten. In six of those ten cases, the shooting was precipitated by the suspect assaulting the responding officer. The officer was prosecuted in two of the ten cases.
This is why contextual data is so important. To omit it could be a simple error but is often dishonest and agenda driven. Context is essential to an honest and informed discussion. That said, I realize that in the end reason is now being rejected, and facts are rejected in favor of an emotion only based environment. The post reason, post logic, post truth era is upon us. The only thing that matters is “the feels”. I’ll be curious to know how this works out on any level for anything. Authoritarianism, thought crimes, Dystopia, death, destruction and strife come to mind.
Regarding BLM’s mission, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re not being intentionally opaque about their expansive mission. They and their fellow travelers need this to be always and only about race, that is why they and their water carriers jealously guard the narrative that these events and issues are the sole prerogative of black Americans. They own the story, they own the narrative. Dare to introduce contradictory logic, data ( statistical or anecdotal ) and you will be encountered by emotional arguments, full of assertions and presuppositions and often little else. Brian, your response is no exception. It is asserted that the constructs of “Institutional racism”and “diversity” are apriori truths and should be assumed to be true. I don’t accept these presuppositions. Manipulated, coercive and forced diversity is always a selectively applied construct. It’s self contradictory at its core.
I find that this kind of social conditioning to be insulting and deeply patronizing to everyone, particularly to the designated victim group of the day. I suspect there are many who just want to ride their bike with whoever and hangout with other riders online. The need to collectively identify by race, gender, age etc., is the core of the problem you claim to care about. Fundamental to genuine racism is collectivism: collective guilt, collective animosity and collective identity. Collectivism is the core of genuine racism, sadly perpetuated and weaponized by those who claim to be fighting racism. The irony its rich. More collectivism is not the solution to collectivism.
Hey guys, it’s your site, and your prerogative to have it be a SJW mountain bike site. I have my doubts that the public is hankering for a SJW MTB site, we’ll have to see. I can already see the articles:
“Are white bikes racist?” “Are single speeders dog whistling white supremacy?”…”One cog, one race?”
Although given that your presumed demographic sees politics in everything and everything is political, you might break new ground. Personally I don’t get it. If folks are so inclined, they can go to Salon, Slate , NPR, ABC etc. to consume the content you’re pushing. You run the risk of knee capping your USP as a low key and unique MTB site for the sake of ideology. I suspect that the urge to go down this path will damage this site and turn in it into an ideological hangout, while alienating a sizable portion of your audience. It’s a shame, it was a nice respite from MTBR.com, which I’ve been visiting for 25 years. Alas, I hate E bikes. My quest to find another MTB site to hang out on continues.
And thank you Sunspot for the kind word.
Over and out.
P.S.
NEWSFLASH! This just in… Another gift from the Big Tech Social Media oligarchs. Apparently, Instagrams appetite for censorship has not yet been satiated. It has reportedly censored a post that includes some of the data included below- in spite of the post including platform required citations and obedience to guidelines. In particular the data sheet on interracial violent crime incidents.
If true, this is so rich…and not surprising. We now have “hate facts”.
Resource links:
DOJ: The first two are from the DOJ, they are Homicide trends in the US, and Criminal Victimization stats from 2018. The latter includes stats (page 13, Table 14) for interracial crime. Multiply the hard number in the first column by the chosen race in columns 4-8 to derive the total violent incidents committed by any race upon another. Ex: To determine black on white crime multiply 3,581,360 x 15.3 (%) = 547,948 total violent incidents. To do black on white violent incidents: 563,940 x 10.6 = 597,778 total violent incidents
Washington Post: The Washington Post links are from their Police shooting database project. They ended the project in 2019 but included a supplemental update for 2020. Some of these articles are behind a paywall.
Lastly, although no link is included, this is from a recent article in the Wall Street Journal: “A 2015 DOJ analysis of the Philadelphia PD found that white officers were less likely than black or Hispanic officers to shoot unarmed black suspects. Research by Harvard economist Roland G. Freyer JR. also found no evidence of racial discrimination in shootings, any evidence to the contrary fails total into account crime rates and civilian behavior before and during interactions with police”
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv18.pdf
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/
The CDC, and FBI are also huge repositories of other relevant data pertaining to crime.
Login to replySoulcrafty,
You seem to have an impressive amount of time to drag my points into the philosophical holes you want them to fit inside. Following your original complaint about the above article, it appears that you’re only interested in being seen as “right”–and not invested in a genuine dialogue. You have typed a lot of words herein against the anti-racist Black Lives Matter movement that is positively influencing real political and cultural change at this very moment. I’m curious what you are actively doing about any of the things you wrote. Care to share?
I don’t have the same free time to devote to typing with one person, as I already write all day. I also would prefer to discuss this topic with folks who see positive change happening and choose to support it. I am going to spend my energy working on intriguing stories about/around mountain biking that our readers often enjoy. If you want to comment on one of those, maybe we can have a constructive chat.
I’ll also continue elevating the voices and lived experiences of people who are underrepresented in MTB culture wherever possible in an effort to make our sport more welcoming for anyone who wants to give it a try. There’s nothing niche about that. In fact, every cycling site is thankfully doing the same work. Take a look at Vital MTB, Bike Mag, Singletrackworld.com, The Radavist, Velo News, Pinkbike, Outside, and many more. Good luck finding a bike brand or bike-related news site that doesn’t think we should focus energy and resources on welcoming a more diverse group of folks to cycling culture and the industry–and also doesn’t write about ebikes (which we do BTW).
To your note of Chauvin being racist or not, and whether it matters: I did not write that it doesn’t matter. That context certainly does matter. What I wrote is that we don’t know if he’s racist. Whether he is or not, I hope he is sent to general population for killing George Floyd.
I am all for the changes that are already coming from the current protests, and I look forward to seeing them continued.
Brian,
Login to replyDo you feel any responsibility to tell the truth? Unarmed blacks are shot at a lower rate than unarmed whites and both are such a small percentage to the overall death of people that it is hard to believe it seems to be the leading topic. BLM does intentionally lie and incite violence- “Hands up don’t shoot” didn’t happen, yet they hold signs up all the time. The have been caught paying people to incite violence at rallies to make things seem worse. This is not how we will reach a solution, the truth is important in coming to a long term solution and not just trying to sound caring and feel good about yourself. You come off as very insincere and condensing, that’s what we are sick of and why someone might spend time picking your weak arguements apart. You complain about comments, yet you insult others just as often just try to hide it by sounding slick. Courage is the most important trait a person can have- time to work on that. Courage by Gus Lee would be a great book for you to read. Yes, that last line was meant to mimic your condesending comments. See, we can make it sound pretty too.
Minnesota had a rogue officer that did a heinous crime with loads of witnesses. That officer really should be charged and prosecuted in murder one and his sidekicks that stood by grinning as Mr. Floyd drew his last breath, all the while, did nothing to intervene, thus are accessories to murder by default.
Onward…
When we look at the population of the USA, the number of bad actors is fairly low, per capita. When it comes to law enforcement personnel being bad actors, they should face the consequence that a civilian would. Pandering needs to be checked at the door too, since it serves no positive purpose other than to further politics and related agendas.
Gdb49.
I have not written anything that I don’t understand and believe to be true.
The only intentionally condescending words that I have written or will write start and end with this statement: I am done responding to folks who don’t support this effective anti-racist and anti-police-brutality movement.
This thread of conversation has been interesting and a back and forth but I am not sure we are the far apart.
We see where bad actors like the former police officer in Minneapolis have taken advantage of a situation for violence. None of us like either. We all probably agree we admire Martin Luther King Jr. Not a perfect man but he is peaceful protests and movement for equality helped our country. We seem to forget that there were other violent actions and protests at the same time. We are wanting to throw out all protests over the violent ones. My guess would be there are far more peaceful protests then then there are violent ones.
I am sure that police brutality affects all races. I know this as a white man. I have never been afraid of running into a racists police officer. I have never been afraid of the police unless I was up to something that would draw their attention or was sketchy. My mother or wife have never feared what if he runs into wrong officer while doing nothing wrong. I think we can agree that as white man or person that this hasn’t happened to us. And police brutality does exist. Let us not get caught up in who gets it more. It is wrong no matter who it happens to. So maybe there is room for reform. I know many good good officers. But is there not always room for improvement.
Most importantly we can all agree racism exists, sucks and is wrong. We don’t have to all agree to support the organization of Black Lives Matter. I don’t and won’t support the organization but I can agree with the statement ‘Black Lives Matter Too.’ We may disagree the degree of racism that exists in this country but it does exist. Let us agree we need to do something about it. Maybe you don’t feel called to lead an action or even support someone else, although that would be a shame. At the very least though we can avoid pushing back against those that are trying to do something good. Getting rid of racism is good. I challenge anyone to argue that.
We are attacking each other and no one here is advocating evil. Agree to disagree.
Racism bad!!!
Login to replyBrian, please be more specific when you refer to the EFFECTIVE movement? We all support anti-racisism and anti- any type of brutality, we just don’t agree with your solution. Once again, disagreeing with YOU does not make someone a racist, perhaps better thoughtout than you. You need to change the standard for calling people racist from those who disagree with you to those who perform actual racist acts. You are clearly not the gold standard and it’s embarrassing to listen to you put yourself on such a high pedestal. There is an inequality in this world between races and we all need to be part of the solution. I believe it’s people like you who are slowing down the process and not wanting to have an honest conversation. Fake righteousness is not helpful, try being honest and open minded instead of pretending to be or just take your ball and run home like you said you would in your last comment.
Login to reply