by jeffbean on March 19, 2010
The title of this post is a quote from Author Unknown–at least as far I know. Why write a blog post about revenge on a site that celebrates all things cycling? Here’s why: the verbal war in the last 48 hours between cyclists and sports radio talk show host can’t be resolved through revenge. When Lance Armstrong called ESPN 980 Radio host Tony Kornheiser an “f-ing idiot” and a “douchebag” yesterday on Twitter over Kornheiser’s ridiculous on-air comments, I’m convinced that cyclists’ anger across the U.S. was validated. Mine was. For a day. I love that opinions can be shared instantly online. The exchange provides greater insight into how the world functions and how we view injustice (not always, but it’s definitely better than the old 24-hour news cycle through filters of big media.)
OK, so the deal: We’ve all had “moments” in which someone behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle made us feel small. Insignificant. Powerless. Vulnerable. Dare we say, hated. It’s awful. Serves no purpose for humankind. Being injured or killed on a bike is a real and present danger. I ended up undergoing a four-hour emergency surgery to put back together parts of my mug and chompers after a run-in with a hit-and-run motorist 2 years ago nearly to the day. I carried a lot of anger inside immediately afterward. I wanted something. To heal. To vent. To maybe find revenge? But over time, wounds healed, memories began to subside and I realized that revenge wasn’t so much about “making things right” but simply making someone feel a hint of pain and accountability for what they did. I know today that if I met the person who left me on the side of the road, I wouldn’t really want revenge. No, success is the best revenge. It’s why I continue to ride. Farther than ever before. And more at peace than I ever believed possible. I’m not a hippie. Or granola-crunching beatnik. Just a husband, father, uncle, son and cyclist.
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by jeffbean on March 17, 2010
It’s not often, I rant here on BC. The last time was an open letter to Facebook for its hosting of a “group” fan page that included images of cyclists being maimed by automobiles and motorists. All in good humor, free-speech advocates would say. So, now the stakes get higher. Tony Kornheiser, Washington D.C. talk show host and sports television personality on ESPN, made a few unfortunate remarks about cyclists, in regards to discussions in the nation’s capital to close off Pennsylvania Avenue to bikes only from the White House to the U.S. Capitol. I wrote an email to ESPN 980 Radio over the weekend after listening to Tony’s recorded (and archived) opinions myself. You can listen here by clicking on March 11 (Part 1). The free speech begins at 31:27. You can slide the play bar right to the spot.
A few observations, then I’ll be quiet:
- Tony, those “shiny” shorts cyclists wear that you find some funny? They are made of the same “shiny” material the 400-pound football players you fawn over (and criticize) wear.
- “Disgusting poseurs” that you describe cyclists as in your city as sounds like a definition of yourself. Seriously. Howard Stern, you’re not.
- “Run ‘em down!” may be easy to say from the comfort of your radio studio (or from the leather seats of your automobile), but doesn’t provide entertainment value or family values that your station’s parent company and majority owner, Walt Disney Company, promotes. Have you been to Disneyland lately? Mickey Mouse? Goofy? Similarities?
- “They (bicyclists) don’t share the road, they dominate the road.”? Really? Wow. I guess you’ve never been to Southern California, Tony. Even you would probably get run off the road–in your car, no less–on the I-5 in LA rush hour traffic. It’s a tough world.
- And when you predict “someone’s going to hate me for (saying what I said about cyclists),” guess what? You’re right, Tony. If you and your crack producers need to stoop to this level of “entertainment” to get ratings on a “sports” radio network, well, we’re all worse off. Things must be bad. But they could always get worse. I hope you never hit anyone on a bike with your automobile. An archive of the March 11, 2010 “show” will sound pretty damaging to a jury. They’re your words, Tony. Your’s alone.
