Advocacy too narrowly focused?

[shanti]

Please don't get me wrong, I deeply admire all the great work that the bicycle community in Portland has done to make it such a wonderful place to live and ride. I've just had a hard time getting as involved as I'd like to be because the focus seems to be so much on cars vs. bicycles, to the point that a broader vision is often neglected. I understand that groups like SHIFT have made it a point that their goal is simply that of 'bringing people together for bike fun', but it is frustrating when the food served at the car-free day is a meat dish when sustainability and environmentalism are at the core of their reasoning for choosing to bike instead of drive. I've been to a few Meet'n'Greets and other bike events and noticed the same thing. It just blows me away that the connection isn't being made. This isn't to say the bicycle advocacy community has the responsibility to take on every liberal minded agenda out there... just try to connect the dots. Jonathan posted a reminder on this site to vote for parks and streams, which I think is a positive and natural thing for the community to take into consideration. Why can't we as a whole become more involved in the compass of ideals that includes bicycling as a general mode of transportation? I believe there isn't as much of a divide between many of these issues as a lot of us like to believe.

On a positive note, I LOVE bicycling in this town, so thank you all for the work you've done.

[Climber]

Originally Posted by shanti

I understand that groups like SHIFT have made it a point that their goal is simply that of 'bringing people together for bike fun', but it is frustrating when the food served at the car-free day is a meat dish

Are you the meal police?

Sounds like the one who's narrowing the advocacy is you.

Originally Posted by shanti

Why can't we as a whole become...

"We as a whole" is who exactly? People who love and ride bikes? Great! But that's an amorphous, diverse, wonderfully eclectic and sometimes weird amalgamation of folks you'd best not try to lump into categories according to what they eat, or how they connect their own dots. When you're serious about advocating for bicyclists' rights, "Share the Road," etc. count me in, but please don't try to sign me up for special issue agendas that don't directly relate to that.

"Bikes, Burgers, and Beer Forever" - ok, that's my agenda

Climber (SHIFT rules)

[shanti]

Climber, I totally respect your sentiments. I guess there really is no advocacy 'group' as a whole, since we are all individual. Also, I don't mean to be the meal police, and believe everyone should eat whatever they want. Maybe the angle I should have taken was that since a lot of us are bicycling for environmental and social reasons, we naturally have other, closely related concerns. It would just make me, and I'm assuming several others, feel more comfortable taking part in local bicycle advocacy if there were at least veg options at bike events, and if there was a general urge to strive for environmental change as a whole. You are correct that we are a weird amalgamation of folks- that being the case, many of us are veg so it would just be nice to have the option.

[TCR Punk]

Originally Posted by shanti

You are correct that we are a weird amalgamation of folks- that being the case, many of us are veg so it would just be nice to have the option.

You do have an option. Don't eat the meat product. No one is forcing you to eat meat, I hope. Or are they... bastards.

[C-Thru]

Hmmm, I guess I do not equate how bicycle advocacy automatically allies me with the environmental movement. Sure, I am concerned about our environment, but I do not necessarily share the same viewpoints of those in the environment community.

If I were to attend a bicycle themed event, I would expect for it to be expressly for that purpose. If there is another or secondary agenda for that same event, it should be clearly stated.

As for food, what can I say... I love it all. If a vegetarian offering is what you crave, then get in contact with the organizers and see what can be done, or bring your own.

[bikechick]

Originally Posted by TCR Punk

Don't eat the meat product.

okay, well what about a veg *option* in addition to meat, as shanti suggested? i also find it strange that at the events i've attended there aren't any veg options for those of us who do bike for environmental, sustainability, and a wide range of other reasons. by only serving meat, it's excluding a lot of us who would be more inclined to join in and be a part of this important community.

i don't believe shanti was being the 'meal police' by bringing this up. after all, events are sometimes centered around food, and it's an important issue to a number of us. i find it impossible to believe that everyone who attends these events only bike for fun. people do sometimes (actually, many times) bike for a number of different reasons, a major one being environmental/sustainability... offering a vegetarian option in addition to the meat option would make a lot of sense, and make a lot of people happy. now isn't that a good thing?

[rainperimeter]

as a mostly vegan diner myself i see/agree with what shanti is saying. if anyone is biking for environmental/sustainability reasons (like a lot of full-time bikers, right? no? maybe not?) and thinks eating beef or chicken is no big deal, nothing more than eating, that's either naive or ignorant. it's 2006, you're not going to not make it through the winter, we've got lots of food options now (many of which do not require the subjugation and slaughter of animals! right on.).

there is no shortage of very interesting/informative literature on the environmental/economic/health consequences of cattle, pig and poultry farming. maybe check it out sometime...or don't.

[mizake]

Eat meat. Bike. Poo an animal figurine.

[Elly]

All the *free* food at Carfree Days was meat-free.

And the food for sale always included at least one vegan option. The meat dishes available for sale were all ridiculously expensive free-range, organic, lived as happy a life as you could hope.

This food was being sold for donations to raise money for Get Lit, the bike light giveaway program. The food cart was brought by an individual under his own steam. We were happy to have him there, but it was hardly an official Shift program.

In fact, you may be surprised to learn that most "Shift" events aren't in any way official -- most are just people stepping up and doing their own thing. So why complain? You're always welcome to just step up and do yours. If that's the Militant Vegant Feeding Frenzy (cf Food Not Bombs), that's fabulous, I'll be first in line.

[C-Thru]

Originally Posted by mizake

Eat meat. Bike. Poo an animal figurine.

Hehe

I prefer PETA - or People Eating Tasty Animals.