People on Bikes: Inner southeast Hawthorne

Bike commuters in inner-SE Portland. Are you surprised?

This impulse to judge everything in Portland only on whether there is a person of color there is such a waste of time. Portland has been doing it for awhile now and it is not working out. We are not advancing equality or social programs or the safety net. It is just another thing for Portlanders to talk about and pat themselves on the back when someone of color shows up.

Yes, capitalism is a moraless system that concentrates wealth in the hands of the few. Yes, we have a history of structural racism and because of that we need a more comprehensive social system than even scandinavia and reparations are not a bad idea. But we are not going to get to those things by only judging the worth of something on whether black people are there. Yes, talk about why there are no people of color. But just because there are no people of color does not mean it is a bad thing.

In order to get to a more equal society in a democracy we need 51% of the vote to change the rules. We are not going to do that with the identity politics that exist in Portland right now. People are going to stop showing up because they are fearful that if someone goes to something and there are no people of color they are a racist. Yes, understand racism and work to dismantle it. But work to dismantle it and not just think everything in Portland is wrong because there are so many white people. Most bikes were written by white males, are books wrong? Let’s make Portland the most equal city in the country and pass a lot of taxes and show that an equal city is better. And a great way to help do that is by not requiring everyone to own a $10,000 a year car.

Which one? What about the really girthful gentleman on the bike 6 sizes too small?

Over here in Bend, where e-bikes are becoming quite a thing, my unscientific observation is that less than 10% of e-bikers pedal their bikes (at least when I see them). The ones that I see pedaling most often are delivery people on cargo bikes, who are lugging big loads, and also look very fit.

This comment smacks of a little disdain for e-bikers in general. Wouldn’t you rather every person in a car were on an e-bike even if it meant that they never pedaled? IMO, e-bikes are right-sized transportation solution that should be celebrated 10x and anyone sneering from through their Tesla windows with the cycling vanity plates should take a look in their rear view mirror.

That sweet Univega with the quill stem and downtube shifters (#13) is awesome. One could ride that all the way back to the 80’s while listening to Duran Duran—not that I condone the use of a Walkman while riding…

There’s two people I see along my commute home on e-bikes. That’s out of the 20 regulars or so. So not 1/3rd more like 1/10th in my experience. I see more people on scooters and electric boards than ebikes.

Ebikes are low powered mopeds.

Most cyclists are white and male. I can understand why. I am white male and I feel threatened by vehicles sometimes. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I was a woman or an ethnic minority. Driving a car would be much more secure, what with the locked doors and all. That’s just the world we live in. Can we change it?

How do you even know which people are “White”? Race is a self-identification thing, is not a science-based category, and you can’t always tell by looking (just like you can’t tell gender identity by looking). I know people who consider themselves Native American who hate it when people assume they are White – blood quantum requirements should be a thing of the past. I am a POC of multiple heritages and no one ever guesses my heritage/race correctly. I wish people would stop their race obsession, stop focusing on labeling everyone, and instead focus on real actions to forward equity, making sure that EVERYONE has access to essential things like housing and health care.

What if all the cyclists were male? Then what would you think? There is a whole lot of talk in this city, but painfully little real understanding.

How do you know which comments come from POC? Unless someone states it or has a photo of themselves I don’t know how to tell one from the other. Also 24 people isn’t really statistically significant. If they were all photos of men I don’t think it would mean anything other than 24 male cyclists road past Jonathan in a 20 minute period.