If there weren't stupid people in the world the smart ones, me for example, would all be so much happier. And yes, I have that on a shirt that I frequently adorn to let the public know my thoughts on the matter.
All over the news right now is the case of a mob of dudes on motorcycles, beating the living shit out of some dude in a Range Rover. Why you ask? Because he literally hit one, and drove over another. Seems legit right? Sure sounds to me like this Range Rover driver deserved something dontcha think?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/nyc-motorcycle-attack-bikers-wife-walk/story?id=20430576
For every single story in life, there are always two sides. You can't argue with yourself unless you are schizophrenic. Then yes, you may find yourself arguing with, well, yourself. Otherwise, there needs to be two parties to an argument. If not, refer to my earlier cray cray comment. I hear the accommodations are okay if you want a short stay/vacation. Go ahead, argue with yourself on a street corner.
There is something called the Aikido Exercises. It is the various examples of a fight. It's used in meditation to study "participation", active or otherwise in, everyday life. I believe I am pretty accurate in my memory of this exercise. 1) An aggressor and a passive. Example; abuser and an abused. 2) An aggressor with a reactive aggressor. Example; an abuser and someone who reacts to the abuse but still is dominated. 3) An aggressor with an active aggressor. Example; a full on fight. And finally, 4) an aggressor and a non reactive passive non combatant. Example: on person wanting a fight and someone else strong enough to say, I will not take part, I understand your position and I chose to walk away.
By all accounts this whole situation seems to have gone through all the exercises. From the videos I've attached in the links below you can argue sixty different ways this could have played itself out.
The "in favour" of the motorcyclists video, shows the Range Rover being surrounded by them as they all "share the road". One rider appears to be saying something to the driver of the Range Rover then gets directly in front of him, directly in the path of the Range Rover. The Range Rover is seen to be slowing down then "tapping" the bike. Tapping being the bumping of the bikes rear tire from behind by another vehicle. This is extremely extremely dangerous. It is very easy to knock someone off a bike and quickly throw them under your vehicle by doing this. Once the tap occurs, the reaction of the other riders is quick. They surround the vehicle and are obviously upset. The vehicle then speeds up and drives away, and OVER quite a few bikes. The expensive, private property, of other people. What the Range Rover also drives over and is hard to see on the video, is a human being!
The riders then take chase. And what's already a bad situation gets worse.
I want it very clear, I am not siding with any one person here. But I think in this day and age we need to be addressing "active participation" like this.
Example; Justin Bieber is actively participating in the demise of his own character by acting like, a douche bag. If you don't behave like a douche bag likely you won't be assigned the moniker.
The Range Rover driver has his wife and 2 year old daughter in his truck. He is minding his own business driving down a highway. Suddenly he is surrounded by motorcycles. And I don't mean your stereotypical bikers. I mean a ton of different types of road bikes, some with passengers even. Very little noticeable biker gear, insignias, even "hogs" as they call them. The typical motorcycle of choice for "bikers", a "hog". The term "biker" puts an image of Sons of Anarchy in our minds. It's a stereotype and is immediately assumed to be frightening. Which of course is ridiculous and a stereotype that more often than not, is not appropriate.
Example; my early childhood was spent with a Hells Angel named Billy. He lived on my quiet residential street. He was from a normal family and he was lovely and even babysat me. As far as I know Billy didn't sell drugs, women, or gun run. He just had a long beard I like to pull on and he loved loved loved his Nicky! (that's sweet little ol' me). Basically he was the Duck Dynasty member of Rivercourt Blvd.
Back to the story. This driver, the Range Rover, finds himself surrounded by what could be perceived, as I said in the beginning, as a mob of people. It is very clear one of the riders has said something to the driver of the Range Rover. What? We may never know. You do hear some honking I believe, so maybe the rider was saying "dude, ease up, it's ride day". He could have also said "nice truck, get off our road or else". That same rider then, with what appears to be full intention, pulls in front of the Range Rover. He slows right down basically stopping traffic and that's when the Range Rover taps him from behind. The Range Rover doesn't appear to speed up and tap him, even drive at the speed limit and tap him. He tapped him when the rider slowed down immediately in front of him. And, as they say in the movies......"ACTION".
Once the tap occurs everyone stops around the Range Rover. He then removes himself from the scene by driving over the bikes, and sadly, a human being. And the chase through New York begins. In the end the riders catch the Range Rover in traffic, surround him, pull him from his vehicle and kick the crap out of him. He is already out of the hospital, apparently they didn't hurt him too badly. The rider he drove over? Likely will never walk again and is in critical condition in hospital. Charged? The original biker who said something to the Range Rover, then pulled in front of him and stopped him, which ended with him being tapped. This rider has been charged with reckless driving for this action.
This makes me think of peaceful protests (used by anarchists to break to the law) followed by police force (and claims of brutality). Can you see the link? It all starts out good and fine and then rolls out of control. It's what happens when large groups of people gather in a time when people do not seem to want to be responsible for their actions and reactions.
This type of mod riding is apparently common place now. They go out in numbers to interfere with traffic, to "take back" the roads from cars, to perform stunts. All of us have heard the bikers insistence that cars and trucks must learn to co-exist with motorcycles better. And I agree. As long as they are allowed and licensed to be on the road, we must share that road equally and drive safely in accordance with the types of vehicles on the roads. We need to use our mirrors and check our blind spots because there is no competition between a one ton truck and a motorcycle of a few hundred pounds and a driver with no metal between him and the metal of your vehicle.
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/the-footage-that-the-nyc-bikers-didnt-want-you-to-see-1435594427
What I don't approve of is any mob like behaviour that endangers anyone, including those that make up the mob itself. These riders surrounding a vehicle. Not bikers, not members of a gang but a group of people is called what? A group, a gathering, a gang, a mob. It all depends on the actions of the group. If I were walking on the street and was surrounded intentionally by a group of people my automatic reaction would be fear, then immediately I would progress to fight or flight. But I remain responsible for all of it. My feelings, my reactions, my actions. I probably would have done exactly what this Range Rover did. Drive fast, away, away from perceived danger. Was it right that he drove over this rider, and other people's property? Absolutely not. Should he be charged? Don't know the law. Pretty sure he will be sued to hell and back for hurting the one rider who will never walk again and rightly so. Should the rider that stopped in front of the car be sued for that as well? Hell yes!
That rider, the one who stopped was an aggressor. He started this whole thing in motion that ended with someone in the hospital fighting for his life and I hope this can be seen clearly. He actively participated in an action that lead to the harm of another, and another. He began this chain reaction of activity. Could he have predicted it? No. Doesn't make it go away though. Did the Range Rover mean to drive over another human on that day? No, likely not. He had a wife and a child in the car. Would you want your child to be scared? Would you want your child to see another human being hurt? The driver of the Range Rover was surrounded by, what can only be referred to as a mob of people. What would you have done?
I can say this. If you were to surround my truck then force me to stop, I would be scared. What do I do when I get scared? I defend myself. How would I do that? Drive straight through whatever I needed to drive through to get out of a situation I was scared of. Would I mean to hurt anyone? No. Would I regret it if I did? Yes, I would.
We need to learn to play nice. We need to learn to share the road yes.
If I were with 25 other cars doing stunts on a highway, stopping other vehicles and the flow of traffic, I would be aware this could be deemed illegal and I was risking my life and that of the general public around me in the name of fun and that, seems pretty stupid to me. It seems risky. It seems like an action that could snowball into other actions each worse than the last
Stupid should cost a person. I wish it didn't sometimes cost lives. That's just so terribly sad.
Make good choices people.
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