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Excerpts from "Critical to Recall
Real `Mass' Appeal" (Webmaster note: This is one of the best writings on CM I have found. A "must-read.") |
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... there are many faces to Critical Mass. The event is at once a rebellion and a celebration. It is a manifestation of deep consternation over transportation, the environment, materialism and free market-driven urban planning. And it brings people together in the open air for a festive rolling adventure. It is at once a loud scream and a soft whisper. Though it raises the blood pressure of some rush-hour commuters, Critical Mass offers a change, if only for a few moments, in the domination of the streets. In place of tons of steel and glass is a rolling community of people who can talk to each other and experience safety in numbers. Critical Mass exists because thousands of people are exhilarated and inspired by its ability to redefine public space that was mapped out two generations ago with the oil industry at heart. It is the voice of the minority amid the deafening roar of engines and the seduction of Madison Avenue advertising. Before Critical Mass emerged in 1992, bicyclists were nearly invisible. On the streets and in the political landscape, they were less than a minority. The ride has helped people question the arbitrary rules set forth by an auto-dominated society. While some activism and confrontation remain a small part of the ride, Critical Mass provides an opportunity for average people to gather surrounded by other cyclists on the streets that otherwise threaten them. It is an expression of how many people think differently from mainstream society. Critical Mass originally intended to bring people together, at the same time and place, to ride home. It was and is an experiment with unpredictable consequences. That it grew and transplanted to cities all over the world says something about the collective frustration people feel about the streets. ... In the end, the ride is likely to continue as long as people need a place to express frustration about invisibility and, conversely, to celebrate human-scale community. Critical Mass is as much about daisies and bugles as it is about global warming and SUV domination.
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