Washington Post is on an Anti-Bike Roll

[sjclaeys]

First John Kelly goes on a bit of a rant about cyclists riding on sidewalks. I mostly agree with him and applaud his call to be more civilized to each other, but he also trots out some of the scofflaw cyclists myths: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/please-stop-riding-your-bike-on-the-sidewalk-in-dcs-central-business-district/2014/07/07/e7e582ee-fe3c-11e3-932c-0a55b81f48ce_story.html?tid=hpModule_1ed534a2-919c-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239&hpid=z12. However, Courtland Milloy forgets his colleague’s call for some mutual understanding and sympathizes with violence against bicyclists: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/bicyclist-bullies-try-to-rule-the-road-in-dc/2014/07/08/f7843560-06e3-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html. It would be nice if the DC area bicycle advocacy groups would respond to Mr. Malloy.

Topic

[PotomacCyclist]

I posted a lengthy comment on Milloy’s racist and violent post. I also sent a message to The Post separately, although I think I mistakenly sent it to the Help Desk. I’d suggest others comment on both the post and also send messages to the editorial board or publisher.

http://help.washingtonpost.com/link/portal/15067/15080/ArticleFolder/80/How-to-Contact-the-Newsroom

[sjclaeys]

I sent the following email to Mr. Malloy:

Mr. Milloy,

I am a husband, a father and a cyclist. I follow the rules of the road when I ride my bicycle. Indeed, statistics show that cyclists follow the law at the same or better rate than motorists. Yet, you condone someone injuring or killing me for simply riding my bicycle. If that happens and I am injured or killed, will you tell my family that I had it coming to me for riding a bicycle? Too bad that you did not read all of John Kelley’s column, particularly the part about how being angry at cyclists will not solve any problems.

Sincerely,

[PotomacCyclist]

In addition to my other posts, I also sent an email to the Metro email address listed on The Post’s site. Milloy’s violent and racist statement cannot be allowed to stand without a condemnation from The Post’s editorial board and publisher. You’d think that the op-ed was posted in some violent extremist, fringe hate group’s hand-printed newsletter, not an internationally-respected publication like The Washington Post.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Washington Post is on an Anti-Bike TRoll

FTFY

[VikingMariner]

I don’t know. There is a lot of cyclist douche’baggery going on out there. I’ve been an avid cyclist on road (then called racers), mountain, and hybrid bikes for 45 years. Until recently, the attitude depicted in this video did not exist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCqz3l33kU. Funny video but f’ugly behavior in the real world that is not making any friends. Critical Mass, for example, is the perfect guerrilla warfare tactic to make lots of new enemies. All of us safe and responsible riders suffer the consequences.

[lordofthemark]

The douchebaggery he seems most annoyed at is cyclists filtering ahead of him, which is completely legal. He’s just annoyed to be stuck in traffic on the way in from PG. Oh, and no bike lanes in Ward 8? Maybe Milloy should push for more bike lanes in Ward 8 – WABA certainly wants that.

[baiskeli]

@VikingMariner 89751 wrote:

I don’t know. There is a lot of cyclist douche’baggery going on out there. I’ve been an avid cyclist on road (then called racers), mountain, and hybrid bikes for 45 years. Until recently, the attitude depicted in this video did not exist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCqz3l33kU. Funny video but f’ugly behavior in the real world that is not making any friends. Critical Mass, for example, is the perfect guerrilla warfare tactic to make lots of new enemies. All of us safe and responsible riders suffer the consequences.

But us safe and responsible riders SHOULDN’T suffer the consequences. We are not to blame.

And Milloy went past his usual outrage by actually hinting that deliberately hitting cyclists with a car is justified.

[baiskeli]

@PotomacCyclist 89739 wrote:

In addition to my other posts, I also sent an email to the Metro email address listed on The Post’s site. Milloy’s violent and racist statement cannot be allowed to stand without a condemnation from The Post’s editorial board and publisher. You’d think that the op-ed was posted in some violent extremist, fringe hate group’s hand-printed newsletter, not an internationally-respected publication like The Washington Post.

Could you post the Metro section email please?

[consularrider]

@baiskeli 89754 wrote:

… And Milloy went past his usual outrage by actually hinting that deliberately hitting cyclists with a car is justified.

Something no responsible jounalist should ever put into print even in jest or out of frustration. I’ve never been very impressed with this journalist’s columns and stopped reading them years ago.

[Terpfan]

Courtland Milloy is a total dbag. I can’t stand the guy. Most of the time he is ranting about “the plan” and how everything is a super secret gentrification effort to essentially eradicate a whole race of people, or something along those lines. Almost everyone one of his column’s is antagonist race-baiting and the sad part is, I think he actually believes most of the crap he writes. Of all the Post’s columnists, he’s by far the one I dislike the most.

[PotomacCyclist]

@baiskeli 89756 wrote:

Could you post the Metro section email please?

Click on the link I posted above in the thread. Then click again on the first category on that page. A list appears with email addresses for all of the bureaus/divisions at The Post. I tried to post the exact URL, but it didn’t work.

[Greenbelt]

Basically, if you do the opposite of what the Washington Post’s opinion writers recommend, you’ll be on the right side of history. I mean, come on — Courtland Milloy, George Will, Charles Krautwhatever? These guys have been demonstrably wrong about pretty much everything.

[baiskeli]

@PotomacCyclist 89760 wrote:

Click on the link I posted above in the thread. Then click again on the first category on that page. A list appears with email addresses for all of the bureaus/divisions at The Post. I tried to post the exact URL, but it didn’t work.

I didn’t see a Metro section email in that link, that’s why I asked. But now I see it is listed as “Local.” Thanks.

[mstone]

The Washington Post has been trending more toward a second rate blog aggregator than an actual newspaper for a while now. Once upon a time they had an ombudsman who would be the logical recipient of complaints about this sort of article. Now the best they can do is a “reader representative”. Maybe worth a shot, but she doesn’t have the independence or critical role that the old position had. readers@washpost.com

[baiskeli]

@mstone 89766 wrote:

The Washington Post has been trending more toward a second rate blog aggregator than an actual newspaper for a while now. Once upon a time they had an ombudsman who would be the logical recipient of complaints about this sort of article. Now the best they can do is a “reader representative”. Maybe worth a shot, but she doesn’t have the independence or critical role that the old position had. readers@washpost.com

Thanks, that’s worth a shot too.

[Author]

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