Bicycle week not inclusive

By Anthony Lauriello     9/14/11 7:00pm

When seeing the signs announcing Bike Safety Week, a flush of emotions came to me. Fury. Sadness. Desperation. How dare the higher ups at Rice only acknowledge bicycles as personal transporation devices? What about me? What about my scooter? What about my brethren on long boards, skateboards, and waveboards? We too behave dangerously and recklessly. Why are we not important enough for a campus wide safety initiative?

Scootering is a glorious method of transportation, and one that is increasingly popular on campus. It is an expression of individuality against the fascist conformity of those who sit on their mighty thrones they call bike seats pedaling as if they were some sort of transportation aristocracy. We scooterers must strike our foot against the ground like the common people. It is a democratic method of transport and in many ways a celebration of America itself.

Yet, we are excluded, and I am outraged. One might ask why I care so much. Why I am not slightly irked or maybe can just let it go? Am I really justified in being so extreme? Perhaps they are right, but who today cares about things not written in superlatives, especially those concerning righteous indignation? Getting offended has become an almost national pastime, in which if one makes one comment speaking against what we care about, we respond in stentorian tone, not crying foul but yelling it.

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Republicans and Democrats excel at pointing fingers of anger at each other but anger is coming from all sorts of different sources as well. Culturally, liberals see racial slurs and offenses everywhere and conservatives see a secular conspiracy. In our classes, when someone makes a comment, every one is obliged to sigh as loud as they can so that all others understands the pain they go through listening to others.

In this new era of overreaction, I urge you to think bigger. Look at molehills and see mountains. Then let people know. We are the Facebook generation, and our opinions of fury deserved to be liked and retweeted. Tell it like it is. Stand up for the oppressed, like those who scooter. Don't let your friends down by not reporting the injustices that abound. Get angry and let us know.

In a recent New York Times column, David Brooks claimed that people our age lack moral fiber. That we don't debate or even think about deep philosophical questions. I beg to differ. Every thing we encounter is a deep philosophical decision. Every thing is life or death. Class is not merely boring, but an affront to our soul. The new Facebook chat system threatens to undermine democracy as we know it. Every day is a constant fight between good and evil. Between what we want and hold dear and what is not.

Therefore I urge every single one of you who does not ride a bike to join me. The administration is taking away our freedoms, and we are under attack. We must fight for hearts and minds. So get on your social networking sites and let the world know: scooters deserve a safety week too.

Anthony Lauriello is a Wiess College junior Thresher backpage editor.

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