Running List of Pet Peeves: #13 "Thin Blue Line Decals"

Have you ever seen stickers like this on an automobile?

For the longest time, they were a mystery to me, but eventually, I figured out that they represent the "thin blue line," or police force. There are a couple reasons why folks purport to put these on their car. First, it can be a warning to other police officers that this vehicle belongs to a law enforcement professional or a family member of such a professional and that there may be firearms on board. Fair enough. Second, it can be a sign of comradery or honor for police officers. I can respect that. I suspect, however, that there is a third, nefarious reason that these stickers have become more prevalent. Based on the folks here in my condominium complex with these stickers on their cars, most of whom are students, I would guess that they put it on their cars in the hopes of avoiding tickets. Much in the way that Fraternal Order of Police stickers used to be commonplace, a thin blue line on one's car becomes a symbol of "I gave at the office (so give me a pass)." Instead of honoring those who place their lives in danger to protect and serve the rest of us, this kind of practice belittles those very folks.

Running List of Pet Peeves: #12 "Sidewalk Norms"

Hey, if you're walking on a sidewalk, the norm is to stay to your right, like a car. If I were in England, I would consciously walk on the left on the sidewalks, knowing that their norms are different. The people I encounter in Milledgeville, Georgia, are not from England. If I suspected that they were, I would give them the benefit of the doubt, but the truth is that some people--and not just here--decide to flaunt convention and walk on what to them is the left side of the sidewalk. Why? Norms, even weak folkways, tend to be pretty well-followed so why are folks behaving deviantly?

Running List of Pet Peeves: #11 "Hostile Hallway Habits"

In the halls of the building of the school where I work, students often congregate outside of their classrooms before their classes begin. On the one hand, I am glad that they are there early and ready to go. On the other hand, they fail to respect that they are in a hallway. Hallways are for walking, not lounging. Now, I sympathize. You don't want to stand around, waiting for your professor. Fair enough. But, do you have to sit with your feet extended into the center of the hallway--on both sides? There are occasionally students who will retract their feet to make way for a passerby, but that is rare. More often than not, I am forced to goosestep over your limbs so that you can be comfortable.

Then, there are the guys (and yes, most are men) who will walk several persons abreast down the hallway completely oblivious to the people who are travelling toward them, in the opposite direction. On several occasions, I have stopped in my tracks only to have people walk into me as if I were invisible. Annoying.

Running List of Pet Peeves: #10 "Actually...."

It's actually really annoying when people over-/misuse the word "actually." It's supposed to denote some unexpected or surprising information, but some folks simply throw it around.

A Cyclist's Grumple: #4 Dogs

Do you own a dog? Do you love it? Do you want to keep it safe? One way you can do this is to give it an appropriate place to play outdoors. Many people who live in rural areas assume that they can safely let their animals roam. Those people are wrong. When cyclists and joggers near your property, your dog might instinctually chase them to protect its territory. (Some have hypothesized that the shape and motion of a pedaling cyclist resembles a trotting deer to dogs.) Forget about the safety of the cyclists and joggers for a minute, and think about your dog. When dogs chase us, they more often than not run into the road, putting them at risk of being hit by cars and trucks, not to mention bikes. If you really care about your dogs, give them a fenced-in area to roam. It's safer for them; it's safer for us.


Along these lines, never put your dogs on chains. They are cruel and can cause your dog to hurt itself.

A Cyclist's Grumple: #3 Owning the Road

This morning, I got clipped at very slow speed by a passing motorist's side mirror. It didn't hurt, but it scared the bejesus out me. When I'm on the bike, though, fear quickly turns to anger. Here are a couple pointers for drivers who would rather not clip cyclists. First, if you are close enough to me that I can reach out my hand and knock on your passenger side window, you are far too close. Give cyclists at least a full meter (or yard) of clearance. Second, if you are not aware enough to notice that I am banging on your window to make my presence known, you should not be driving a car to begin with. And, so, here is the reciprocity for cyclists: always stay as far to the right on the road as is safe. This doesn't mean riding in gravel or on the rumble strip, but if you're needlessly in the middle of the lane, expect drivers to be angry with you. This also means that cyclists need to command respect on the road by being courteous, visible, and by establishing a dominant presence. Riding meekly will get you treated unsafely. Own your part of the road confidently! You have every right to be there.

A Cyclist's Grumple: #2 Driver Courtesy

I remember from the days before I was a cyclist that knowing how to drive around us can be confusing so here is a basic question one can ask him/herself when driving in the proximity of bikes: how would I treat this person if s/he were in an automobile? Would you pass a car and then slow down in from of them to make a turn? No, so don't do it to a cyclist. Would you pass a car when immediately approaching a stop light/sign? No, so don't do it to a cyclist. In general, treat cyclists like cars. This does actually work both ways; you should expect bikes to behave like cars. If you see cyclists running a red light/stop sign or turning without signaling, by all means, report them and/or let them know how you feel! They're making the rest of us less safe.

There are, however, a few exeptions to this rule, the first of which is never honk at a cyclist. Your horn is very loud and scares the shit out of us so unless you want us falling off our bikes in front of your car, don't do it.

A Cyclist's Grumple: #1 Demand-actuated Traffic Signals

Demand-actuated traffic signals are the ones that only turn green when an automobile is detected at the intersection. Most detect the automobile with magnets. The trouble is that bicycles and other smaller vehicles don't usually have enough metallic mass to trigger the sensor so, often, a cyclist can find himself waiting indefinitely for a car to come along to trip the light or breaking the law--and risking his life--by disregarding the signal all together. This points to the bias inherent in our car culture and to the unintended consequences of well-meaning city planning. By favoring automobiles, we reinforce and recreate so many of the contemporary problems that we give lip-service to trying to ameliorate. Obesity, urban congestion, and climate change are just a few of the things exacerbated by the little things like demand-actuated lights.

Running List of Pet Peeves: #9 "Yay"

"Yay" is not a word. It's spelled "yea." "Yeah" is a different word all together. Get it straight. :)

Running List of Pet Peeves: #8 Slowing for RR Xings

Granted, some railroad crossing are rough. Increasingly, though, they are quite smooth. Few things bother me more than when drivers--particularly local drivers who should know better--slow down at railroad crossings when they could easily maintain their speed. Some, I know, argue that crossing rails at full speed is bad for their car's suspensions, but I challenge this. Modern suspension systems in cars are made for exactly these situations, and while I don't have evidence for this, I hypothesize that it's actually worse for one's car to take such bumps slowly. There is one crossing near my home that becomes quite a bottleneck. If only folks would be courteous and keep it going, much of this would be alleviated.

Running List of Pet Peeves: #7 Gas Pump Receipt Paper

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to this one as I find few things more annoying than pumping gas at an automated pump only to find out that it is out of receipt paper. I like to keep track of my bank account balances, and the only way to really do this effectively is to keep receipts, but if the "automated" machine won't spit one out, I'm forced to go inside the gas station to retrieve a copy. Now, don't get me wrong; a short walk into a building isn't exactly a chore, but what is the point of offering a convenience (i.e. an ATM-inspired pump) if it loses its functionality at the end of a ribbon of paper?

Running List of Pet Peeves: #'s 3-6: The Sedintary Edition

3. Is opening the door really such a chore that you need to press the blue handicap button so that a motor can open it for you?
   
   
4. Moving walkways are not for standing. Move your ass.
   
   
5. Escalators are not elevators. Walk.
   
   
6. Taking the elevator for any fewer than three or four floors (for anyone who is not in some way disabled, of course) is absurd. Take the stairs.

Running List of Pet Peeves: #2 Mommy Spots

Why do expecting and new mothers need designated, reserved parking spots? Are they handicapped? Are they diseased?

There is a very fine line between the medicalization of a condition and its maladization. Far from doing women a favor, this practice furthers the stereotypes of women as weak, enfeebled, inferior, and ultimately less-than men. In the same way that men were once expected to open doors for women and lay their coats over puddles for women, lest their delicate feet should become damp, men--and even new fathers--are expected to park further from their destination, respecting these spots as off-limits. (In the way of full disclosure, I believe the signs at my local grocery store read, "Expecting mothers and new parents" [emphasis added].)

Many feminist scholar have pointed out the discrepancies between traditional birthing practices and those practiced in contemporary, industrialized societies. In parts of the developing world (and in virtually all of the pre-modern world), women give birth in their homes surrounded by family and friends while standing, not reclining. (And, yes, these parts of the world generally have higher fertility rates.) In the Western world, due in part to the effects of neo-chivalrous ideals of the late-Victorian period and in part to the profit motives of the new medical profession, doctors pushed midwives out of the bedroom and pregnant women into the hospital. Pregnancy, much like the flu, was a condition that required the constant supervision of a medical professional.

Indeed, there have been many advances in medical science that have reduced the mortality rates of both women in labor and their pre-/newly-born children; however, the wholesale redefining of an entire portion of the lifecourse of women as problematic expands to the entire definition of femininity and womanhood that does a complete disservice to all women.

Running List of Pet Peeves: #1 The Long Stop

I really hate it when people driving automobiles stop beyond the clearly marked line at stop signs and traffic lights. It almost inevitably means that they unwittingly end up in the middle of the crosswalk.

I believe that this is related to the car culture which not only leads to obesity by encouraging folks to be sedentary instead of walking or pedaling to their destinations but also, apparently, discourages others from walking by making crossing the street hazardous.

I imagine that there is significant overlap between these folks and those who honk and yell at cyclists as well as those who pass on the right on the highway. Just saying.