A kind reader recently alerted me to a fantastic article by David Colman about dutch bikes and sophisticated bike fashion and after reading it I figured it was high time the Boulevardier bombard the current bike craze with his two cents…
I thought that David Colman really hit on a few points that I resonate with when it comes to biking, mainly how macho bike culture is and how ludicrous most bikers look when riding. In fact, just thinking about it is honestly pissing the fuck out of me. I’m sorry, but there is nothing radical about the way bike culture is performed right now. The fact there is a gender ratio in bike messengers of about 0% women 100% men in Denver just goes to show how inherently fucked the situation is. It seems everywhere you look, women are either being objectified to sell some bike event or product or are being put down through misogynistic language or posturing. It seems that if you have even the smallest iota of punk points or bike-tough cred all of a sudden it is okay to re-enact the type of dominant patriarchal culture that you might find in frat house. Well this mansy says, YA BASTA!
As far as fashion is concerned, I love David Colman’s term kamikaze messenger-wear because it encapsulates the Xtremism and adolescent stasis of the majority of bike fashion that I see every day. It is a perfect example of function over function, where people either look like their an extra from Waterworld or like some sort of spandex space monkey, when they’re simply riding to work. Plus let’s not forget it’s mainly the young white affluent indie-businessmen that are embracing bike culture, centered around the barely functional, overpriced, fixed gear, as their salvation from becoming the yu.pí that they already are.
Of course, bike culture doesn’t need to be like this at all, there is the Derailer Bike Collective which we all love and adore, a collective run by a majority of women and has S.P.I.N. nights Tuesdays from 4-7, a bike repair class open to wimmin and transfolk as a way to counteract the patriarchy of male dominated bike shops. I’ve also heard that Derailer is in the process of revising the way they bring in new members and encourage participation, so if you’ve ever wanted to be a volunteer at a real diy bike repair and recycling shop, now’s the time! Furthermore, I’d like to give a shout out to mansy C-Con, whose job is to bike through the city helping homeless youth come rain or fucking blizzard. Here’s a mansy that is just making it work and never resorts to the type of kamikaze outfit to get the job done, talk about bike tough in Denver? He’s got it in spades. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the hobos riding the undersized salvaged mountain bike the wrong direction, in the gutter, on 14th, the Boulevardier loves you guys, just don’t get hit!
I also truly enjoyed David Colman’s celebration of biking slow, which is my personal modus operandi. This might come as a surprise to some, but I’m not really into the machismo Jackass-wannabe attitude that posits that in order to ride a bike you have to put your life on the line. I happen to enjoy a leisurely ride through the city and tend to stick to the roads that are designated as bike paths or have a bike lane, and you know that’s working just fine for me. Although, I will say that riding slow was definitely part of the reason I was one of the only four people who has sat in jail overnight for Critical Mass in Denver, I just couldn’t get away fast enough! The other factor was a new fancy haircut I had just gotten, but that’s another post… Yes, they arrested your favorite mansy just for riding a bike! That’s some bullshit if you ask me.
As for my take on bike fashion, I’m still in the experimental phase, I’ve been tinkering with some loud, colorful leggings and britches combos, but it’s not really ready for the streets yet. So in the meantime, here’s my revision of the ‘Bike or Die’ v-neck from the Make Total Destroy colection:
more controversy after the jump!
Post script: In order to understand the comments below, in my original post I referred to the all-male line up of Art-Crank and the Cycle Jerk’s Gang Bang bike race as two example’s of how patriarchy is reflected and propagated here in Denver. In the original post I kind of went crazy and used language that was definitely inflammatory and I felt like it was leading to a lot of hurt feelings, which wasn’t my intention at all, and I’m sorry for that, which is why I took it out. I definitely still take issue with an all male line up of artists and djs for an event like Art Crank that seeks to promotes the bike community but I really just see it as a reflection of the greater patriarchy in bike culture and my only criticism is that it didn’t do enough to fight that trend.
As for Gang Bang, I think that it is totally offensive and callus to call an event that, and given that the flyer is a picture of a women in underwear soliciting a group of male bike messengers only reinforces that. Whether or not a woman helps organize it, I believe this type of imagery promotes patriarchy and sends a message to people that may not know the organizers personally that biking is a men’s only sport. I do want to say that the Cycle Jerks do a lot for the community and work really hard to put together an inclusive event for a lot of people but I think their choice of the name Gang Bang and it’s advertising undermines that.
But definitely read through the comments, it’s a great discussion! I had no idea so many people were this passionate about men’s fashion! But definitely make it to the end, that’s where some of the best posts are, after the conversation dies down a little and people share their ideas… and humor, it actually gets really funny at the end!
You just want there to be more women in the cycling scene so you have more chance of getting sex with a woman cyclist
Nah just pulling your leg, I have the same gripe, its a shame that cycling is so male dominated. Plenty of reasons I can think of, but I can’t be bothered to go into them, i have more important things to do, such as consuming Polish beer.
let’s get a nice ride going once it stops snowing
and you know me i ride tall so i always ride slow…
I have to defend Art Crank. I don’t think they meant to have all mostly men designers…. i was a “model” (ha) in the bicycle fashion show and it was a great experience because it’s the first time in denver i’ve seen so many people actually purchasing local art because it was at such a low price point. to say the least, it was fantastically curated. i don’t think they were trying to hate on women, but as a woman who bicycles a lot in Denver i definitely hear a lot of complaints from other women who just feel intimidated by the sport. nothing really to be intimidated by, you just have to do it. it’s the women who let themselves become intimidated because it’s such a male dominated sport. but, we’re out there, going strong… and i definitely have plans for bicyclable womens fashion in the future.
I frankly don’t understand why you have any reason to speak on “bike fashion” or on bike related culture in Denver. Riding your bike isn’t supposed to be a fashionable part of life. It is for commuting, exercising, and enjoying. Those who chose to relate bicycles to being fashionable will only see it fade away like pog’s did in the early 90′s. I understand your concern for women in the bike “scene” in Denver. It’s a shame that women might feel intimidated. I personally believe that people who ride their bikes become less intimidated the more they ride. Keep riding your bike, but don’t just do it for fashion… this is for both men and women. Riding a bike is possibly the most liberating and lifestyle changing thing that an individual can easily do on a daily basis…. In my experience your equation should look more like this, Anarchy + Fashion = The Bicycle.
xrocksthespot, I actually think that my post and the David Colman article advocate seeing the bicycle as a natural and sophisticated part of your everyday experience, which as a mansy, should *always* be the height of fashion. I think it’s clear in this post that I’m not presenting one particular way to look while riding your bike, but opening the door for mansies to look fashionable, however you may perceive that, without looking like the “kamikaze messenger” I mentioned earlier.
As for your insinuation that the reason the bike scene is male dominated is because women are “intimidated” is offensively off-base. Male domination has nothing to do with physical superiority, as you suggest, it is the cultural tradition of men’s only spaces and men’s only clubs, which more than anything carry with them a misogynistic and violent message, and that message is what drives women away. For example, the most glaring is the Cycle Jerks whose name not only suggests a male only space but in their choice of titles for their races, such as “Gang Bang,” they explicitly celebrate the rape and sexual subjugation of women. The Art-Crank event was a more mild example but carried the same anti-woman message. There is a plethora of women artists in this city, are you suggesting that women are so afraid of bicycling that they were even afraid to submit an art piece? No. The fact is that biking as it stands today is performed as a men’s only club and therefore I’m sure it didn’t even cross the organizers’ minds that all their friends and friends of friends that were showing bike-related art were men. Furthermore, why would it ever be a women’s job to “sack up” and stop being intimidated by a culture that is hostile to their very existence? This is a patriarchal culture that should be dismantled now, by any means necessary.
As for the bicycle being a radical act in and of itself, I think you and I have very different ideas of the term radical. By radical, I don’t mean a consumer choice, or even the choice to abstain from buying- that is a false choice that we have been made to think is radical by being born into the thick of capitalist alienation. What I mean by radical is something that actively dismantles the rituals of capitalism and statism, not to mention patriarchy, racism and homophobia, and help to create the conditions for genuine healthy, supportive anarchist communities. The bicycle may meet some of these goals, and I certainly want to see car culture go up in a ball of flames, but still, at the end of the day choosing to ride a bike is just a consumer choice. Let’s not forget that even from an environmental perspective, bikes were the cause for the invention of pavement which as you know led to the possibility of car culture. Bikes are produced in an industrial manner, are subject to the same market forces that produce sweat shops and environmental racism and at the end of the day are simply a band aid to the fact that the very way our cities are zoned fosters alienation. Would there be bikes in Anarchia? Hopefully, but it’s definitely not a given.
Bicycle (optional)
+ Fashion
+ Ending patriarchy, homophobia and racism
+ Smashing the state
+ creating healthy, supportive communities based on gift economies
_________________
= Anarchy
Hi Mr. Adam,
Like Mr. Broox said, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be speaking on this subject if you aren’t in the “scene.” A word to the wise: I would watch your words when you are talking local, and not thoroughly educated about what you’re supposing.
Did you go to art crank?
If you knew who Cycle Jerks was, you would know that Jen aka Hurricane is a major part of Cycle Jerks. I’m not for sure, but I’m pretty sure the name goes off of the band CIRCLE JERKS: notice the same font choice below:
There are women who are “members” of Cycle Jerks – it’s just a play on words. And so you know, the piece of artwork you have representing your site, created by Sheena (without any credit given btw…. i would fix that and say thank you) is in a bicycle club herself. An all womens bicycle club. We pretty much kick ass. Did you know there were all womens bicycle clubs?
I am not suggesting that women were afraid to submit artwork because it was about bicycles. I am saying that most of the women in denver just don’t give a fuck and you shouldn’t make the artists who participated in the event look like misogynistic idiots. the art show was open to anyone, and if you know Tran and Josh, they basically invite anyone to join in on the fun if they want to. They are definitely not women haters.
It isn’t a womens job to “sack up” and ride bicycles if they don’t want to.
I’m a woman, and like Broox said, the more I have bicycled, the more I like it. I’m saying that some people (women AND men) that just don’t give it a chance are less likely to do it. I’m also sort of a tomboy, I like riding fast in traffic and I like flipping off people who honk at me. My other women friends you don’t like being angry traffic haters like me and just like to cruise: we let them cruise.
I think xrocksthespot and I were so offended by the post, because this blog is the first time we’ve come across anyone thinking that
“The fact is that biking as it stands today is performed as a men’s only club”
IS NOT TRUE. NOT A FACT. If you knew Broox, and any of the creators of artcrank, or if you ever went on loops, you would see that when a woman comes along for a bicycle ride, (the mostly) men greet them and are excited that women are getting into it. If it weren’t for Broox and the community of (mostly men) bicyclists in Denver and their support, I would not ride my bike so much probably. Regardless, the bicycle community was a welcoming community, whether i have a dick or not.
I think you should wander on down the street, go to the Fabric Lab, Shoppe, and Neopolitan and look at the artwork and see what you think. I would also talk to Josh, the curator, if you think next year there should be more women artists. He’d probably be open to the idea of actively seeking women artists.
The first thing that comes to my mind here, is that every picture used in this post is that of a male. Granted, a male that looks like a female, but a male nonetheless. Why didn’t you use any pictures of female cyclists? By using only pictures of males, it seems to me you are perpetuating this “femme-phobia” which you’ve created.
Gang Bang was put on by a female, and plenty of females participated. Tran Wills, and many other great women helped make Artcrank happen, and were a big part of the event. There was an open call for artists, and maybe only 5 females decided to submit. I heard about the show, and submitted art myself, and was honored to do. But had I not made the deadline and submitted, would it be okay for me to start slamming the show itself as a ‘Elitist Designer/Hipster/Yuppie Art Show, filled with a bunch of people who thought they were too cool for school’ just because I, myself, chose not to submit? Wouldn’t it be my own fault if I didn’t try and submit?
So, knowing nothing about me, based solely on my participation in Artcrank, you would deign to judge me as a misogynistic male afraid of inviting women to participate into something I love so much? Are you kidding me? It was an open call for artists, and the word was put out as much as possible. I love riding my bikes with all of my friends, many of whom are female.
I ride slow, I ride fast (not that fast), I just love riding my bike. And I invite women to ride all the time. The curator or Artcrank, Josh Wills, and his wife, Tran Wills, did so much to put this on, and for you to call it an event that was anti-female is offensive to me. It was an art show. When First Friday happens, and I go to a gallery on Sante Fe, and if they have a show with a male artist, should I call start telling people that the gallery is anti-women? Should I show up to the all-women’s bike-club that Baily mentioned and start calling them feminist bitches? If you rode with any of the people affiliated with xrocksthespot, you would know that most of them have girlfriends/wives that love to ride, and ride with us.
I went to the Awesome Sprints a few weeks ago, an event put on by Bikedenver, and a lot of people showed up. Male and female. And when they announced that it was time to sign up for an event, only about 5 females signed up. Everyone kept trying to get more women to sign up, but they simply said ‘no’. And kept saying no. We tried to make a women’s only bracket, but they only wanted to watch. Now, since about 30 men raced, and only 5 women raced, was this an anti-female event? Even though plenty of women showed up, 4 women were part of the committee that put the event on, and every woman there seemed to be having a great time? Who’s fault is it that we couldn’t convince more women to participate?
Artcrank was a great time, and a lot of work and love went into putting it on. Did you see the pictures? Seemed to be a lot of women there. A lot of women rode their bikes there. A lot of women supported the event. I fail to see how this was an anti-female event if female artists just didn’t sign up. Like I said, it was my responsibility to sign up for the show and submit, and did. You haven’t refuted any of Baily’s points yet, so I will take the higher road and think that you were misinformed, or didn’t do enough research before you started your rant, instead of just calling you out for being a fucking asshole, standing on his self-created podium.
The Shoppe & The Fabric Lab have supported local artists, male and female since they’ve been in existence. Here’s one for you : PROTOTYPE, the local designer Trunk Show that Tran Wills puts on, has had a line-up of mostly female fashion designers. Now, based on the fact that there has only been one show featuring male designers (DVLP), and some shows featuring male accessory designers, would you say prototype has an agenda against male fashion designers? According to people who attend, and the designers themselves, no. Male designers simply haven’t approached Tran yet. Who’s fault is that?
If I have a pancake brunch for the neighborhood and only have limited vegan fare, do I hate vegans? If I have a neighborhood barbecue and only have some vegetarian fare available because there are 5 vegetarians coming as opposed to the 40 other coming, do I hate vegetarians?
Maybe there were only 5 female artists because only 5 female artists showed up.
And another thing, coming from a MALE cyclist, I am intimidated by some of the females I ride with, because they ride very well, better than I. Jen Nordhem, who founded Cyclejerks and put on Gang Bang, is fast as hell, and amazing on a bike. She also placed second in a recent alleycat. She was the only female to sign up. I don’t know who the hell you ride with man, but every person I ride with loves riding bikes with women, and does not discriminate in the least. Cycling may seem to be a male-dominated sport, and well it is. But did you ever think that this may just be a natural thing? If I show up to a knitting class, crocheting class, or scrap-booking class, I just may be the minority, but it might just be because most guys aren’t into that stuff, and maybe I should keep my mouth shut and not call every woman there a feminist just because my other guy friends would want to watch football and drink beer instead of knitting. I understand that cycling in its entirety (road, bmx, mountain biking, etc.) is male-dominated, and how ridiculous the machismo is. But that doesn’t give you the right to slander an art show that was put on by two people who love the local art community, and put so much of their time and effort to create put this event on. They had absolutely no intention of making this a male-dominated art-show. And to call it ‘Man-Crank’ is petty, insulting, and unjustified.
You simply fabricated a misinformed opinion and continued to back it even after people tried to defend their friends. Why don’t you go to the shoppe and tell the owner to her face she hates women, and doesn’t think they should ride bikes. Better yet, show up at her house and tell her kids that. And while you’re at it, why don’t you answer some of the points that Baily brought up. You yourself are acting like some frat boy, knocking something you know nothing about.
It doesn’t look to me like any of these people are trying to dominate women.
If you were educated enough about the opinions your are expressing you have truly failed to see that every single one of the shop’s that Artcrank was shown in were in fact owned by women.
Furthermore your opinion about Derailer Bike Collective bringing a unique approach with their S.P.I.N. classes for women and transgenders being a positive way to “counteract the patriarchy of male dominated bike shops” is absurd. This seems more like segregation of men and women and transfolk who share the love for bicycles rather than bringing everyone together to enjoy the freedom of riding a bicycle. The Loops ride every tuesday night embraces people’s love for riding their bicycles. The ride is for every one, with no rules or enforcements of gender, sexual preference, creed, race, or bicycle. Everyone who rides Loops is welcoming of people based on their love for their bicycle.
I love what Derailer is doing. They are providing a wonderful service to the community. These people are our friends and they have made a great impact on the cycling culture in this city. I believe that their intentions are in the right place but I think that they rub people the wrong way with their overly PC outlook towards patriarchy and the cycling culture in Denver. This is obviously the same outlook that you share.
Over all it is a sour subject. We’d all like to have more women, gay’s, transgenders, men, and people in general ride bicycles through the streets of Denver. For whatever reason, This is something we can all agree on. Another thing we’ve all noticed as a problem is that women are seemingly intimidated by men in the cycling culture. Here lies our problem. How can we all solve this with out segregation, with out intimidation, and with love for one another because of our joint admiration for cycling.
This lifestyle has nothing to do with fashion, consumerism, anarchy, patriarchy… or any other ism’s or archy’s. It only comes down to one thing. Riding a bike. This is something we all love. So, let’s all ride bikes together. And make love (ride bikes)… instead of continuing to isolate each other because of misunderstanding’s.
… http://www.xrocksthespot.com/home/?q=content/artcrank-denver-recap … to see the image spoken of in the first sentence of the previous comment.
Howdy howdy howdy-
Thought I’d chime in since I’ve gotten a shout out. As strange as it may sound I’m happy the pot keeps getting stirred on the whole “bikes and radicalism” thing. I think there are a lot of reasons bikes as objects and tools have nestled a strong identifying location in the whole idea of “radical.” More than anything else bikes have come to symbolize a great deal of radical value and seem to lead the way for other tools (typewriters, knitting needles, wrenches, etc…) to express some radical materialist semantic that makes the functioning things we already have beautiful to us. You can scarcely browse a collection of radical woodcut artwork without finding some damned bicycle in it, and for good reason: people love their bikes. Bikes, furthermore, transpose themselves to other valuable radical/feminist-value undertakings (see the woman-created Fuji del Rey writing circle at The Other Side Arts, named for a lost bike. Or the woman created bicycle paintings at http://bicyclepaintings.com/ nothing explictly political or radical there but the paintings of those bikes yield more personality than portraits of real people) All these undertakings look to simplify how our world works or looks and in so doing draw homology to the ‘simple machine’–the writing group and the paintings maybe aim to remove the heavy pretexts of a largely patriarchal world. That said, the “bike dude” caricature still seems to predominantly exist and much in the same way, elicits bikes to problematize or identify larger patriarchal themes in whatever “radical living” is. So, I suppose the question is “is it really ‘the’ bike culture?” or does “‘bike culture’ offer us any new territory for mapping out how patriarchal the world is?”
I’d like to think not. I’d like to think that ‘bike culture’ is just as diverse as the rest of ‘culture.’ Culture is foremost learned values and behaviors and I’d like to think that bikes can be and are “learned” in very non-patriarchal ways. That’s not to say they aren’t learned otherwise as well. Aging jocko Lance Armstrong refers to his girlfriend as a “skirt” and started dating an Olson twin (one of the BABIES that was on Full House). Locally, race fliers depict “gang bang” or cocaine and fixed cogs as the ultimate in anti-heroine d(er)elictability. Not quite the feminist/mansy influence there. For myself, I’ve been lucky enough to see a broad spectrum of ways of identifying a culture with the bike. My celebrity summer with the Tour de Fat made me a go-to guy (yes, guy is a rather operative term) for men, women, transfolks, and kids to chew the fat about how there bike is meaningful to them and how they stylize their life around the bicycle. Lots of them want transportation to be fun, quaint, simple… Digging deep will reveal a great history of feminist-ish personalities, men and women alike, who’ve centered their identity around cycling. Graeme Obree–won the World Record Hour in the 1980s, the most grueling feat in racing, on a bike he designed and built himself from washing machine parts, struggled with depression and paranoia and tried to off himself before writing his memoir which opens with an entire chapter elaborating on his mental illness, not the bravado of his athleticism. Homeboy could’ve bragged about how great he is but instead sincerely disclosed how vulnerable and weak he is in his struggle.
I’d like to think that it hasn’t all gone to the dogs. And perhaps the best way of reversing the trend is to celebrate feminizing inscriptions of the bike in culture at large–of which we are in ample supply. Gotta love those radical woodcuts. Love the shout out to the women at Derailer–the BEST teacher/student mechanics in town.
OK–enough rambling. Bottom line is I think the problem may be patriarchal assholes generally, not the bike. Bikes are just….bikes….which are meaningful objects to jocks and feminists, and feminist jocks. And why aren’t panniers more sexy than messenger bags??? Still trying to figure that one out.
C-Con
It seems awfully convenient for you to hide behind your laptop and whine about how hard life is and how unjust it all can be.
I have a few bones to pick.
First,
I would also really like to know where you’re getting your bike messenger statistics from, “The fact there is a gender ratio in bike messengers of about 4% women 96% men just goes to show how inherently fucked the situation is.” When I began couriering in Denver two years ago there were about 6 women and around 30 men, now there are no women. Chicago has more women, over a dozen, but a much larger field of couriers over all, around 200. Those are facts.
Next,
“For example, the most glaring is the Cycle Jerks whose name not only suggests a male only space but in their choice of titles for their races, such as “Gang Bang,” they explicitly celebrate the rape and sexual subjugation of women.”
I just love this shit. I eat it up. Because you couldn’t be any more fucking WRONG! Who are you? Where do you get your information? Do your fucking homework before parading all over the internet like you know a damn thing. At the event there was NOT ONE woman who felt subjected. I personally posed this question to a few women who participated in the event, they were SHOCKED that someone would think something so STUPID! And the fact that we would CELEBRATE such a thing!? What kind of people do you think we are?!
And,
As for ARTCRANK, the show was organized on submissions! They had a call for entries. Maybe you should have talked to your “wimin” friends and told them to submit their art work for the show. They will be accepting applications for the 2010 shows this fall, giddy up.
Finally,
“Why would it ever be a women’s job to “sack up” and stop being intimidated by a culture that is hostile to their very existence?”
Let me just repeat this, “Why would it ever be a women’s job to …stop being intimidated by a culture that is hostile to their very existence?” I just can’t even begin to explain how ridiculous this sounds coming from a man. Oh, I’m so fucking pathetic, I’m a woman, I need help, I can’t stand up for myself. Wow.
Thanks for the pity party, I’m gonna go ride my fucking bicycle.
Signed,
Co-founder of Cycle Jerks, Co-creator of the cycling event Gang Bang, a former bicycle courier, a bike shop employee, a fucking woman,
Jen Hurricane.
P.S.
Just a little ironic fact here, in the second photo, the sculpture in the background is by the same artist, Jean Dubuffet, as the piece in front of The Thompson Center in Chicago, a popular meeting place for couriers.
Bicycles are just wonderful machines that anyone can use to see the world in a different light.
It’s to bad people associated them with political movements or problems in society. Maybe you should just go ride a bike and stop being so concerned about looking fashionable.
Well, Adam..I like to say thanks for the shit talking. Next time you talk about “Man-Crank” you should really get your fucking facts right! Did you know I helped put it together as well as many other female’s? Did you know all the businesses that put it together are all women owned? Did you know we asked a lot of women artists to be in the show declined or were busy or did not answer back?? Have you ever met me?? Josh and I do everything in our power to help all creative women and men succeed in our community? Did you know I seek out female artists first before male artists for all the art shows I curate? Weather they reply or not is out of our control. Did you know a lot of the local designer’s in the bike fashion show were women? Did you go to Art Crank? Did you see all the people out who came to support the artists and the community and not even think, Oh Golly! There is so many guys artists and bicyclists! I did not see any anti-women message anywhere? For you to say that is hurtful and fucking mind boggling!
“The Art-Crank event was a more mild example but carried the same anti-woman message”
You are fucking insane for saying this! I and many other women who put this together is not going to take this very well! If you want to be involved fucking shut up and do something about it. Go to your local business’s support them go and say “hello” and talk to you neighbors, sign up on their email list and be informed and stay involved. We can’t do it alone. Do you really expect us to seek out every single female artists and bicycle group organization in the entire state of Colorado?? This is unrealistic.
We know a lot of people got pee pee hurt because they were not asked to do a poster both men and women or why were they not informed of a bicycle event? Are you kidding me? We are sorry but we are only human and can do so much.
I hope you realize this event was not about either gender ..it was about building a community..for you to even think that makes me so fucking irate! That did not even cross anyone’s mind.
Another thing when you have a art show in needs to be curated thus we have to weed art out..sorry the truth hurts! All galleries do it and if you are not okay with that then you can go talk shit to all the art galleries in the world! We had a cap on artists and it got filled, immediatley! Next year, we will have another call out and it will be the same way. We did not say “oh god! she is female artist she can’t be in the show!” No! that did not happen or even cross our minds curating this show.
And to defend the bike fashion show..it was to showcase the designer’s we have at The Fabric Lab who happen to be riding a bike. That’s it, nothing deeper that that! Shit! Why do people have to take shit so literally. I also put a call out to female bike riders for the fashion show and only 3 girls replied, again not our fault..
Sorry I am too in a “shit talking mood” I can go on and on but I have better shit to do..
Sincerely, Tran Wills a women, Co-Owner of The Shoppe/The Fabric Lab
P.S> Adam and shit talking crew, I like to talk shit in person with a purpose. I will be seeing you some time this month.
BTW, I also do remember helping you by donating tons of clothes to your store…I wanted to see you succeed and then you turn around and talk shit? That is great way to say thank you to people who help you out..
Read this article : http://www.properfresh.com/blog/
Okay I’m going to try to address all the points that people have brought up here, hopefully without bringing about so much wrath!
First of all, I really do want to say I’m sorry for being so flippant with people’s projects, I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of that, and it was shitty of me to do it. period. Fabric Lab, Art Crank, Cycle Jerks, I’m sorry, you all work really hard and I should have been more sober with my criticism. I removed my comments about your projects from the main post because at the end of the day it really wasn’t constructive and we all got started on the wrong foot.
That said, I still feel there is a serious problem with patriarchy in the bike scene and I believe patriarchy is perpetuated by the imagery, messages and rituals that we propagate. In this situation I was only talking about the advertising of those two events, on the one hand- a flyer of nearly all men and on the other hand one that invokes violence against women, and I wasn’t talking about anything else related to their projects, where they are held, who organized them, or who attended.
I think the big point that we are missing and that I should have been clearer about at the outset is that we are living in a patriarchal culture, one that is clearly dominated by men and where women are oppressed and subjugated. If you disagree with that statement, then we have a big problem, but bike culture has a lot of the tell tale signs of mirroring this patriarchy: male dominated bike shops, objectification of women in advertisement, an overwhelming majority of male cycling heros, and bike rides and events where the majority of participants are men. I’m not at all saying that the men involved in bike culture have set out to subjugate women, what I am saying is that they’re complacent to the problem. By not actively fighting it, they are basically standing aside and letting it happen. I think that if people wanted to see less patriarchy in the bike scene I once again will point to Derailer as a perfect example of how to do something like this. Bike culture needs to simultaneously become more radical, femme-positive and more cognizant of it’s inherent patriarchal tendencies before any real change can happen.
If you agree with all that and are asking, but what could we have done differently? How could we have gotten more women involved in Art Crank? Then we are going to have a discussion about tactics, and there is definitely no need to get upset, because tactics are messy and all about trial and error and are rarely ever executed perfectly, I know from first hand experince. For example, I agree that it is difficult if not impossible to get the results you wanted from an open submission, and I think that it is probably a symptom of the greater patriarchy in bike culture or patriarchy in general that more women didn’t submit. I personally think gender equality is more important than judging an artist based on content, especially when it comes to something as subjective as art. That would be my solution, which may not resonate with you but I think that in a male dominated society we are more accustomed to hearing the voices of men and devaluing the voices of women and thereby ending up with a more male centered presentation, and so it’s only fair to have a fixed gender ratio. I think that if we are talking about tactics I would probably bring up how our entire society needs to change before we see the demise of patriarchy, that anything we do within capitalism is inherently patriarchal and can only benefit the male dominated structure that currently exists.
I hope that helps people get a better idea of where I’m coming from and that I just wanted to open a dialogue around patriarchy in the bike scene not hurt anyone’s feels or discredit your work. Sorry sorry sorry!
Clarifications:
-Sheena has always been credited at the bottom of the “about” page and if you don’t know her already but would like to contact her about art, email boulevardier4eva.wordpress.com
-Yes Baily, I know that there are all women’s bike gangs and all women’s bike rides and I think they are crucial to fighting patriarchy, just like SPIN is crucial to creating a bro-less space so people can think clearly.
-Every picture is of a male: first of all this is a men’s fashion blog, second of all it is a review of David Colman’s article and all the pictures are from that article.
-Jen: You are right I was totally wrong about the bike messenger statistics, they are worse than I thought, thanks for the clarification.
-Tran: I don’t have a shit talking crew, this column is only my opinion, for better or for worse…
Lastly… Jen, I’m really shocked that you are surprised that people were offended by titling your event Gang Bang! I thought that was the whole point! I could be wrong but didn’t people actually ask you to change it because it was so callous to rape survivors? Eitherway, EVERYONE (male, female or transgender) I know finds that totally out of line, hurtful, alienating. You had a party named Gang Bang! And now you are acting hurt that I would call it like it is! Seriously?
you just dug yourself a shit hole, buddy. i’d shut the F up if i were you, and not say anything until AFTER you maybe do something (like actually go bicycle).
loops, anyone? tomorrow night? yessssss.
I love you, boulevardier. I still don’t know how I feel about “blog dialogue”, but it seems that people do enjoy the opportunity to express themselves, so I’ll throw in a couple words…
As a proud lady member of “denver bike culture”–an anarchistic variety who, ironically, spent much of the morning talking to DPD officers about the process of re-directing bicycles confiscated/stolen by police to the programs that can get bikes back on the streets–I just want to say that I think you’re smart and tough and highly fashionable.
Hooray.
Oooh, and so is that “mansy C-Con” character.
I’ve hesitated posting on this, as I’m not a Denver local and can’t comment on some of the specific examples cited. But here’s what I can tell you about ARTCRANK.
It’s a valid observation that there were far more men than women involved as artists in the Denver show. This is also the case in Minneapolis. But what I’ve seen over the past three years in Minneapolis is that, as word about the show spread, more women artists stepped forward to get involved. In 2007, the ratio was something like 5:1 men to women. This year, it’s closer to 3:1. I don’t know that it’ll ever be 1:1, but it’s moving in the right direction. As ARTCRANK gains momentum in Denver, I hope that more artists, male and female, will step up to get involved. The show will be better for it.
Having been at the opening of the Denver show, I can speak directly to three things. First, attendance seemed to be nearly equally divided between men and women, which made me very happy. Second, none of the posters that I saw objectified or demeaned women in any way. And third, I know that Josh and Tran did not seek to exclude women artists from the show. In fact, they went out of their way to include anyone and everyone who stepped up with work.
Traditionally, cycling as a sport and a social activity has a reputation, perhaps earned, as being a boy’s club. I’ve seen that changing in Minneapolis, and my brief experience in Denver suggests that similar changes are afoot. Or apedal, if you prefer. In my book, that’s a good thing.
Bottom line: I respect Adam’s observation about the makeup of the show. And while I don’t necessarily agree with all of the conclusions he drew, I respect his right to have and express an opinion on the subject — just as I respect the rights of everyone who’s responded to express their views. And I hope that this debate will get more people involved in ARTCRANK next year as artists, sponsors and fans.
Sincerely,
Charles Youel
ARTCRANK
Minneapolis, MN
First and foremost I must thank everyone who has spoken out in response to this poorly crafted post. We all appreciate you refusing to except, and applaud you all for standing up and taking action… from the bottom of our hearts thank you!
Dearest Adam,
I’ve read over the original post and your responses several times, with each pass hoping to gain greater clarity into the point you are trying to make and also trying to understand just how ARTCRANK got entangled in your convoluted and poorly articulated ramblings. With each pass instead of walking away with clarity or sympathy, I’m just confused. I think I get what you are trying to say, but feel you are doing a poor job at articulating your thoughts. In the original post you spew on about being pissed off by another article, then state you are casually in the mood to “talk shit”, you then proceed to line up a handful of Denver’s most active contributors into your sites and blindly fire away, basing your opinion on misguided facts, assumptions, and flat out lies… which in the end this does nothing but reflect poorly on you, and makes me question the legitimacy of anything you put forth for public consumption. With that said let’s see if we can’t go down the line and try to correct some of the outrageous claims you tossed out over the past day or so.
“The Art-Crank event was a more mild example but carried the same anti-woman message.”
-This statement carries absolutely no weight, and is based purely on assumptions. This is about as relevant as the skateboard community getting outraged that ARTCRANK did nothing to empower the skateboarding. There are absolutely no facts to back up this claim Adam, your assumption is based on the artist line-up, none of the marketing or promotion of the event came close to hinting at being anti-women. The truth of the matter is the event was organized, promoted, and produced by business’s whose majority stakeholders are ALL WOMEN. SO A SUCCESSFUL ARTCRANK RESULTS IN A SUCCESS FOR WOMEN OWNED AND OPERATED SMALL BUSINESS’S, as well as a success for struggling local based artists of all creeds, colors, and genders. A miraculous feat considering the economic climate that we are pummeled with day in and day out. The difference here being that I roll up my sleeves and actively work toward creating the change you only sit around and passively complain about… we’ve got enough people who sit on their ass and complain… we need more people who are willing to act, execute, and manifest. Do more, think less.
“In this situation I was only talking about the advertising of those two events, on the one hand- a flyer of nearly all men and on the other hand one that invokes violence against women, and I wasn’t talking about anything else related to their projects, where they are held, who organized them, or who attended.”
-You did in fact call out all of the above, in the original post, and within the comments you’ve made since. More than call out all of the above you have spit in our faces… with frail attempts to make back-handed apologies.
“By not actively fighting it, they are basically standing aside and letting it happen.”
-You seem to be the only one trying to combat the situation in a passive manner, everyone else you’ve called out is actually working, let me re-iterate ACTIVELY WORKING towards creating change. For example Ms. Hurricane who stepped up to inform you that she was a founding member of the cycle jerks, and one of the driving forces behind last years hugely successful gang-bang event. You then turn around and criticize Jen for her contributions calling them obscene and offensive, does this not perpetuate exactly what you are supposedly against? Males telling Females what is what? Remember you are a male, so not sure I can see any justification coming from your side as to why her contribution to the the cycling community is offensive, degrading, or oppressive to women. She is actively doing all that you are calling for, yet this is still not good enough?… and again who are you to judge?
“How could we have gotten more women involved in Art Crank? ”
-Who is we? You made no attempt to contact or collaborate with anyone involved in coordinating the event. All you have done is propel negative comments towards one of the more positive events that I’ve personally been involved with. I feel extremely proud of how the event was planned and executed, and am ecstatic that I can help reward all the participating artists for hours and hours of hard work…. and will never apologize for doing so, I will continue to help empower all those willing to step up and create a better Denver and World for all by getting of their asses and physically working hours on end to create change you so subtlety and passively only hint at.
In the end I think it would benefit you greatly to sit back and reflect on everything above before firing back. I also think it is in your best interest to apologize to all involved in the event and all involved in this thread whole heartily and without reservation or back-handed posturing. But it is your blog, and your future, you can choose to do what ever you see fit with both.
Good Luck,
Josh Wills
Artcrank Denver Director / Curator
1/2 of The Fabric Lab
I shan’t weigh in on the subject from a personal perspective, mainly because so many sides have been here eloquently expositioned here, but I will say congratulations, Mr. Tinnell, for starting a wonderful discourse on the subject. I haven’t ever seen this topic so beautifully and throughly taken apart before, as it deserved to be. Thank you!
Simone
illiterate magazine
I have to agree with C-Con’s post: it’s awesome that the critique continues, regardless of whether or not we all agree.
Generally, it’s problematic to comment on a project without really knowing that much about it, I agree.
However:
I know it’s hard for organizing folks to feel like good effort is being overlooked. But if one person can look at the final lineup of artists and see none of the good intentions that went into the selection, it IS easy to conclude that it’s being dominated by the same male-dominated mindset that dominates the rest of bike culture. It’s not fair, but that’s how split-second decision-making works when you’re inundated with media every second.
Riding a bike is wonderful. But a lot of the culture is really inaccessible–and I know I’ve only come to be more comfortable with it in part because Derailleur made a particular effort to set aside time and resources for women/transfolk. And I have to agree that a name like ‘Gang Bang’ is a big turnoff. It’s clear there are ways of addressing (and developing a critique of the culture) that are more effective than others.
It’s not that women are looking for a welcome flag. But–for myself–I’m much more likely to attend events that very clearly step out of the stereotype I’ve come to expect–like Tour de Fat.
On the plus side, I’ll definitely check out Art Crank next year!
Hi Adam,
I just wanted to write (particularly after reading all the comments) and say that I really loved this article. You are hilarious, you really have a point about male domination in bike culture…I had a feeling your article would upset some people, but it’s important to talk about it and open it up to debate. People are quick to get defensive, but every “scene” in Denver has problems with inclusion/exclusion of folks outside their clique, and it would be nice if more cyclists would all give each other The Nod and try to make biking safe for everyone.
And shit, I’m all about your bike fashion.
I had a decent length comment to add to the others you’ve received, but of course Firefox decided to crash and wipe it all away before submitting. Balls!
Here’s the short version of what I intended to post. I am a 27-year-old male. I’ve been riding bikes my whole life off and on, but more recently got back into it the past 2 years and have loved every minute of it. I have many times considered and regretfully have yet to attend Gang Bang, Loops, and other such cycling events put on by all the good people in Denver who go out of their way to organize them for the community. I think part of the reason I have yet to attend is second-guessing my cycling skills and ability to keep up with everyone, and I’m probably overreacting, I bet I’d do just fine (after all I am a male right?). I think it’s that intimidation that has kept me from attending most of the time, not to mention scheduling conflicts and choosing laziness over riding in the cold on some of these events. Not just intimidation I would feel from the men, (not their fault, MINE) but more from the women that do make it a point to come out and show everyone what they’ve got.
My good friend Jen Nordhem is a very strong willed and opinionated woman. She is definitely not afraid to stand up for herself or her friends, be it man or women. To be quite frank with you, she down right scares me. And I’m usually not afraid of things under 5’ 2”, except for this guy…
She would show me up, and I guarantee the other girls would show me up too. Will it keep me from ever attending said events? The answer is hell no.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other males out there who feel the same way, and avoid attending these events not for fear of being beaten by the male dominated population of attendees, but because the few women that do attend may test their manhood and send them home crying like a mansy. Jen’s made me cry before, but this isn’t the forum to go into those gory details. I’m getting upset just thinking about it. Besides, I’ve already demasculine-itized myself by sharing what I have. I’ve got to keep some of my street-cred in tact.
Overall I get the point you’re trying to make, and it is an important one and I wish you well on that journey. However I do believe your word bullets would be better put to use against those that are actual perpetrators of keeping women down in our society.
Relax baby, don’t be so serious.
Chris
P.S. – You totally remind me of Bo Burnham in that picture above. Check him out, he makes fun of EVERYONE: http://www.boburnham.com/
There was supposed to be a picture of Warwick Davis dressed as the Leprechaun above, the HTML didn’t take. Use your imaginations guys AND gals.
Chris
Thank you, Josh and Tran, for your very well executed comments and support. I am very proud to be involved in such a loving community where we have each others backs. As for the mansy himself, I think you need to start diggin’ buddy.
when this complaint first surfaced (the gang banging reference), i told someone– you’re confusing people who are politically minded with people who don’t give a fuck. if one can’t think EVEN for a second about patriarchy (male or female mind you) and wanting to change it, then it is hopeless to even discuss anything. it shows how crazy and dysfunctional our society is that we have enough time on our hands to discuss who rides bikes for what reason and we’re cooler than you because….
i think louis vuitton night and the free boutique are 2 of the best things to come out of anarchist pedagogy in years; that and FM mag. you anarchists keep up the great work, keep shakin’ things up and keep being subversive! or you can all drown in your PBRs.
Hey, I just came up with a great idea for a fun community bike ride! “The Non-consensual Cock and Ball Torture Ride!” Everyone is welcome!
So… After a lot of personal emails, Josh Wills (of the Fabric Lab and Co-Organizer of Art-Crank) and I have ceased fire when it comes to the issue of Art-Crank, he suggested that we ‘agree to disagree’ and I agreed! May peace prevail on this planet!
With that issue resolved as much as one could hope, that just leaves the discussion of the Cycle Jerk’s bike race named Gang Bang. And you know what, I think that I’ve been a little harsh on them, after all, I’ve known a ton of groups that have almost gone with a name that has the term Gang Bang in it and actually there’s been a couple projects I’ve been in where I fought hard, though ultimately losing, to have Gang Bang in the title.
Why, when I was just a wee young anarchist, I really wanted Food not Bombs to be titled Gang Bang not Bombs, and it almost flew, but people thought there should be a reference to the free food we served twice weekly, so we stuck with “food.” Oh and then there was the event that I threw to support an Indigenous family in Ecuador and for a while (still do sort of) thought it would be best to call it Indigenous Gang Bang Solidarity… And I myself, instead of calling it Critical Mass called it Critical Gang Bang for like forever, but it just never caught on so I dropped it. And it’s a little vague but when I was in elementary school I seem to remember having a Razor Scooter race called Gang Bang, but I could be wrong, I might just be remembering a movie that I saw once…
As for other projects, I remember hearing that Derailer was first called Gang Derailer Bang when it was just the shred of a dream, but eventually they dropped the Gang Bang for the shorter, Derailer. And people actually call the Blastomat the GB-mat but it’s so underground no one even knows their doing it or why. Insiders have also told me that Colorado Anti-Violence Program had a plethora of board meetings debating between the name we all know, and Colorado Anti-Violence Gang Bang, just because it was catchy. This is purely confidential but I have heard from an anonymous source (Adrienne Heller) that the Tattered Cover at the first first store in the 70′s was called Tattered Gang Bang… no one knows why though, I guess you can chock that up to the swinging 70′s. And don’t get me started on local bands that tried using Gang Bang in their name but when they started taking off changed it- Slim Cessna’s Gang Bang, BDRMGNGBNG, Big Head Gang Bang and Monsters (I’m pretty sure they recently went back to this name), Gang Bang of 1974, Flobots (just sound like a gang bang gone very wrong), Everything Absent or Distorted During a Gang Bang, and Devotchka IS Gang Bang in Russian.
And this is just what I know of, was FM Magazine first FGB Magazine? Was Wax Trax, Wax Gang Bang at first? Was the the Shane Co. the Shane Gang Bang Co, Now you have a Gang Bang in the diamond business? I’m sure those American Furniture Warehouse commercials with the baby tigers started out as a plush Gang Bang on quality furniture, probably with the baby tigers in there as well! What about Gates Rubber Gang Bang? or West-Gang Word-Bang?
So you see, a lot of people have been through what the Cycle Jerks are going through, but just never had the eggs to stick with it. That said, Gang Bang could really use an update, a revision so to speak, after all, offending nearly all women, being callus to rape survivors and basically celebrating non consensual sex is soooo last year. Basically, I’m not sure if Gang Bang is a regular event, but if it is, I put together a list of names with Gang Bang in them that soften the “blow” while still retaining the original message of consensual group sex among a predominantly to all male group of bike racers.
-Gang Bang Me (with the simple addition of “me” the title now emphasizes consensual sex and is the perfect slogan for some one who is into group sex to wear in public. Also previous materials can be easily altered.)
-Puppy Gang Bang (people love puppies)
-Rainbow Gang Bang (people love rainbows)
-Obama Gang Bang (people love Obama, alright scratch that one… bad idea)
-Sparkle Gang Bang (a gang bang that shines? what! yay!)
-Gang Gang Bang Bang (sounds more like a totally cool song or band)
-Gang Bang a Man? (not patriarchal anymore, but still kind of fucked up, so maybe not the best choice, the question mark does help though)
-Dildo Gang Bang (simple, strait forward)
Or you know, we could just leave Gang Bang behind and move on with our lives, Robin may be onto something! In fact I was so inspired by Robin’s lead, that I’ve asked a few of my friends to think of a new crude name for a bike race that the Cycle Jerks can use without offending most women and all rape survivors… Here’s the list, and I’ve taken the liberty to make an online poll to see what the people really want, it’s in the upper left corner of this column. Keep in mind that I, the Boulevardier did not think of any of these, they are strait from the unshaven masses!
The Non-Consensual Cock and Ball Torture Ride (a classic!)
Fatherfucker Ride
Clitical Ass
Eat out My Bike
Clipped-In Clits
Tits on Wheels
Cockbreaker
Twat Ride
Bike Jerks Fuck Off
Beavers on Bikes
Cycle Lesbo Cunts
The Menstration Cycle
Pussy Prance
Butch Cassidy Rides Again
Toys for Twats
Lick My Pussy and My Trak
The Town and Cuntry Ride
The Juicy Juice Rubber Vulva Ride
If you have more suggestions, just throw them out there! And don’t forget, to quote the Cycle Jerks website: “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”
I guess where I’m getting confused is since when do people immediately think the term Gang Bang specifically refers to a WOMAN having sex un-willingly with a group of hard-cock wielding sex fiend MALES?
Definition:
Gang Bang
n. Vulgar Slang.
1. Sexual intercourse, often rape, involving one person or victim and several others who have relations with that person in rapid succession.
2. Sexual intercourse involving several people who select and change partners.
I don’t see anywhere in the definition stating that for the term to apply it has to involve a certain number of females or males, it’s rather a generalization.
To each their own, but that is not how I define it or what I envision whatsoever. When I first saw it was being used last summer to represent a large gathering of cyclists, it was the last image from my mind, and this was me not even really knowing these kind of events took place in Denver aside from Critical Mass. I pictured people on their bicycles, fully clothed, no strap-ons, KY Jelly, or nudity ready to have a good time.
Why doesn’t the term represent a male being raped unwillingly by a group of men, or a man being raped unwillingly by a group of women, or a women being raped unwillingly by a group of women for you?
I don’t necessarily think everyone who has been raped would be offended by the term Gang Bang, especially when used in the context of labeling a cycling meetup group. I would imagine that perception would all tie into what imagery or other statements were attached to the advertisement for such an event.
Let’s apply some common sense. If the term Gang Bang was used to represent a conspicuous meeting open to anyone, and directions on the flyer led you to a creepy unmarked building in five points, and their was simply a sign on the door saying “Gang Bang Here”, then I get why you might imply the negative connotation. See how that’s starting to make sense?
Knowing full well this event was being put on by a group called Cycle Jerks (which to me doesn’t apply an all male cyclist meeting by the way) and it was a meeting open to the cycling community for the purpose of having a bike race / scavenger hunt I don’t see how you could even remotely get the sense this was somehow degrading to all women, cyclist or not. It just doesn’t add up.
*Knock knock* Door opens…“Hi, I’m here for the gang bang.” – Old School
Should Cycle Jerks invite all attendees of this summer’s Gang Bang to sport these shirts (http://www.zazzle.com/im_here_for_the_gang_bang_tshirt-233950939302631816) so that there’s no confusion that everyone involved is there willingly and consensually?
I think the fact you automatically draw this narrow-minded conclusion and see such a problem with the term is your issue, and your issue alone to come to terms with and not the responsibility of the community to help you understand.
Dear Chris Bossom,
I am Common Sense. You summoned me for your argument. If you check out my website, you’ll see the lack of “common sense” in what you say. You see, while we all know that there are male on male rapes, women on women rapes, and woman on man rapes, I think that once you talk to me, Common Sense, you’ll realize that the majority of gang rapes/gang bangs involve many men and few women or one.
If you do a search on rape statistics, you will also see me in there. Have you ever heard that rape is a highly unreported crime? I’m sure you have, because that’s one of the first things they tell you. See this is where I, Common Sense come in. If women aren’t even reporting this crime to the police, why would they tell a group of Cycle Jerks that they are offended by the name? Would you expect a survivor who hasn’t even told her family or friends that they were sexually violated to tell a group of bike hipsters such a huge and painful secret?
Lastly, if you kept me, Common Sense around more, you would realize that no one who is offended by this name thinks that there was ever any real danger of actual gang rapes happening at the Cycle Jerks Gang Bang Race. You would see, because I would show you, that many of them are pissed off because it shows an complete disregard for rape survivors. Please don’t underestimate people!
Not to be pedantic or condescending, but do I, Common Sense need to point out that the word rape is in the very first definition you posted? It’s okay buddy. Stick with me and you’ll go far.
It was nice talking with you Chris. Please quit dropping my name, but definitely don’t be a stranger, especially when debating publicly.
Very, very sincerely,
C. Sense
I wish I could have lived to work at the bookstore in the era when it was known as Tattered Gang Bang.
apathetic apolitical bastards like cyclejerks are what give cycling a bad name.
Adam,
How would your mother feel if she knew you had been participating in gang bang razor scooter races in elementary school? Children, i swear.
Speaking of children, i hope you all can play well together in the future! As a wise person i know once said, “Make a wall into a step,” whatever that means.
There’s some pretty big steps out there to make, but best of luck to all of you trying to climb over the wall with bicycles intact!
As for the gang bang definitions brought up by Chris Blossom-
It is convenient to include only definitions of “gang bang” that exclude the idea of women being taken advantage of by men, but if we’re going to get technical here.. well, you didn’t finish your homework!!
So simply to even out the debate:
gangbang
Noun
Slang sexual intercourse between one woman and several men one after the other, esp. against her will
Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006
noun
VULGAR sexual intercourse with, or, esp., rape of, one woman by several men in rapid succession
Webster’s New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
(not to be a teachers pet… but, gosh, i even cited my sources!!)
Honestly, its not THAT incredibly mind boggling to see how “people immediately think the term Gang Bang specifically refers to a WOMAN having sex un-willingly with a group of hard-cock wielding sex fiend MALES.”
It written as that in dictionary definitions previously excluded in this forum (phrased a bit more gracefully, though sadly lacking such creative adjectives). For some input from the public on the definition of gang bang there is also urban dictionaries entry on it.
Dictionary or not, the point is that connotations of words do exist, especially of “gang bang” in regards to a female victim (as “common sense” elaborated on).
If anyone is finding it so difficult to grasp that, circulating in society, there are dominating perceptions of “gang bang” that demean women… you should probably think twice, maybe three times depending.
Im just saying that, as a woman, when someone says to me, “I really love gang bang” i am getting out my bike, yes, but only as a means of accelerated exit.
Too much talking about bikes. Not enough riding them. Take control of your own cyclo-scene and get out for a ride. alone or with others. the more women get seen on bikes the better it is for everyone.
Be seen on your bicycle. It’s good for your health.
too much fighting. not enough non-consensual cock and ball torture.
While I love how sweepingly broad these arguments have gone and I shall cast my die for the non-consensual cock and ball torture ride as one I will definitely take part in. I am still failing to see how this could be strewed as anti-male.
Non-consensual cock n’ ball torture:* A group of (generally) elderly women gathering to play bridge and eat McVitties tea biscuits* (Webster’s 2006, 7, 8 & 9)
Reading through these posts makes me think how protectionism stifles individualism. Specifically addressing the ideas behind the promotion and fostering of an art show. While I will be the first to acknowledge that local businesses like the Fabric Lab & Shoppe or community groups are awesome and do great things I do not think anything should be handed a free pass that bypasses discussion. What is art without discourse, conversation and argument? Some might call it design, but I think that who and what makes up an exhibition is as much a part of the conversation as the work shown.
As any artist knows once work is put out there, on a flier and in the community it is fair game for dissection. (I suppose depending on the work, protests or violence may be called for also).
Andre Serrano’s Piss Christ certainly pissed off and sparked many a protest but isn’t that the point? Love him or hate him Chris Burden didn’t shoot himself so he could look pretty on your wall.
Good or bad (and who is to decide) I call it all the more reason to make it. As the Fabric Lab did everything they could do get women involved and it still didn’t attract many female artists that is very much is a societal commentary. I do not place the blame on the place that did the promotion but to take a step outside of it and look at the larger reasons behind it is a valid insight. If 800 men apply for a CEO position and 3 women step up for the interview does that say anything larger about the society that breeds these numbers? Or should it simply not be addressed.
If a gallery, community, business or really anything that enters the public realm is truly independent this should support the right for creative discussion and commentary otherwise what is it truly working for? I will always happily argue for the promotion of individualism and discourse over blind acceptance and promotion that does not allow for independent thought and opinion.
I decided to ignore this website for quite some time but out of curiosity today opened it up to see the progress (HA! If you can call it that!) of this debate.
I barely skimmed the arguments above, basically just seeing the phrase “Gang Bang” repeated again and again with an air of anger and arrogance laced around it. Here’s a little story…
When I was 19 I started a couple art and fashion collective with a couple friends. We were bashed, in a full page, full color article in The Chicago Reader, for my parties. Why? Because we were young. Some people saw some kids having fun, being creative, and ripped us apart for being unexperienced. It hurt, yes. But did that keep me from throwing more shows and partying even harder? Fuck no.
Now, I’ve had a little more practice. But what the fuck! Why not make it edgy? In the words of my last employer, “You ruffle too many feathers”. And you know what? It’s far more fun than sitting back and not doing shit and wishing you had. I don’t regret the things I’ve done, but those I did not do, and if I pissed a few people off for not being PC enough, then so be it! You’re never going to please everyone, and everyone isn’t going to like you, so you might as well do what you want and be who you are.
You do your thing, sweetheart. And I’ll do mine.
I’m feeling young and frisky…I’m sure the Non-Consensual Cock and Ball Torture Ride will ruffle some feathers. Bring the kids!
I haven’t kept up with The Boulevardier since its earliest posts, and was wholly unaware of its involvement in the debate regarding the Gang Bang event. Now that I’ve caught read every word of the blog, the responding comments, and Colman article, I’d like to chime in, hopefully without “kicking a dead horse.”
I’ve previously responded to your blogs primarily as an advocate for fashionable AND functional cycling costumes, and am excited that you’ve devoted some more attention to the very relevant topic. A few thoughts I’d like to point out that will hopefully redirect this potentially creative and edifying discourse in the direction of its original point:
At the height of the Gay Nineties of the 18th century, Susan B. Anthony said, “the bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world.” She was referring to the changes in women’s fashion due entirely to the practicality of bicycling. The growing community of DIY craftspeople and cyclists would do well to keep the golden age of cycling in mind as we decide what to make and what to wear if we want to take the bicycle back from the Xtreme sector.
The things I have found to be most suitable and attractive for bicycling, whether I’m going out as a girl, a boy, or somewhere in-between, were available back in the 1800s and are still sustainable and vegan-friendly. I’m talking about wool (esp. the supersoft kind) and canvas, which ought to be the primary materials used by designers targeting bicyclists that want to look good. There are currently a few small companies manufacturing fine wool knickers and cycling caps, but they all cost upwards of $100. We can do better than that by deconstructing pre-existing wool suits and slacks and tailoring them to our own fashion tastes.
Whatever the look you’re aiming for, cycling-friendly attire needs to be able to withstand and protect from the elements. Your implication that riding slow is the solution, or that it is a superior way to fight macho, patriarchal tendencies in bike culture is ridiculous. Although the increasing demand for “commuter bikes” is great, I have to remind folks I advise about getting a bike that *any* bicycle can be ridden slowly; not every bike can go fast. There are plenty of people with physiological and/or mental predispositions to riding fast, and it doesn’t have to have anything to do with machismo. One of the most obvious advantages to bicycling as a lifestyle is the exercise, and you’re missing out on some great endorphin highs and cardiovascular benefits if you’re always content to pedal around at cruiser speed. A bicycling guru once said, “If you’re cold, ride faster; if you’re hot, ride faster.” It makes sense for dealing with either extreme, but only if you’re dressed in a fashion that can cope with sweat, wind, and the possibility of puddles or precipitation. These are applicable pieces of advice for the slowest, most casual riders as well as the more masochistic ones.
Those outfits on the model above look great, but unless they’re water and stain resistant, those pretty, white slacks are going to be destroyed the first time he rides through a bit of grit. I just *know* we could put together some outfits that address both mansy fashion and bicycling function, but I have yet to see any from you personally, and I hope to see that plea reconsidered.
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As for the Gang Bang thing, I can understand the thinking on both sides. Because of my mixed feelings, I chose to attend the protest gathering on the day of the race, but I was left with an uncomfortable feeling of obligation (as a white male) of being the sole instigator of real dialogue on the issue being protested. In my opinion, the controversy blew up largely because of personal conflicts between people, and those conflicts were skirted by waving the noble banner of anti-violence and radical consent politics. The kind of absurd, ironic joke the organisers were trying to make is no different from, say, a dead baby joke told [by anarchists in our community] to an audience of friends who very well may have experienced a miscarriage, an abortion, or a loss in the family that brings up deep-rooted emotions.
An example from my own life that comes to mind is the name of the organisation Bash Back! I have been physically brutalised for being queer, and when I first heard the name BashBack!, the obvious play on “gay-bashing” triggered a pretty sick feeling in my stomach. Although I agree with all the points of belief on the various BashBack! chapters’ credos, the politics of love, equality, and nonviolence I hold feel betrayed if fighting for queer and trans rights implies equal and opposite hatred, or bashing of straights and homonormative individuals. Of all the names of radical organisations out there, it certainly seems one of the least to invite love, rational dialogue, and equality. However, it would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater for me to reject BashBack! outright because of my first gut-wrenching response to its name. Instead I would rather learn more from the people involved about their purposes and varied tactics, and try to distinguish between individual attitudes versus the more unified principles.
Community and anarchy will never cohere as beautifully as the could if we’re consistently focusing on the points we take issue with and leaving the commonalities out of the conversation, or failing to offer a positive replacement and taking initiative to make it happen.
Sincerely,
Andrew Mabe
Alter Saddle! House of Love and Bicycle Maintenance
(P.S. – I am always happy to help folks out with bicycle logistics, and have a bit of experience specifically looking for solutions for female-bodied people who desire a more comfortable ride.)
Well said Andrew, in a way you very well may be beating a dead horse, though your points are all solid. I will say that when I was talking about riding slow, I feel like the machismo comes in the compulsion to only ride at breakneck speeds, not the occasional fast ride or particular someone who happens to enjoy it. As for the use of language I think that the fact that the cycle jerks broke up and immediately afterwards Jen started an all women’s alley ride confirms the suspicions that it was a patriarchal group to begin with, that and josie’s experience with talking to them in person about the gang bang issue. As well I totally see your point about Bash Back, the name embarasses me as well, at first I found it liberating but now it’s just tacky and like you said, insensitive. But as I’ve been saying a lot lately, it may not be the project we wanted but maybe it’s the one we deserve… But I do think the two, gang bang and bash back are in totally different categories, and therefore should be treated differently. I would love to talk with you more about bash back though, I think to be a successful project, we should strive to avoid alienating anyone needlessly and I think your thoughts would make a great contribution to that endevour…
xoxox
Adam