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May 16, 2006
Filed Under (Rants and Raves) by John Davis
Mark Briggs, editor of thenewstribune.com, mentioned NorthwestCycleNews.com in his Online in the South Sound blog yesterday. He makes the point that many of the recent entries have been “Rider Down” or “Road Rash” entries. I have noticed this trend as well and am troubled by it. In the very first issue of my newsletter I said:
So, what about now? I have increasingly featured stories of crashes and fatalities in recent weeks. Are these still serving as the “calls to action” that I intended or are they becoming just a depressing litany of tragedies? Should I be more selective of those incidents that I feature; choosing only those that illustrate the most outrageous or unjust circumstances? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Comments:
6 Comments posted on "“Dead Biker” Stories…"
William Wahl on May 16th, 2006 at 5:46 pm #
We read all the biker down stuff in the news. What we need is uplifting interactive stories, who you met on the road and what was learned from the interchange. This evening I had a relevant discussion with a duck who wandered up my lawn from the lake. I was not getting any proper answers to my Ducati questions.
Richard on May 16th, 2006 at 6:36 pm #
Mark wrote “Unfortunately, many of the recent updates have been about motorcycle riders involved in accidents.” We could also say “Unfortunately many of the articles in the mainstream media are about rape, murder, the deaths of our soldiers, genocide…” The stories you wrote about originated in the mainstream media. Is it also unfortunate that they reported them? Your site is is a fledgling, still pecking its way out of the shell. You will find the right balance over time. Don’t sweat it. (Think I’ll head over to the Trib and ask my question of Mark)
John on May 16th, 2006 at 9:52 pm #
William – Sorry the duck wasn’t able to help with the Duc. “Uplifting, interactive stories” now that’s a good plan.
John on May 16th, 2006 at 9:53 pm #
Richard – I am still trying to find the balance; it’s getting there I think. I can tell when it’s not there; and I think this is the case with all the crash stories. It feels like too much. I don’t watch or read mainstream news for the very reason you cite; it’s just too damned depressing and there is no uplifting value. I don’t want this space to be more of the same. I’m inclined to back off of the crash stories a bit.
Kevin on May 18th, 2006 at 9:35 pm #
Mark, I believe that we all know the dangers that are inherent in the decision to get some “breeze on the knees”. We all also know that we accept this risk along with the joy that comes with riding.
MiG on June 12th, 2006 at 2:09 pm #
I don’t know the answer to this. Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t. There have been so many of my friends lost these last couple of years, I don’t even want to think about it because it makes me feel that riding is too big a risk anymore. After 23 years riding, I wonder if my number is going to come up. Post a comment
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