Sunday, November 23, 2008

The National Question

I got back from my candidacy class about an hour ago, where we had been talking about "the National Question." (Discussing what formulates a national identity & the importance that it holds for people & the role of socialists in regard to national self-determination.)

The main point was for all of us to see what we need to be doing. To examine the motivation behind intervention in another country to see if the idea is to really support the people of that country or if the plan is to exploit for personal benefit. And to recognize that the role of those of the oppressor group is to fight in solidarity in the struggle for the freedom & rights of all those who are oppressed. (For example, as a white & straight female, I need to be joining to help all from other ethnicities/nationalities, sexual orientation, etc.)


One of the questions that Gloria asked us was: How are we divided against other people?

Some of the obvious answers were the encouragement of racism against the black & immigrant communities, hostility towards affirmative action, fear of homosexuals & other sexual minorities (like intersexed & transgendered).

In comparison to these very serious issues that I just listed (and the many that I know that I didn't), the one that occurred to me while walking home is quite petty. But it has a habit of getting me up in arms very frequently.

I was walking my bike across the street, when this car made this rolling stop so that they could get past before I got to them.

And that irritates me.

It's a disregard of the idea that you are supposed to yield to pedestrians while in the crosswalk...and not just while they are right in front of your car.

I was also pretty disappointed while in a car the other night when a few of the passengers urged (happily within the confines of the vehicle) that they wish that the pedestrians would hurry up & get out of the way.

You want to talk about petty division?

As a biker & walker, I am tired of being hated. I see the cars that try to get through before I block their way. I've been yelled at while biking on several occasions (and on streets that had 2 lanes going in each direction)....Once where a woman told me to get my "bitchass off the street." And I can't help but feel like hostility is being directed towards me every time I cross a street where there are cars trying to go.

I was actually riding with some coworkers to a function this last week when they told me another one of our staff openly admits that she hates cyclists because they don't follow the same rules as the cars.

Bikes aren't cars.

And those riding bikes face anger from car drivers no matter what they do. If we run stop signs (even when cautiously), cross-traffic gets mad because we didn't stop. If we do stop (I predict), cars behind us get mad that they have to wait for us to accelerate enough for them to get to go...which also would slow down the cross-traffic as they'd have to wait for us to clear the intersection as well.

Talk about a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.


The point of this is not to advocate a end to cars. I know that they are beneficial for getting longer distances within a fairly short period of time. That's what I use them for. (And not that I wouldn't love to see them all destroyed to make the way for nonpolluting models...)

What I think is needed is an end to car culture. The urge to be fast. And to hate being slowed down by everything and everyone that stands in the way of getting where we want to be within the time frame we mentally set.

Cars are very isolating. You are in your own little bubble of steel. Disconnected from the humanity of the people around you & the environment you pass through.

Talk about dividing.

It's hard to unite when we're gunning for our speedy isolation cell that turns the majority of our communication with the ones around us into aggression.

So, while we're smashing the other state encouraged intolerances, can we make a little time to break out of our cars?