This blog post begins with a homework assignment. Read the following opinion piece before you read my reaction to it:
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/09/portland_nice_has_given_way_to.html
I started to react to this as soon as I read it. It occurred to me later that as a web blogger I have the freedom to write about anything I want including opinion pieces. I shy away from this but this commentary got on my nerves. It begins with a man who could not leave two bike riders alone. He had to butt in when it was unnecessary then thought his interaction was meaningful enough to merit submission to the Oregonian. This was really not worth including in the opinion section of the Sunday paper. I’m disappointed at what real issue could have been commented on in place of this commentary. It’s inflammatory from the headline to the jumbled mix of ideas in the piece and it starts more needless, ad nauseam complaints about people who ride bicycles.
The man was rude, deciding to tell the bikers how they should ride when there was no traffic. Then he was surprised to receive a negative reaction which inspired more discourse on how Portland isn’t as good, nice, cool as it used to be. The only thing I appreciated was the mention of the hippies who told the writer, “don’t starve man,” which could almost be as catchy a catch phrase as you’re ever going to find and it makes me miss the concept of brotherhood that I heard Haskell Wexler talking about on Democracy Now last week. To end the article with hopes of misfortune regarding the weather, “I hope we have a good old fashioned, Portland, Oregon, underwear-wetting winter” comes across as a Warlock curse that’s a bit too Travis Bickle. Let me get back to blogging about murals and homemade signs.
Additional Notes: The headline that appeared in the paper was: ‘Portland nice’ has given way to rude (expletive) cyclists. “Portland Nice” is an admirable ideal. Agitation doesn’t have to be met with more agitation.
Complaints about McMansions, only make me want to refer you to this:
Portland Orbit 