We'd just started to like journalists again, then ...

[aclivity]

I took to reading the Telegraph as my paper of choice recently - don't get a paper every day, and I used to always go for the Independent if I did buy one, but the Telegraph won me over with the fairly high quality of writing.

Today, however, this dreadful article about cyclists means I'm back to being a Independent reader. I'm almost tempted to create a log on just so I can comment on it.

About the only stereotype she doesn't bring in is road tax, so I suppose there is some movement there.

[P-Jay]

Why is it that we all get lumped together all the bloody time?

Someone throws a KFC wrapper out his car and he's a littering, selfish tt.
Someone cuts you up and he's a manic
Someone drives at 30 in a 50 and they're a dawdling old sod or a Sunday driver.

1 cyclist acts like a prick and somehow they're representative of everyone who owns a bike.


It seems that every non-cyclist thinks we're all part of some club and we have meeting every week to decice how to upset everyone else.

[aclivity]

P-Jay said:

we're all part of some club and we have meeting every week to decice how to upset everyone else.

[looks round suspiciously checking for over shoulder readers]
that would be silly, of course that doesn't happen

By the way, you didn't dial in on Friday, and your subs are late

[Watchman]

Seems to be a London-centric thing. Whenever you get so many people crushed together, they're all going to piss each other off. Whenever I go to London, everyone seems annoyed by someone else.

Minorities get stereotyped. Moreso when population density is so high.

[walm]

fk me that's atrocious.

She said we wear neoprene.
Even under the time pressure of a triathlon I would take a little time to strip off the wetsuit.

[nammynake]

What an appallingly poor article that is. Does that person get paid to write such rubbish?

[MadDad]

I would expect to see that in the Mail, but the Telegraph?

Anyhow, very poor journalism based on someones personal opinion/rant - not fact, love the way 'Jan' implies it is not possible to be a 'normal' person who holds down a job, has a family, walks a dog etc AND be a cyclist........

[anonymous-user]

nammynake said:

What an appallingly poor article that is. Does that person get paid to write such rubbish?

Agreed. Very lazy as well, I'm guessing it started like this, "mmmmmm, need to write something, mmmmmmm needs to have an edgy slant, ....... mmmmm BIKE, BIKE, BIKE!!!!!!! Brilliant!

[Fartomatic5000]

Typical, starts off moaning about one person (politician in a suit) and can't help herself using tired old stereotypes. "lycra louts" indeed.

[yellowjack]

Another Gem from the pen of the writer of such sitcom smash hits as "Duck Patrol" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142031/

She likes to think she's funny:

"Jan Etherington's COMEDY WRITING COURSE" http://www.comedycourse.biz/

and she looks like such a nice little old lady http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/jan-etherington-gavin...

[fulham911club]

Do you really think she wrote it without a sense of fun? It wasn't meant to be taken literally.

But some of her observations can be seen in London where unfortunately there are too many cyclists (but still a minority) that behave like lunatics and give the cycling population as a whole a bad name.

You also have to bear in mind that people will always remember the cyclist that was aggressive, out-riding the flow of traffic, jumping the red light, failing to stop at a zebra crossing, etc. Same person will forget those that don't do this. Same with idiot car drivers / motorcycle riders / pedestrians.

[aclivity]

fulham911club said:

Do you really think she wrote it without a sense of fun? It wasn't meant to be taken literally.

But it wasn't even remotely funny? Or fun, for that matter. Shoddy cheap journalism, poorly written (sideboards? one foul swoop?) and bigotted.

[Saddle bum]

The article seems to have disappeared from the Politics page.

[paranoid airbag]

at the idea the telegraph is a quality paper. They portray themselves that way, and some pieces are quite good, but most of the time they're as lazy as sensationalist as all the others.

The piece isn't insulting to cyclists, but it is insulting to journalism. My sister's dog could write better than that. And people wonder why print media is dying....

[S10GTA]

Did anybody hear this bint on the Jeremy Vine show?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mw0sx

[timbo48]

Dare I mention it on PH but the "Grauniad" is pretty good for cycling, especially the racing variety. Of course its politics might not suit.......

[mrmr96]

aclivity said:

I took to reading the Telegraph as my paper of choice recently - don't get a paper every day, and I used to always go for the Independent if I did buy one, but the Telegraph won me over with the fairly high quality of writing.

Today, however, this dreadful article about cyclists means I'm back to being a Independent reader. I'm almost tempted to create a log on just so I can comment on it.

About the only stereotype she doesn't bring in is road tax, so I suppose there is some movement there.

Top comment:

"We got rather fond of people with disabilities this summer. Oscar Pistorius with his carbon legs, lovely Sarah Storey and those stoic girls who rode round in circles. They and their Paralympics colleagues brought home medals, with charm and cheerfulness, and changed our view of people with disabilities for the better. But then along bowled Abu Hamza and, with his petulant attempt to avoid extradition, reminded us all of Everything We Hate About People With Disabilities."

[Potatoes]

Lol, well summed up that commentor