Bicycling has heightened my sense of social justice, I believe. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that cyclists come from literally all parts of society and ride for all sorts of reasons, whether out of necessity, for pleasure or fitness, or to make a statement.
Likewise, being a transgender woman has, I believe, sensitized me to what some other opressed groups of people endure. When I talk to Black people or read their accounts of being told that they're "whining" or "exaggerating" when they related the micro- and macro-aggressions they endure--or, worse, are told, openly or implicitly, that they were "looking for trouble" when they complained or "brought it on themselves" for not being, in essence, one of the "good ones"--I at least empathise with them.
In other words, I know what it's like to be told that you're to blame for whatever happens to you because you are what you are by people who would never be held to account for their indiscretions, let alone misdeeds. To wit: Someone can drive while texting, or gun through a red light, but the cyclist that driver hits or runs over will be blamed for the "accident."
And now we learn that on "Britain's Got Talent," English men and women have the opportunity to show that they have just as much talent as folks on the other side of the pond for clueless meanness or mean cluelessness. Amanda Holden, who seems to be Albion's answer to one of the Kardashians (i.e., she has no talent, at least none I can discern, save for self-promotion) is a judge of BGT. That gives her a platform for making all sorts of smug, ridiculous and simply toxic pronouncements.
What pearl of wisdom did she impart to the world? This: Cyclists who wear cameras are "asking for trouble."
Let's follow the logic of her dictum:
Drivers who use dashcams are looking for trouble.
Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, non-heterosexual, non-cisgender people who record their job interviews or encounters with law enforcement or other authorities are "asking for trouble."
But people who drive intoxicated, distracted or too fast--or break some other law. Naah, they're fine. So are cops who lie or interviewers who tell qualified members of minority groups, "We don't feel you would be a good fit with the culture of this organization."
Yeah, we're all "asking for trouble" because to folks like Ms. Holden, people like us having the same rights as hers, and geting the same respect as human beings is "trouble," indeed!
Just a reminder why I wear mine @AmandaHolden @theJeremyVine. Go on, tell me it was me asking for it. 🤪 pic.twitter.com/mswxOBnbFN
— Wayne (@waynebago1) June 5, 2022
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