My name is Rue Diego Ratray. I am 33 years old. I’m not sure how old you are, if you are older than me, if you ride a bike in the city, ride a bike at all, or what your real name is. I am a father. I wear a helmet. You didn’t see fit to put your real name on your comments, which I think is sort of strange. So whatever. That’s my name and who I am. Do we have anything in common?
I have to say, your comments got me and many others upset. I am wondering if you understand why. I ride a fixed gear bicycle, with brakes, as a mode of transportation in the city of Boston. I have for many years. I stopped driving because I knew personally, that it was wrong and unnecessary. When I was able to stop making excuses for myself, I gave my car away. I ride a fixed gear because I am not mechanic, and not having to maintain gears and all that, which I don’t understand, has made me more able to fix and maintain my bike myself. Self-reliance is an important value for myself and many others who ride fixed gear bikes. Are these values, having sustainable transportation and self-reliance, important to you? I have no idea. You don’t discuss it in your post.
You think I’m pathetic. You said that. That’s interesting! I don’t even know you, and yet, here we are. You also imply that I am reckless, don’t care about the safety of pedestrains, and that I am “So Hard”. I think maybe that last one is the root of your problem, but I’ll get to that in a moment. I always wear a helmet, but you assume I don’t, so again, what gives? Have we met? You seem to know an awful lot about me! Not of it is true, mind you, but still. You are very full of information. It must be quite burden.
You talk about a we. You say, “We’re hoping that this is only stage one of a blah blah blah…” Who is the we that you are referring to? I only see an I, you, you, the one making assumptions about people that he doesn’t know. There is a we in this conversation. Please see all the people who quickly and rightly corrected your mountain of misinformation.
So Hard. Capitalized. Like it refers to an official club or something. I don’t know if I’m a member. I’m sure you will let me know.
But still. So Hard. There is sarcasm implied in it, like, “They think they are so hard, but they’re not.” Is that it? You would assume, I guess, but I won’t. I, and all the people in Boston who choose to ride their bikes because of what they believe in, are so hard. We are willing to put our actions over our words, and act, not talk, not anonymously degrade people they don’t know or, apparently have ever taken the time to talk to, but to act. To stand up for what we believe in. To act everyday to make our city and our world into a better place for ourselves and our children. We have loyalty to one another and community, and until I read what you wrote, thought we were doing something good. But I guess not. Apparently, I only do this, because I have, what?, a malformed ego. Thanks for letting me know.
Do you write a lot for the Bostonist? I can’t seem to find your columns about taxi drivers who routinely disobey traffic laws and threaten our lives. I can’t find your column about how the City of Cambridge disregarded the advice of bicyclists and built their bike lanes on Mass. Ave. in the death zone. I can’t find your column decrying the advertisements created by the Massachusetts Health Connector which made fun of cars hitting bicyclists. And I am having a hard time finding your column mourning the far far far too many bicyclists who have been killed in this city. This must be an oversight on my part.
Maybe you owe us an apology. A real one. Where you apologize, on Boston Biker, for making gross generalizations about an entire group of people, who if you got to know them, are actually pretty rad and amazing. You owe me an apology. Because I am not the way that you made me out to be. I always try to do the right thing. But anyone who read your column will look at me and assume that I am just as you falsely portray me to be. No offense, but it’s dangerous enough out there. I don’t need you making it worse.
So how about? A real apology, with your real name, on Boston Biker or on Bostonist. Or at least a rebuttal, to what I and many many others have said about what you wrote. Would that be So Hard?
Rue Diego Ratray
