Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
^ Like I said, this is what I mean by a toxic environment. One where you divide people into groups - where the 1st group can freely insult and attack people in the 2nd group, and the 2nd group is just supposed to take it and not defend themselves. Toxic..
A toxic environment is one in which people "defend themselves" by hurling insults back. In a healthy environment, you call the other person out for her/his conduct, showing the respect that you would expect to be shown in return. As mentioned above, do you really want to be brought down to the other party's level?
Originally Posted by
noglider
What do you folks think of my theory?
Definitely gonna vary by region. And by overall participation level. Winter cycling has caught on like wildfire here, the last five years, and the temperature/acceptance threshold has most noticeably changed accordingly. There may even be a bit of one-upsmanship at play, as to how brutal conditions have to get before some folks will opt not to ride.