Rob Anderson losing his cool
08-29-08, 08:11 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boston
Posts: 4,556
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Rob Anderson losing his cool
I don't live in California, but I've been watching a bit of this Rob Anderson saga because it's so intriguing.
In a recent post he replied to a local newspaper editorial. The reply was careful and calculated. He tried very hard to make the author look like a radical and to make himself look like the center: Which, in the US, is the anti-rational way that we validate things.
Well, the comments got a bit different. He sort of let it all out.
In a recent post he replied to a local newspaper editorial. The reply was careful and calculated. He tried very hard to make the author look like a radical and to make himself look like the center: Which, in the US, is the anti-rational way that we validate things.
Well, the comments got a bit different. He sort of let it all out.
At 12:00 PM, Blogger I Hate Nazi Cyclists said...
Thank you. You do not to lump all cyclists together, but many people _may_ do that from reading the text. Almost ALL of the cyclists one sees on the morning commutes are extremely friendly and behave with cars, pedestrians, etc., and are just as frustrated with the occasional biker with an attitude. Many cyclists do get angry when a commuter talking on a cell phone RACES by with a near miss. They just want to stay alive. Many commute from Marin. They may even drive an SUV, but in using a bike they may save $9 in fuel, $18 in parking, and also save money on a gym membership. And removing that one car from the VERY crowded commute is something we should all appreciate. I do! - thank you.
At 12:28 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...
Yes, yes, yes, we've all heard this before. SUVs, cell phones, blah, blah, blah. If you want to stay alive, you shouldn't be riding a bike from Marin to SF. Maybe their scoutmasters---or the Great God Green in the afterlife---will give them a special merit badge for Saving the Planet.
At 1:19 PM, Blogger phipps said...
Just when I was beginning to think some of the things you write are rational, you make a comment like this:
"If you want to stay alive, you shouldn't be riding a bike from Marin to SF"
As a district 5 resident and cyclist I could not vote for someone who's attitude toward cyclists is that they shouldn't be on the road at all if they care about their safety.
Don't you think it would be beneficial to us all if we took steps to make the roads safer? One of the main reasons the number of people who commute by bicycle is so low is that under current conditions many people don't feel safe.
At 1:28 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...
Make the roads safe for people who ride their bikes from Marin? How exactly would we do that? I don't really give a flying **** if you vote for me or not.
Thank you. You do not to lump all cyclists together, but many people _may_ do that from reading the text. Almost ALL of the cyclists one sees on the morning commutes are extremely friendly and behave with cars, pedestrians, etc., and are just as frustrated with the occasional biker with an attitude. Many cyclists do get angry when a commuter talking on a cell phone RACES by with a near miss. They just want to stay alive. Many commute from Marin. They may even drive an SUV, but in using a bike they may save $9 in fuel, $18 in parking, and also save money on a gym membership. And removing that one car from the VERY crowded commute is something we should all appreciate. I do! - thank you.
At 12:28 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...
Yes, yes, yes, we've all heard this before. SUVs, cell phones, blah, blah, blah. If you want to stay alive, you shouldn't be riding a bike from Marin to SF. Maybe their scoutmasters---or the Great God Green in the afterlife---will give them a special merit badge for Saving the Planet.
At 1:19 PM, Blogger phipps said...
Just when I was beginning to think some of the things you write are rational, you make a comment like this:
"If you want to stay alive, you shouldn't be riding a bike from Marin to SF"
As a district 5 resident and cyclist I could not vote for someone who's attitude toward cyclists is that they shouldn't be on the road at all if they care about their safety.
Don't you think it would be beneficial to us all if we took steps to make the roads safer? One of the main reasons the number of people who commute by bicycle is so low is that under current conditions many people don't feel safe.
At 1:28 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...
Make the roads safe for people who ride their bikes from Marin? How exactly would we do that? I don't really give a flying **** if you vote for me or not.
08-29-08, 08:32 PM
#2
L T X B O M P F A N S R
Here's another gem from Rob Anderson:
I'm actually rendered a bit speechless by this comment.
His own bike riding skills must be pretty similar to those of a seven year old who's just had his training wheels taken off. Moreover, he can't seem to imagine that there are others who can actually handle themselves on a bike.
Just... wow.
I wouldn't ride a bike in SF or anywhere else because it is in fact dangerous (See the post excerpting cyclist Robert Hurst's book). Recall that most cycling accidents are "solo falls" and have nothing to do with other vehicles.
His own bike riding skills must be pretty similar to those of a seven year old who's just had his training wheels taken off. Moreover, he can't seem to imagine that there are others who can actually handle themselves on a bike.
Just... wow.
08-29-08, 08:48 PM
#3
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: clipped in
Posts: 447
Bikes: Pacific hardtail (frame only right now); Weyless SP (frame/fork right now); Jamis Dakar XLT 1.0 custom build-up (fully functional)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
If these blog comments are published in a more general forum, I believe Mr. Anderson would see the fuse on his campaign firecracker snuffed out pretty quickly.
If I lived in his district, you can BELIEVE it would be as widely circulated as possible!
If I lived in his district, you can BELIEVE it would be as widely circulated as possible!
08-29-08, 08:52 PM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boston
Posts: 4,556
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Here's another gem from Rob Anderson:
I'm actually rendered a bit speechless by this comment.
His own bike riding skills must be pretty similar to those of a seven year old who's just had his training wheels taken off. Moreover, he can't seem to imagine that there are others who can actually handle themselves on a bike.
Just... wow.
I'm actually rendered a bit speechless by this comment.
His own bike riding skills must be pretty similar to those of a seven year old who's just had his training wheels taken off. Moreover, he can't seem to imagine that there are others who can actually handle themselves on a bike.
Just... wow.
08-29-08, 11:53 PM
#5
Boooga BOO
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Down Under
Posts: 243
Bikes: Colnago for road, Fuji for track
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
He attempts to use Robert Hurst's book Art of Cycling as a way to say that cycling is dangerous. And Hurst does come straight out and say precisely that. But, Hurst isn't implying that it's unmanageably or inordinately dangerous like Anderson is. Anderson is a champion of rhetoric and he knows how to use connotative meaning to persuade the crowd while waving denotative meaning as his rational basis. He doesn't belong in politics, he should be a pundit. (Actually he should be ignored, but he could be successful as a pundit).
08-30-08, 01:09 AM
#7
Huff Puff
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Peoples' Republic of SF
Posts: 123
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Um, his campaign is a joke, and he doesn't reasonably expect to get more than 1% of the vote, if that.
He really doesn't give a **** if anyone votes for him, and there's nothing you can do to make him lose that he hasn't already done.
His campaign, just like his lawsuit, is there to make a point, since he's a troll and he wants the attention.
What is this, the 10th thread about Rob?
He really doesn't give a **** if anyone votes for him, and there's nothing you can do to make him lose that he hasn't already done.
His campaign, just like his lawsuit, is there to make a point, since he's a troll and he wants the attention.
What is this, the 10th thread about Rob?
08-30-08, 11:10 AM
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boston
Posts: 4,556
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Um, his campaign is a joke, and he doesn't reasonably expect to get more than 1% of the vote, if that.
He really doesn't give a **** if anyone votes for him, and there's nothing you can do to make him lose that he hasn't already done.
His campaign, just like his lawsuit, is there to make a point, since he's a troll and he wants the attention.
What is this, the 10th thread about Rob?
He really doesn't give a **** if anyone votes for him, and there's nothing you can do to make him lose that he hasn't already done.
His campaign, just like his lawsuit, is there to make a point, since he's a troll and he wants the attention.
What is this, the 10th thread about Rob?
08-31-08, 10:06 AM
#10
Crushing souls
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Sagamore Hills, Ohio.
Posts: 1,591
Bikes: Trek 1500
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I don't get people who won't do something because "it's dangerous". Okay, jumping out of a 50 story building and stuff like that, I understand. But if you want to be safe, you lock yourself in a padded room that can survive a nuclear strike. Not a great life, but, hey, at least you'll be safe.
08-31-08, 03:08 PM
#11
Cycle Year Round
08-31-08, 03:40 PM
#12
Huff Puff
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Peoples' Republic of SF
Posts: 123
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Rob Anderson's "idiot behavior" has been going on for years, and years, and years, yet now that the Wall Street Journal writes about him, everyone feels the need to inveigh on his latest nonsense as it comes up.
News at 11, folks: He's a prolific blogger, and a troll. If you insist on paying him attention and debating his every word, you'll be churning out a thread every day on our dear friend.
Take a look at his blog today and note the 0 comments on nearly every article. The brief spate of national attention he got after that article has disappeared. Isn't it about time that y'all stopped giving him the time of day, too?
News at 11, folks: He's a prolific blogger, and a troll. If you insist on paying him attention and debating his every word, you'll be churning out a thread every day on our dear friend.
Take a look at his blog today and note the 0 comments on nearly every article. The brief spate of national attention he got after that article has disappeared. Isn't it about time that y'all stopped giving him the time of day, too?
08-31-08, 04:37 PM
#13
L T X B O M P F A N S R
Rob Anderson's "idiot behavior" has been going on for years, and years, and years, yet now that the Wall Street Journal writes about him, everyone feels the need to inveigh on his latest nonsense as it comes up.
News at 11, folks: He's a prolific blogger, and a troll. If you insist on paying him attention and debating his every word, you'll be churning out a thread every day on our dear friend.
Take a look at his blog today and note the 0 comments on nearly every article. The brief spate of national attention he got after that article has disappeared. Isn't it about time that y'all stopped giving him the time of day, too?
News at 11, folks: He's a prolific blogger, and a troll. If you insist on paying him attention and debating his every word, you'll be churning out a thread every day on our dear friend.
Take a look at his blog today and note the 0 comments on nearly every article. The brief spate of national attention he got after that article has disappeared. Isn't it about time that y'all stopped giving him the time of day, too?
09-01-08, 12:26 AM
#15
Cycle Year Round
Rob Anderson's "idiot behavior" has been going on for years, and years, and years, yet now that the Wall Street Journal writes about him, everyone feels the need to inveigh on his latest nonsense as it comes up.
News at 11, folks: He's a prolific blogger, and a troll. If you insist on paying him attention and debating his every word, you'll be churning out a thread every day on our dear friend.
Take a look at his blog today and note the 0 comments on nearly every article. The brief spate of national attention he got after that article has disappeared. Isn't it about time that y'all stopped giving him the time of day, too?
News at 11, folks: He's a prolific blogger, and a troll. If you insist on paying him attention and debating his every word, you'll be churning out a thread every day on our dear friend.
Take a look at his blog today and note the 0 comments on nearly every article. The brief spate of national attention he got after that article has disappeared. Isn't it about time that y'all stopped giving him the time of day, too?
Note, we are not talking to him or posting on his blog, we are talking about him.
If you hate him so much, why do you keep looking at his blog and upping his viewer count?
09-01-08, 12:40 AM
#16
Huff Puff
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Peoples' Republic of SF
Posts: 123
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Note, we are not talking to him or posting on his blog, we are talking about him.
If you hate him so much, why do you keep looking at his blog and upping his viewer count?
Plus, the point that most seem to be missing, which comes up in all the Rob Anderson threads, is that the solution to the problem he poses is not to hate on Rob Anderson, but to reform the law (CEQA) that he exploited to delay the bike plan. What's stopping all the other Rob Andersons (and there's surely more) from doing the same?
Ah, but we'd rather have a two minutes hate. How useful. Enjoy yourselves.
I'll stay out of the rest of these threads.
Last edited by tehdely; 09-01-08 at 01:06 AM.
09-02-08, 01:58 PM
#17
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 29
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm talking about the general 'tude exhibited by this politico and all those who spout the same stuff: their argument that bicyclists are trying to impose a way of life on everyone is backwards and that no laws should be passed to protect cycling, no infrastructure should be built. So... abolish the department of transportation, EPA, FBI... we're in charge and nobody should guide public behavior? I'm not for being told what I can and can't do, but I'm glad there are police departments, an EPA and other institutions for the public good.
09-02-08, 02:20 PM
#18
genec
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: West Coast
Posts: 27,079
Bikes: custom built, sannino, beachbike, giant trance x2
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13658 Post(s)
Liked 4,532 Times
in
3,158 Posts
Plus, the point that most seem to be missing, which comes up in all the Rob Anderson threads, is that the solution to the problem he poses is not to hate on Rob Anderson, but to reform the law (CEQA) that he exploited to delay the bike plan. What's stopping all the other Rob Andersons (and there's surely more) from doing the same?
And last but not least, the whole notion of what Rob Anderson threw up fails the common sense test... therefore not likely to be an issue when a couple ounces of brain are used.
09-02-08, 05:43 PM
#19
Huff Puff
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Peoples' Republic of SF
Posts: 123
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
And as far as the law, not too many other states have CEQA (the "C" IS California... does that help).
And last but not least, the whole notion of what Rob Anderson threw up fails the common sense test... therefore not likely to be an issue when a couple ounces of brain are used.
Rob pointed out that the bike plan could have an impact on traffic flow, which CEQA considers an environmental impact, and made the valid argument that the city's failure to do a thorough environmental impact report on the bike plan was thus in violation of CEQA. A judge agreed. It's not about "common sense"; it's about the law. You can go on being smug; I have to live in a city where you can't even build a new bike rack because the city didn't do its homework and a judge *****-slapped them.
Anyone with any "common sense" should stop paying attention to the troll who brought this issue on and get involved in advocacy to change the definition of environmental impact to stop relying so heavily on automobile level of service.
Last edited by tehdely; 09-02-08 at 05:46 PM.
09-02-08, 06:20 PM
#20
genec
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: West Coast
Posts: 27,079
Bikes: custom built, sannino, beachbike, giant trance x2
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13658 Post(s)
Liked 4,532 Times
in
3,158 Posts
Yup, yet something else subsidized for the auto user.
So what can the ordinary citizen do? Is there a petition or what?
09-03-08, 12:08 AM
#21
totally louche
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: A land that time forgot
Posts: 18,023
Bikes: the ever shifting stable loaded with comfortable road bikes and city and winter bikes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times
in
9 Posts
that level of service metric weighted to autocentrism is troubling.
maybe rob andersons efforts will help restrict autocentric planning guidelines in california.
maybe rob andersons efforts will help restrict autocentric planning guidelines in california.
09-03-08, 12:31 AM
#22
Huff Puff
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Peoples' Republic of SF
Posts: 123
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
So what can the ordinary citizen do? Is there a petition or what?
Surely a public-affairs troll can have a similarly adaptive effect on the system he's abusing...
09-03-08, 01:09 AM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Denver
Posts: 1,621
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 12 Times
in
12 Posts
American politics ain't about sense. Clearly.
09-03-08, 12:19 PM
#24
genec
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: West Coast
Posts: 27,079
Bikes: custom built, sannino, beachbike, giant trance x2
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13658 Post(s)
Liked 4,532 Times
in
3,158 Posts
If by common sense you mean what is commonly thought by common idiots, then no it doesn't. Anderson's resentment rings true to many. He's received a great deal of support as some kind of ideological soulbrother of the talk radio crowd. For instance he went on Glenn Beck (talk radio tv) and Beck told him to "keep fighting the good fight." He won't be elected deputy ombudsman in SF but G Bush might call on him to become National Bike Czar.
American politics ain't about sense. Clearly.
American politics ain't about sense. Clearly.
These folks want to live in their cars and feel that anything that supports that mentality is "game on."
Is it any wonder why we are at war in Iraq?
