It is the job of a people to define what is and is not appropriate for a given community. That is the nature of obscenity law.
That being said we have mixed feelings about the "
action" going on in the Hasidic Jewish district of South Bedford in Brooklyn.
Fighting the shame associated with just having a body, never mind a (partially) NAKED body is significant. Such is the nature of Bike Porn. Becoming as comfortable on your bike as you are in your skin seems perfectly natural.
But this news story does bring up an interesting idea, where does the "as bare as you dare" bike ride's freedom of expression end? Can we really say that cat suits are the end of the line? Would a crotchless
rekelekh be less disturbing?
With bikers fearing a
San Francisco style loss of momentum and Brooklyn Hasids wondering how much leg is Kosher, both sides are left wondering, "when will it end?"
We consulted with a number of bicycle religious representatives about this issue
please stand by.UPDATE: Lee is a
Fossilosopher and frequent naked bike rider... so we are certain that publishing his views on this website is totally
Fair and Balanced reporting.
I don't know if the Hasidim are really more evil or hypocritical than other neighborhood activists who try to stop bike lanes, but they are so off mainstream, the whole thing looks really weird. Do you know about their religious practice? The men dance to pray (as do Fossilosophers). They come from a mystical movement of 18th century Poland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_Shem_Tov
I think the Hasidim in NYC (or maybe this is one loud Hasid) are making a show of their folly in front of the world and i think they feel disrespected and misunderstood as a group and have developed a siege mentality. So this will multiply the misunderstanding
- Lee of Vancouver, BC
Thanks Lee.
So will the disrespect they feel increase and what do you think might happen if they continue to feel more under siege?
Their ritual of dancing to pray leads us to believe that perhaps there is some sort of connection between all things. Imagine... Kevin Bacon is a sexy bicycle messenger in "Quicksilver" MEANWHILE he is told he cannot dance because of religion in "Footloose".
So would these women's protest carry more weight if they said they decided not wearing clothes while riding a bike was a ritual?
The Westward Ho Bikexploitation Tour encompasses the western United States in October and November. If you are (or know of) fun-loving, sexy bikers in any of these cities we are excited to meat you!
