Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Stereotypes

Scene: Wheel and OB just finishing up their first lap at Wirth and heading off for their second. A group of guys hanging at the trail head...obviously resting between laps. Wheel starts out with OB in pursuit, the following exchange occurs:

Little Dweeby Boy-Man: The couple that bikes together stays together!

TOB: Got that right!

Little Dweeby Boy-Man: As long as he goes slow enough!


- The crotchety Old skewer that guy and roast him over open flames Bag

12 comments:

Leslie Morgan said...

I bet that comment made him feel like a REAL man for just a brief moment in time. JERK!

Jim said...

Ouch. Everything about that spells pain; I can feel it radiate outward...

WheelDancer said...

I only heard Little Dweeby Boy-Man's first little squeal out of the corner of my ear as I started down the trail and then a moment later an uncharacteristically loud and harsh NO!!! generally reserved for hollering at one of the critters about to make off with her dinner.

Had I heard Little Dweeby Boy-Man's second squeak, I would have retorted that when riding with the former racer than introduced me to the sport, that's just never been an issue. It's OK though since I know from his comment that he's never known a real woman, nor is he ever likely to since he wouldn't be able to keep up to her.

The Old Bag said...

If I hadn't been so far down the trail I'd have let him know that I know my way around a piece of singletrack quite well, thank you very much.

As it was, an immediate irritation descended over my attitude...soon to be lifted by a wonderful morning in the woods!

Leslie Morgan said...

OB, you should have challenged him to some spirited cycling show-offery! Let him know who he was messin' with. I hate an idiot - I am fortunate that I'm usually pretty quick on my feet. I can deliver up harsh, pointed words in a heartbeat.

WD, I love a man who defends his woman's honor!

Mike J said...

on one of our first organized rides someone rode by Jenny who was walking up a really steep hill and said "Ever heard of a thing called training". She didn't tell me about it until after the ride or I would have pulled a Rambo on him.

The Old Bag said...

People don't realize what a bummer their seemingly insignificant statements are. One the one hand, we've made great strides to be where we currently are (even if it is walking up a hill, we're THERE!), and on the other hand the statement is based in stereotype.

Leslie Morgan said...

Sorry, lack of hormones and old age make me crabby and I tend to rant. In which generation did we stop teaching "If you don't have anything GOOD to say . . . "? OB, I pull comments while walking fairly frequently - everything from "Hey, Baby" to "Right on, Granny!" To "Hey, Baby" I say, "Not your Baby, not your Mama!" To "Right on, Granny!", I say "Get your butt out of your car and join me mile for mile." Do you notice that only men remark? Never women, in my experience. Sorry, guys! I really like men, but when there's an idiot to be exposed, it's typically been male, in my experience.

The Old Bag said...

Well, Limes, I chalk it up to posturing when one's hanging with one's testosterone crowd. I've seen it pointed at men during estrogen gatherings -- not as often, but it can be just as crude.

The frustrating part was that I was in the midst of a fairly decent log pile so my concentration was elsewhere until it hit me: "did he really say what I thought he said?!?"

At any rate, stereotypes lead to stereotypes: obvious in my naming him Little Dweeby Boy-Man. Guilty!

Leslie Morgan said...

Oh, of course! We give as good as we get. It doesn't make us pretty. It just makes us feel better.

Can't we all just get along?

bikingbrady said...

You should have pulled a "Breaking Away" and stuck your pump in his wheel and sent him for a ride. If you really wanted to taunt him at that point you could let out an innocent "Did I do that?!?!"

Warren T said...

Um, wasn't HE the one that was resting?...

Perhaps he was jealous of Wheel. Sounds like it to me.