crazy people

[MIKE FRANKOWSKI UNIV OF WISC HEP 608-263-2557]

In response to Dennis:

Once while i was out riding just a few blocks from my house there was an
old woman standing on the sidewalk at a bus stop. She saw me coming on my
24" racer and just about fell over trying to run off the sidewalk into some
bushes to avoid me. As i came closer she yelled to me that i shouldn't be
riding that damn thing on the sidewalk cause i was going to kill someone.
in the brief second that i had to respond i told her that i was in no way a
threat to her but she just blew that off and stayed behind her bush. I
guess i shouldn't care but just tha fact that she was willing to risk
tripping while running into the bushes to avoid me made me mad. I was in a
hurry so i didn't have time to get off and show her that it would be almost
impossible for me to hurt her with my uni unless i got off and swung it at
her, but i kinda wish i would've because it just makes me mad to see people
who have such little common sense. If i was in such great danger of falling
why would i be riding my unicycle? Other than that one experience i don't
think i have made too many people afraid of me except for a few little
kids, but that's a long story. I need to get to bed so that's enough for
me. Oh, hold on one more thing: I am writing this from my dads account
because right now i can't send mail from mine but if you want to reply to
me personally you can send 'em to : Krak@njackn.com, or at
Unimail@njackn.com. Goodnight, Karl Frankowski

[Unicycle@aol.com]

M. Frankowski wrote:
> I guess i shouldn't care but just tha fact that she was willing to risk
> tripping while running into the bushes to avoid me made me mad. I was in a
> hurry so i didn't have time to get off and show her that it would be almost
> impossible for me to hurt her with my uni unless i got off and swung it at
> her, but i kinda wish i would've because it just makes me mad to see people
> who have such little common sense. If i was in such great danger of falling
> why would i be riding my unicycle?

The more you get around and watch people, the more obvious it becomes that human
stupidity is the only natural resource we will never run short of. You cannot
cure stupidity, except in people who have agreed to work at it. What does this
mean to the unicyclist on the street? Be nice, try to inform rather than
antagonize, try to answer questions with polite answers.

As for the old lady, there is nothing you can do for her. Since she is not
interested in learning about unicycles at that moment, just ride on, and give
her a wide berth, to try to reduce her bad impression of unicyclists.

There will always be people with no common sense. Common sense isn't 'common'
at all. For us Americans, here are a couple of choices of places to watch lots
of stupid people on TV (there's plenty in other countries, but I can't name
the shows):
* "Professional" Wrestling. Anyone with a working knowledge of physics can tell
if there is force behind the jumps and blows.
* COPS (the suspects). A constant look at adults who are not smart enough to
take care of themselves like adults should.
* Tabloid talk shows. Just listen to the audience. If that's not amazing enough,
ask yourself, if you were a typical person with the types of personal problems
that make you a guest on the show, would YOU tell the whole country about it?
For how much money???

Sorry. That's enough venting.

John Foss unicycle@aol.com

[Akuma]

On Sun, 26 Mar 1995, MIKE FRANKOWSKI UNIV OF WISC HEP 608-263-2557 wrote:

> Once while i was out riding just a few blocks from my house there was an
> old woman standing on the sidewalk at a bus stop. She saw me coming on my
> 24" racer and just about fell over trying to run off the sidewalk into
> some bushes to avoid me. As i came closer she yelled to me that i
> shouldn't be riding that damn thing on the sidewalk cause i was going to
> kill someone.

It happens, and it's usually pensioners who act most scared and who actually
say anything. If you have time, it's always worth discussing with them the
differences between unicycling and bicycling and the similarities between
unicycling and walking. They're usually quite understanding (I have to take
my shades and traffic mask off first though, to make me look less
threatening).

I remember one old guy in particular who knocked me off sideways as I rode
past. I went back and confronted him and he told me I was likely to knock
some poor old biddy over. But, we had quite a friendly conversation and I
think I persuaded him that there was no reason I shouldn't be there.

People often imply by their actions that they think I'm riding out of control
without due care and consideration for the safety of others. I find this
implication deeply offensive, but of course I have to be careful how I react.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Danny Colyer | bs1dwc@bath.ac.uk | To drop is human, | University of Bath |
| ----------------- | To juggle is divine. |
-------------------- http://www.bath.ac.uk/~bs1dwc/ --------------------