On Pedal Pub "Hate"

Pedal pubs in Minneapolis made for a tempting target – online and by bike

Excerpt:

But why choose pedaling pubs as a target? There are many reasons to dislike the self-propelled drinking parties, critics say. Riders can be noisy, especially after a few drinks. The slow-moving, 16-passenger bikes (yes, they’re considered bikes) can impede traffic, even though they are piloted by nondrinking company employees who adhere to all traffic rules. And it’s not unheard of for riders to leave unwelcome bodily fluids in their wake. But a noted anthropologist points the finger at social media, which has done so much in recent decades to change the way Americans interact with each other. When there’s a Facebook page called “I Hate the Pedal Pub,” with more than 4,000 “likes,” it can embolden people to act in ways they never might have before. “I think that is very definitely a factor,” said William Beeman, chairman of the Anthropology Department at the University of Minnesota. “You get something you’re interested in pursuing, and you have no idea whether anybody else feels the same way. And all of a sudden, you see that other people do feel the same way. You feel empowered, you feel like you’re a group that now has some legitimacy because of the numbers involved.

Comment: Facebook page. I personally like them. Whenever we see one we honk. They do tie up intersections.