Discrimination...

Is it possible for a non-pierced, non-tattooed, white girl to be discriminated against? Oh, yes!

Last week during some downtime I was hanging out with a couple people and the show 2 Wheel Passport came up and the possible interest in doing an episode just with girls. Why would this be of interest? Because it seems like girls have unique challenges that guys don't.

Basic mechanics are a necessity and I confess to being lax in this area. I get on and ride my bike -- things of a mechanical nature I leave to Ryan or The Illustrious One. I'm so challenged I've never even mastered the concept of checking tire pressure and adding air. The reality is that if I were solo on the road, I'd be SOL if I had to try to troubleshoot something.

Another issue girls face is the reaction of other people - in this case, men.

• Some guys are quite enthused by a girl that can ride their own bike.
• Others are so captivated by watching that they don't pay attention to where they are driving and that can be dangerous to all of us.
• And the last group, they just hate us. I usually chalk that up to jealousy that they don't have their own bike.

And then you have the females which can be broken down into 3 basic groups:

• Those that hoot and holler and cheer you on.
• Those that will look right at you, make eye contact and still turn right in front of you or are so wrapped up in their cell phone call they don't notice you.
• And finally those that discrimnate against you.

My two recent examples of this last one include:

Riding my bike on 121 in front of Stonebriar Mall. Waiting for light to change. Beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon. Doing my usual habit of adjusting my rings when I come to a stop (I have this weird habit of always needing to perfectly center the rings when I come to a stop). The woman in the big ass SUV next to me makes it obvious that she is locking her car doors. I found it amusing.

About a week later, I was in the Albertsons parking lot placing some groceries into the saddlebags. This teenage girl is heading towards the passenger door of the car next to me and her mother snaps at her to go to the drivers side of the car.

Ooooo...beware the biker girl that has all her own teeth, Lancome wearing, anti-bacterial cleanser addicted and is sans tatts and piercings.

So, yes, discrimination is alive and well.

On the guys side, I don't really know what challenges they experience. I know for me I've watched how people behave around The Illustrious One and it can be amusing. When he's in his metrosexual mode -- wardrobe is immaculate, perfect suits, perfectly pressed shirts, the season's current color in necktie, just the right amount of cologne -- people are so cordial to him.

But then, you put him in his biker gear - particular one of his leather jackets - and he's in motorosexual mode, people absolutely clear his path. I remember one time him walking into a movie theater and people literally parted to let him pass like Moses and the Red Sea. We also didn't have anyone sitting within 3 rows of us.

Sometimes I just find all of this highly amusing yet very enlightening in terms of discrimination and perceived impressions.



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