Critical-Mass.info

Hate Mail

Sometimes the hate mail we get is so amusing we have to share it -- especially when it's from fellow radical bike advocates.

I take pains to point out a few special things to visitors to this site. The first is:

CM is an idea and an event, not an organization. You can't write to "Critical Mass" -- certainly not by writing to me.

The other is that I don't just list any ride:

Send me your ride's city/country, date, time, meeting place, and web address (if any) at . I list only recurring, CM rides. If your ride is a one-time-only thing or not CM, it won't get listed here.

There, that's easy enough, isn't it? Apparently not for some. Below is some hysterically belligerent email from a cyclist who didn't understand that I'm not Critical Mass, that I don't list one-off rides, and that I don't list non-CM rides.

Admittedly I'm a little abrupt with people who don't bother to read my brief guidelines before firing off their requests to me, especially because I usually have about 4000 messages in my In Box at any given point. Still, the cyclist's response was unwarranted -- and amusing. The fact that the most insulting hate mail is also always the most illiterate is no surprise.

Hey CRITICAL MASS!!!!!!

           BiKe RiDE MaYDaY, Saturday  May 1, 2004

                4:00pm Alamo Stadium(stadium drive) by Trinity U.to Blue Star

                                     San Antonio, Texas

        *not a student orgainization     breakourchains@yahoo.com

            Students welCome!!                   Thanks For The Post!!

May I quote the website where you got my email address:

>>CM is an idea and an event, not an organization. You can't write to "Critical Mass" -- certainly not by writing to me."

-MBJ-

  let me qoute the website where i got your email address

>>>Send me your ride's city/country, date, time, meeting place, and web address (if any) at NewCM(at)michaelbluejay.com

         Dude THats what I sent it for

           HINT *Thanks for the Post!!

if your not going to post it dont fuckin post it, Take your fukin email off the site if you dont want to be written to.  And it wasnt Directed to you, It was to The Critical  Mass website.

                                                                                                                 THANKS!!

You need to read a little more carefully.

(1) The call to send me ride info is for *CRITICAL MASS RIDES*. Your ride is identified as a May Day ride, not a Critical Mass ride.

(2) The call to send me ride info is for *RECURRING RIDES*, as noted. Your ride is identified as a one-off ride, not a recurring ride.

(3) As I said on the site, you can't write to "Critical Mass", since it is an idea and not an organization. Yet you addressed your message "Hey Critical Mass!". You can't write a website, a website has no consciousness. You were writing to me, whether you realize it or not.

(4) My email address will remain on the site for the purpose that I put it there for -- so people can apprise me of their Critical Mass rides. I'm not going to prevent people from writing to me about legitimate listings just because you either failed to read or understand the site or the mailing instructions.

Go ahead, spout some more profanity.

-MBJ-

Man Fuck oFF!!

IM EMAILING THE site about critiacal amass bike rides, about an upcomingbike ride, thus maiking it, us wanting it to be a  critiaclamass.  The dya May FIrst whichi is may day, We diINT S SAY  May Day Bike RIde, We Said Hey Ciritical Mass!! Gte off your fukin shit, is it for bieks, critiacla mass, what the fuck, dont give me your terms,your fukin thought, right. Fuck you if you dONT SUPPORT THE REAL shIT fOR the ReAL REAOSONS. yOur JSUT paart of the Porblem. Lokk we dont need your shit, no support we dont fuck it need you and your fukin site. How many pOEOple are ypou fukin ass haoles too? how manypotentital you fukin throw away, fuckyou your order your site , you think your intelectual your just closed minded. Fuck yOU wE riDE and yoU sIT tHere ReadinG THIs

                                                                   YeS, fUCK yOur Sitgh

                                                      like you , the enemy is withtin itelf

To answer your question, I "throw away" the support of about 2-3 people per year who don't understand what the site is for and ask me to list rides other than the kind I cover. Obviously I don't see the loss of these people as any kind of real loss. I contrast this with the several dozen people a year who keep me apprised of their CM rides, and the 69,237 visitors who go to the site each year to learn about those rides.

Though you now claim that your ride is a CM ride (sort of), you will pardon me if I remain skeptical. You will also surely understand why people might be less inclined to help you after you scream profanity at them. (Though on second thought, maybe you will not understand.)

Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Given the tone of your message I will decline to respond to any further messages.