Isn’t part of the sideshow appeal that you are doing it in public as a disruption to the functions of the city though? That’s my main problem, besides the accompanying violence and injuries. I’m sure there are plenty of empty parking lots tucked away where you could host a sideshow out of the public’s way, but that lacks the middle finger that having a sideshow at a busy intersection has. I don’t think the comparison to hip hop is valid though, because music is a form of artistic expression, and like you mentioned, sideshows are something more of a physical release. Like if bodybuilders walked down the street hurdling big weights back and forth to each other while people were caught walking in between them. I just think there has to be a more productive, healthy and expressive means for people to vent their frustration than coalescing into a mob and engaging in dangerous acrobats while driving 2-ton metal boxes in circles.
Yes, I agree that it can be an important part of culture but I don't believe that a majority of sideshows are conducted with any regard for safety. I mean, they take place in the middle of the street, a place that our society explicitly tells us is not safe for people to congregate! Cars are prevalent everywhere and our country does have a history of car culture but my issue with sideshows is the inherent danger, disruption and disrespect that they have become synonymous with. I don't know the history, so I can accept that they began as honest attempts for culture or representation, but I don't see it anymore. Do you think that people would attend these sideshows if they were organized as events, got a permit from the city, found a safe location, advertised, did not allow crowds to gather unsafely around the cars spinning donuts, etc etc? I don't think so, because the appeal is the deviant or criminal element that is present. I just think that there are a million better ways to express yourself. Cars are a means of transportation, most car culture revolves around this idea or celebrating the freedom of movement that cars embody. I think sideshows have devolved into displays of defiance and the open disregard of anyone who is not a participant.
Okay, I see your point that people feel that their voices aren't being heard, but don't you think a sideshow and a public protest are two completely different events. First, there are non-violent and violent forms of protest. People are consistently injured and killed at sideshows, and constant destruction of vehicles/property etc. so we can't call them non-violent. I personally believe that the only effective form of protest must be non-violent because when you permit violent protest, you also allow your opposition the excuse to enact violence on you, the protestor, in the name of safety and peace. That being said, I'm not sure anyone would consider a sideshow a form of protest, so are they a form of expression as in "free speech"? How could a sideshow be considered an honest form of expression when there are injuries and deaths at these events. Does any other normal form of self-expression end in people dying? I'm not a NIMBY, I work in non-profit providing arts education for a lower/middle class community. I believe in equity in this country, but I don't think people understand that fighting for what you believe in takes a lot of work, and it can't be done in counterproductive ways. I just think that the negative consequences of sideshows far outweigh the benefits. I don't see a positive culture surrounding them, and there is damage to the public environment, people injured/killed, disruption of people who are not involved and an overall sense of hostility towards those who attend by the general public. I would 100% support any kind of activism or protest that involved people who attend sideshows if they truly wanted to express their feelings/frustrations/messages to the community, but I don't see how using vehicles to create a mob-mentality is really sending any message other than aggression or intimidation.
Give me a break man. Doing sideshows on the bay bridge or Market Street and Van Ness is wantonly screwing with other people’s lives. It’s not like speeding on a country road out in the sticks
Isn’t part of the sideshow appeal that you are doing it in public as a disruption to the functions of the city though? That’s my main problem, besides the accompanying violence and injuries. I’m sure there are plenty of empty parking lots tucked away where you could host a sideshow out of the public’s way, but that lacks the middle finger that having a sideshow at a busy intersection has. I don’t think the comparison to hip hop is valid though, because music is a form of artistic expression, and like you mentioned, sideshows are something more of a physical release. Like if bodybuilders walked down the street hurdling big weights back and forth to each other while people were caught walking in between them. I just think there has to be a more productive, healthy and expressive means for people to vent their frustration than coalescing into a mob and engaging in dangerous acrobats while driving 2-ton metal boxes in circles.
Yes, I agree that it can be an important part of culture but I don't believe that a majority of sideshows are conducted with any regard for safety. I mean, they take place in the middle of the street, a place that our society explicitly tells us is not safe for people to congregate! Cars are prevalent everywhere and our country does have a history of car culture but my issue with sideshows is the inherent danger, disruption and disrespect that they have become synonymous with. I don't know the history, so I can accept that they began as honest attempts for culture or representation, but I don't see it anymore. Do you think that people would attend these sideshows if they were organized as events, got a permit from the city, found a safe location, advertised, did not allow crowds to gather unsafely around the cars spinning donuts, etc etc? I don't think so, because the appeal is the deviant or criminal element that is present. I just think that there are a million better ways to express yourself. Cars are a means of transportation, most car culture revolves around this idea or celebrating the freedom of movement that cars embody. I think sideshows have devolved into displays of defiance and the open disregard of anyone who is not a participant.
Okay, I see your point that people feel that their voices aren't being heard, but don't you think a sideshow and a public protest are two completely different events. First, there are non-violent and violent forms of protest. People are consistently injured and killed at sideshows, and constant destruction of vehicles/property etc. so we can't call them non-violent. I personally believe that the only effective form of protest must be non-violent because when you permit violent protest, you also allow your opposition the excuse to enact violence on you, the protestor, in the name of safety and peace. That being said, I'm not sure anyone would consider a sideshow a form of protest, so are they a form of expression as in "free speech"? How could a sideshow be considered an honest form of expression when there are injuries and deaths at these events. Does any other normal form of self-expression end in people dying? I'm not a NIMBY, I work in non-profit providing arts education for a lower/middle class community. I believe in equity in this country, but I don't think people understand that fighting for what you believe in takes a lot of work, and it can't be done in counterproductive ways. I just think that the negative consequences of sideshows far outweigh the benefits. I don't see a positive culture surrounding them, and there is damage to the public environment, people injured/killed, disruption of people who are not involved and an overall sense of hostility towards those who attend by the general public. I would 100% support any kind of activism or protest that involved people who attend sideshows if they truly wanted to express their feelings/frustrations/messages to the community, but I don't see how using vehicles to create a mob-mentality is really sending any message other than aggression or intimidation.
Give me a break man. Doing sideshows on the bay bridge or Market Street and Van Ness is wantonly screwing with other people’s lives. It’s not like speeding on a country road out in the sticks
Not at all.
Don’t give a flying fart what you believe
Sideshows are entertainment for the feeble minded