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.
I disagree. Even in rural towns kids drive the strip or scoop the loop and get into trouble. In general this is not some kind of phenomenon. It’s taken to a different level in the Bay Area but Oakland and the Bay Area have a special relationship. The culture of Oakland decades ago is what created sideshows and it was for a reason. It was to disrupt. It was to be noticed and respected and to be seen. I will never hate on sideshows. I think it’s wholly a part of Bay Area culture now and we should just allow it as long as people are trying to be safe.
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.
Sorry. I can’t agree with a number of your statements. To me it sounds very like NIMBY. This isn’t about what the standardized communities of this country value. It’s about the fact that they devalue other communities. That’s the point of disruption.
What about protesting on highways? Many of you comments are applicable to those protests that occur throughout the country. I guess if your take is “my sleep” or “getting to work” is more important than someone else’s right to free speech and their own brand of activism…. I guess your point makes sense for people like you.
My feeling though is if, I feel so strongly motivated by the oppression I feel by an upper class, a government, a law enforcement agency, an oppressor…. I’d want my right to act out in protest of that society in my own way. To me it’s part of the agreement of living in a society with one another that we will make the space for this to recognize voices different from our own.
Side shows, protests, impromptu car meets for Palestinians or other faiths and ethnicities I see across the Bay Area…. Bike rides in the streets, tour the bay…. All of these things are DISRUPTIVE to bring attention to the individuals that are saying “see me I need to be seen” in one way or another.
I think sideshows have a right to exist for all these reasons and more.
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
Truly love sideshows. They are a part of Bay Area culture. They are unique and in my opinion integral to our history here. I am always in defense of sideshows and they have always made me smile. Just be safe everyone!! ♥️♥️ Great article.
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.
I disagree. Even in rural towns kids drive the strip or scoop the loop and get into trouble. In general this is not some kind of phenomenon. It’s taken to a different level in the Bay Area but Oakland and the Bay Area have a special relationship. The culture of Oakland decades ago is what created sideshows and it was for a reason. It was to disrupt. It was to be noticed and respected and to be seen. I will never hate on sideshows. I think it’s wholly a part of Bay Area culture now and we should just allow it as long as people are trying to be safe.
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.
Sorry. I can’t agree with a number of your statements. To me it sounds very like NIMBY. This isn’t about what the standardized communities of this country value. It’s about the fact that they devalue other communities. That’s the point of disruption.
What about protesting on highways? Many of you comments are applicable to those protests that occur throughout the country. I guess if your take is “my sleep” or “getting to work” is more important than someone else’s right to free speech and their own brand of activism…. I guess your point makes sense for people like you.
My feeling though is if, I feel so strongly motivated by the oppression I feel by an upper class, a government, a law enforcement agency, an oppressor…. I’d want my right to act out in protest of that society in my own way. To me it’s part of the agreement of living in a society with one another that we will make the space for this to recognize voices different from our own.
Side shows, protests, impromptu car meets for Palestinians or other faiths and ethnicities I see across the Bay Area…. Bike rides in the streets, tour the bay…. All of these things are DISRUPTIVE to bring attention to the individuals that are saying “see me I need to be seen” in one way or another.
I think sideshows have a right to exist for all these reasons and more.
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.
Yeah man. Once I read “the only effective form of protest must be non-violent” I stopped reading.
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
You seem unfamiliar with rural life.
Truly love sideshows. They are a part of Bay Area culture. They are unique and in my opinion integral to our history here. I am always in defense of sideshows and they have always made me smile. Just be safe everyone!! ♥️♥️ Great article.
Sideshows are entertainment for the feeble minded
You seem classist. Maybe look into that.