[*BCM*] Seattle Webforums Turn Ugly (was: Seattle CM turns ugly)

[Jym Dyer]

> the bulletin board messages are pretty amazing...so much for
> the enlightened pacific northwest.

=v= This seems to be true everywhere:  the anonymous nature of
webfora attracts the unenlightened, and just throw in the usual
motorist sense of entitlement for certain issues.  And of course
there's no telling where people are posting from.

=v= On the upside, even the mainstream Seattle media coverage
is better than what went on in the San Francisco Bay Area media
a year ago.  You get the bicyclist's point of view pretty soon
on (the motorist hit two bikers and tried to flee).  In the
Bay Area it took a few days before this came to light, and the 
_San_Francisco_Chronicle_ responded by culling its webforums
for the worst anti-biking comments and printing them.

=v= _The_Stranger_ actually has two more very enlightening
online pieces about this incident:

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/i_literally_got_run_over

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/the_driver_speaks

=v= You can slog through blogs for first-hand remarks, too:

http://sweetbike.org/?p=184

http://arcanius.silverfir.net/blog/critical-mass-collision

http://seattlest.com/2008/07/26/media_no_one_is_safe_from_rampaging.php

=v= Offhand, two assaults (one vehicular), two acts of
vandalism (possibly defensive).  The vandals are charged,
the assaulter is being sought, and as usual, no charges
are being pursued for the vehicular assaulter.
    <_Jym_>