Monday, February 25, 2008

Hypocrite?

So here I am, thinking of something to write. I could write about the Serbian issues, the raging debate about Team Astana not being allowed into the Tour de France, the presidential snorefest, or something else of the thousands of things I think about.

So, you know I love cars. No secret I hate gas swilling SUVs, etc. Yet I love all kinds of high performance cars. Resource eating, highly impractical massive carbon footprint Ferraris, Astons, Lotuses, Jags, Porsches, and all my vintage cars. So here I sit, sometimes preaching about being enviromentally sensitive, about riding my bike, or trying to follow the line of morals and ethics.

Let's look at this a little. I love cycling. But high end race bikes eat up a lot of resources. Races devour resources. But they raise awareness of cycling, and of course, the sponsor's raison d'etre. So let's say the race inspires some people to ride, commute, maybe a handful will race. So the benefit offsets the voracious eating of the resources. That's going on the theory that those who do get inspired will become healthier, more productive, and more enviromentally conscious. So am I a hypocrite?

What about my love for cars? Yes, I love my high end cars I'll never afford. I also love my more reasonable, older small displacement British cars. They don't gobble up gas, they sometimes aren't as clean with emissions. Leather was used for most of them. I can hear the forests roar their displeasure at the wood dashboards. So, though I drive a 98 Accord coupe right now, is it bad for me to be bringing my monster out of hibernation? Is it historic preservation? Living history? My way of connecting with a bygone era? Connecting with my dad? (He used to race a Triumph TR3a when it was new, and we've spent who knows how much time talking about various older sports cars.)

What's the appeal of these activities? Am I hypocritical posting about closet gas guzzler cars, then telling you about all the stuff I'm doing to my Spitfire? Or how about all the gas I use just going to and from bike races? Or the number of tires I wear out on my bikes over the course of a season?

Or is it that I just enjoy some activities that aren't quite mainstream? I've always been a bit of a free spirit. Maybe that freedom goes into my racing mind sometimes.

1 comment:

Lisa said...

Sorry I don't get over here nearly enough to say hi!

I think it's all about balance. You use resources in one place, but try your best to conserve in others. We're all going to be hypocrites to some extent so long as we live in an industrialized nation. At least you are thinking about your footprint---that's more than most people do.