I've mentioned before that I think the streetride videos coming from Europe and from the States have a different flavour.
The stuff from Europe (and particularly, France) is generally, sort of lighthearted, celebratory and essentially positive (See Here for example)
But there's something grim about this video of the 2013 Ride of the Century. The video itself is excellent, exciting and very well put together - it's the message that's grim.
It's very confrontational. The video begins and ends with interaction between the riders and the police. One of the prominently featured riders is wearing a tee shirt with the slogan 'I Don't Stop for Cops' and much of the riding is provocative.
But it's also nihilistic. A lot of the riding is blatantly unsafe - and I'm not talking about the fundamental question of stunt riding on open roads. What I mean is that the riders don't appear to have a lot of regard for each other - they cut each other up and they're so caught up in doing there own thing that they don't give space to other riders doing their thing. They don't appear to have much regard for personal safety either- they mostly wear just tee-shirts and shorts.
And I get the sense that what you're actually seeing here is a political documentary. On the one hand, you have (another) generation of disenfranchised American youth who are very clearly demonstrating just how disenfranchised they are, whether they realise this or not.
And on the other hand, you have a civil authority who seem confused by this behaviour. At the end of the movie, there's a cop impounding bikes because they have warm engines. He seems like a reasonable guy, he knows this is completely fascist, and I get the sense that he doesn't agree with it at all (there's every possibility he feels a little disenfranchised himself). But he still goes and does it after absolving himself by saying he's under orders.
It's grim. And that's why it's worth watching...
#RideOfTheCentury #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
The stuff from Europe (and particularly, France) is generally, sort of lighthearted, celebratory and essentially positive (See Here for example)
But there's something grim about this video of the 2013 Ride of the Century. The video itself is excellent, exciting and very well put together - it's the message that's grim.
It's very confrontational. The video begins and ends with interaction between the riders and the police. One of the prominently featured riders is wearing a tee shirt with the slogan 'I Don't Stop for Cops' and much of the riding is provocative.
But it's also nihilistic. A lot of the riding is blatantly unsafe - and I'm not talking about the fundamental question of stunt riding on open roads. What I mean is that the riders don't appear to have a lot of regard for each other - they cut each other up and they're so caught up in doing there own thing that they don't give space to other riders doing their thing. They don't appear to have much regard for personal safety either- they mostly wear just tee-shirts and shorts.
And I get the sense that what you're actually seeing here is a political documentary. On the one hand, you have (another) generation of disenfranchised American youth who are very clearly demonstrating just how disenfranchised they are, whether they realise this or not.
And on the other hand, you have a civil authority who seem confused by this behaviour. At the end of the movie, there's a cop impounding bikes because they have warm engines. He seems like a reasonable guy, he knows this is completely fascist, and I get the sense that he doesn't agree with it at all (there's every possibility he feels a little disenfranchised himself). But he still goes and does it after absolving himself by saying he's under orders.
It's grim. And that's why it's worth watching...
#RideOfTheCentury #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
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