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By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor

ritical Mass is a critical mess.
( It is labelled as a fun bike

ride that let’s everyone cycle
routes that are normally over run with
cars. While this is simply one aspect
of the ride, it also claims to be a form
of non violent protest. A protest by
cyclists in an attempt to get more
bicycle dedicated road space.

The cycling situation in
Vancouver is looking better all of
the time. Mayor Gregor Robertson
has stated that he wants Vancouver
to be the greenest city in the world
and in doing so, has implemented
measures to achieve this goal. One
such measure has been to build more
bike lanes in the downtown core. A
permanent bike lane over the Burrard
Street Bridge is a relatively recent
addition and Vancouver city council
just approved the construction of a
bike lane on Hornby Street.

Bicycle infrastructure is no
doubt an important aspect of any
city striving to be more sustainable.
However, do local cyclists have
Critical Mass to thank for the recent
additions? Most likely not.

The Critical Mass bike ride
shows that there are thousands of
cyclists who care about more cycling
infrastructure. It does send a message,
but is it the right message? Most
motorists and citizens of Vancouver
for that matter, feel that the protest
is truly inconsiderate. It doesn’t help
improve what for some is an already
tainted image of cyclists. In effect,

What to do about Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a rather childish
venture that isn’t helping the cause.

If cyclists are trying to convince
motorists to get out of their.cars and
ride a bike, there are better ways.
Impeding the flow of traffic and
generally aggravating drivers is not
going to convince them that getting
on a bike is a good idea. It simply
reinforces the stereotype of the
careless cyclist.

Why the ineffective Critical Mass
continues to persist is anyone’s guess.
In order to encourage cycling and get
more people out of their cars, we need
to make it easier. More infrastructure
and regulations that benefit the
majority are necessary. If the goal is
to enlighten and educate the public of
the benefits of cycling, enraging them
with foolish hooliganery is not the
answer. More positive and creative
ways to get the point across need to
be implemented. For example, events
like car free days and bike to work
week, where sections of street are
closed off to cars in order to promote
a cyclist and pedestrian friendly
atmosphere.

Currently, the whole Critical
Mass thing seems a little
counterproductive to me. If cyclists
are truly hell bent on a day to roam
the streets, they should organize it
with the pro-cyclist city council. Until
then, idle cars will continue to spew
harmful gases into the atmosphere
as they wait for the masses to die
down and support for more cycle
infrastructure will continue to wane.

 

Barer

The plight of the childhood star

By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor

e have seen it time and
time again; a child turned
star only to burn out

once their brief 15 minutes of fame
has expired. Whatever it was that
made them famous as youngsters
disappears, leaving them seemingly
lost. Their encounter with fame have
made it impossible for them to go on
living a “regular” life and they are
forced to live off their earnings, that is
if they have any.

Jackie Coogan from Chaplin’s
“The Kid” was one of the first true
child stars back in the 1920s. While
many of us are probably not familiar
with the movie, or the actor for that
matter, he set a precedent when it
comes to child stars.

When Jackie’s career abruptly
burnt out, he was forced to sue his
parents to save the rest of his fortune.
The whole process led to the so-
called Coogan law which states that
the ownership of the child’s income
belongs to the child. Fifteen percent
of all gross income from professional
activities is now placed in a trust
account and held for the benefit of the
minor until the age of majority.

So this takes care of the financial
aspects, at least until the individual
is old enough to start spending, but
what about the long-term social
and psychological impacts of said
stardom?

When they are young and in the

spotlight, children are treated like
royalty; they live in a completely
artificial world. The possession of
exuberant amounts of money and
luxury become the norm. They miss
out on an “average” childhood and
the experiences that accompany it.
This artificial lifestyle and lack of
childhood can have drastic impacts
on an individual. After they burn
out, things change and they often go
through several lows and highs with
drugs, depressions and isolation.
There are many examples of such
cases: River Phoenix, the Olsen
Twins, Lindsay Lohan and many
more.

While many of these examples
may seem extreme, they should serve
as precaution for any parent looking
to hoist their child into the spotlight.
These children are swept up ina
furry of fame that has them pushing
themselves to maintain an elitist
lifestyle. Simply put, there is no time
to be an ordinary child.

Recently, Justin Bieber was in
Vancouver. Personally, I am not quite
sure what it is that makes him so
appealing - is it the superb hair-do
or the soprano voice? In any event,
at the age of 16 you’ve got to know,
that voice isn’t going to last forever.
Hopefully he is planning his post
burn out years wisely. And in the
meantime, he is going to have to work
hard to manage his fame and make
time to simply be a kid.

Justin Biever

 

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