Grab A Bike, Start A Revolution

By: Steve Durel

Posted: 6/12/06

Over the course of the past few decades, environmental activists and other concerned citizens have been directly opposing the government-funded oil industry by way of independent bipedal locomotion. This past May, millions celebrated Bike-to-Work Week and, as part of the occurrence, a group called Elm City Cycling led people across this state to their jobs in New Haven. Later this month, an event called Critical Mass will be taking place in which people around the globe bike together, thrusting the earth's rotation forwards. Transforming themselves into something of modern-day Thoreaus, these self-reliant collectivists commit themselves to actual action, be it practical or symbolic, in an earnest attempt to help mold a better world for human progeny.

Bikes Against Big Oil, another group of cycling dissidents based here in Connecticut, departed from New York City on June 1 to begin a bicycle trip across the continent powered only by their inner determination and outward physical strength. The League of American Bicyclists is proudly endorsing the group's astonishing project, along with infamous underground publisher AK Press, the web site BikeFem.net, and many other local, progressive circles. Embarking on this "Car-Free Summer," those taking part are at this moment traversing everything from metropolitan megalopolises to open plains, towering mountains and desolate wastelands - their legs propelling them the whole way like a Lewis and Clark expedition for the New American Century. With enough determination and luck, they hope to make it to the Pacific coastline in Portland, Ore. within a few weeks.

Throughout this lengthy seventeen-state voyage, the bike warriors will be openly speaking with Americans of every type and background about global energy policies, environmentalism and the general condition of social affairs. Like Yankee Zapatista rebels, this squadron of activists will be notifying the locals who they meet along the way that driving cars only helps further empower an elite class that plunders the globe in an ironic attempt to have it dominated. Indeed, those involved with the protest are not ashamed of their distrust for both the petroleum industry and its vanguard politicians. Right on the toolbar of BikeWarriors.org, these activists proudly declare, "Boycott big oil - demand support for alternative mass transportation." Believing that true progress can only come from the bottom upwards, these dissidents are very proud to non-violently launch an assault against all forms of hegemony.

"The relationship between the energy industry and the government could be described as incestuous at best," said Paul Comeau, a founder of Bikes Against Big Oil, with disgust. "We need no further proof than the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan to see that when business and government interests become too closely intertwined, the poor and working class people suffer while government officials and corporate executives profit."

Despite being cynical of market and state, Comeau nevertheless affirms, "Working both individually and collectively is the most effective way to change the society around us to reflect our ideals of a progressive community free of all social injustices." Envisioning a population unmoved by the authority flags and solitary persons unimpressed by the influence dollars, these activists are peacefully taking up arms against two hierarchical institutions that seem to only present contrived illusions of acceptability.

Accordingly, Comeau does not expect much when he hears corporate slogans promising advancement or the words of President Bush proclaiming some contrived nationalist pursuit for alternative forms of energy. Comeau asserts that "most cause-related marketing campaigns are merely attempts to maintain an air of social responsibility in the eye of the general public, without actual effort toward modifying existing business practices. GE's creation of toxic Superfund sites, while at the same time maintaining a campaign promoting 'going Green' is but one of many examples of such marketing campaigns in action."

In the end, however, the real purpose of Bikes Against Big Oil goes beyond simply chastising the forces of old and evil. Like all similar forms of protest, the purpose of this bike trip is to ignite a shared hope for genuine positive change - truly revolutionary progress. As Comeau has noted, "Ideally, by wiping out the root causes of our dependence on oil - suburbanism and suburban sprawl - we would seek to develop environmentally sustainable communities where cars are both impractical and unnecessary. It is not so much about prosecuting the big oil companies for their crimes as it is about building alternatives to their system of profits and environmental exploitation."