I dunno; the cosplay bit seems pretty spot-on.
The bigger problem is that we all become the masks we wear.
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Nothing personal, but I associate Harley Davidson with dentists and lawyers who want to act badass on the weekend.
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honestly, i do too, because those are the only people who can afford them.
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Was G.I. Joe always that gay? (Not judging, just kinda surprised that slipped by on Reagan’s watch.)
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Maybe everybody at Harry Davidson is just a really big fan of CNN and they’re trying to return the favor.
I’ve been riding a Harley for the last 40 years and I have never met any dentists or lawyers.
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Where do you ride?
I couldn’t get past episode 1 of “Man in the High Castle”.
I get that it’s based on a famous work, Ridley Scott is on board, I guess it is accepted as a cautionary tale.
But it came off as outright Nazi porn to me. All those beautiful architectural Swastikas. That image of a Times Square that seems so unlikely under Nazi rule. Everyone’s middle class lives disrupted only by the occasional atrocity.
That’s all like floating around in “is that OK? I think it’s OK. Maybe it’s not OK.”
And then there’s Trump.
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A long long time ago, I dated a guy who was in a biker “club.” This group’s patch included a swastika, but as uncomfortable as I was with that, he explained that and the other symbols were just symbols of death.
Most of the time it was just blue collar people hanging out, drinking beer, sometimes smoking some really bad pot, and going out to see rock n’ roll bands together.
I was there under his protection, so I feel like I never really got to see the whole situation - I don’t think the older gang was too excited about the blond college coed who was slumming at their clubhouse.
There seemed to be a lot of rules about your jacket, your patch, etc. that they were very into. Most of the people were super smart and just happened to have been born on the wrong side of the tracks. They were awfully good mechanics and made some really great bikes.
It was a weird summer dating him. I’m glad I got to see what it was like.
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Trump: “I meant to do that.”
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I’m more trying to narrow in on one very driving bit of the Harley thing.
And paint it with a broad brush.
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The swastika is an ancient symbol, predating Naziism by hundreds if not thousands of years. It’s original meaning was one of the great cycle of life. It was an honorable symbol that was subjugated and appropriated by the white man in his conquest of native culture. And now it is hated. Typical white man bullshit.
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I’m guessing you also forgot about He-Man.
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Fair enough. That’s not the people I know. Most riders I know are farmers, truck drivers, welders and the like and have been riding from a young age. I have through the course of my travels happened upon that middle-age crisis, weekend warrior type, who wouldn’t be able to maintain a bike for themselves but likes to put on the leathers and feel tough. Kinda like the folks who wear cowboy boots, that have never stepped in a pat.
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Yeah sorry, that reply looks awfully ambiguous now that I re-read it.
As far as actual real life outlaw motorcycle gangs go, I don’t really apply normal rules to their internal codes of ethics, I guess that is kind of the point.
My point was more in line with @brainspore’s comment about Harley Davidson entering into a marketing deal with Sons of Anarchy, a fictional TV series. The broad marketing appeal of the association with what is superficially a reprehensible group of characters seems curious on the surface.
So I guess my point is that while there may be some commercial allure for mainstream Americans to the romanticised danger and excitement of outlaw motorcycle culture, the gloss of that wears off pretty quick when the same market sees the beginnings of the internment camps you guys are about to create at your borders, and the devastating social upheaval on the horizon.
It’s not so much free-wheeling fun any more.
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Stepped in a pat? Ever burned one for fire?
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We’re a destination for the weekend warrior type. Some sort of famous route coming out of NYC. I’ve worked so many bars and restaurants on nights where these guys come by. And its bizarre and frustrating.
To further elaborate. The subject of ire here is not motorcyclists. Nor is it motorcyclists who like Harleys or prefer cruisers. Its the Harley guys. With the branded wardrobe, HD special edition truck, etc. It operates very much like any other fandom. But this one. Being based as it is in what was bad ass and masculine circa 1966 caters to a uniquely old, white, male, and Trumpy set of society.
People I know who are into motorcycles (and other machines) as opposed to just Harley (even the ones who genuinely like Harley). And actual Biker Gang members I’ve met (briefly) seem to respond the same way I do to that crowd. And they haven’t even had to deal with cleaning up after them while untipped.
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In Tokyo
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Ah.
bow
Domo arigato.
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