If I may make a few very generalized points here:
1 - Political idealism/action/protesting is not, and should not be only for those who are 18-20. What, you vote for 2 years then suddenly you're supposed to not care? While I would say that hopefully we would learn better and more efficient ways of being active for our respective causes as we grow older, to simply give up is kind of retarded, and to shit on those who are trying to do something about the causes they think are important - even if you feel they "look funny" or are allegedly "too cool" or whatever, is pretty crappy. In fact, that lumps you in with people like Ann Coulter and Lush Rimbaugh, so congrats.
2 - Along those same lines, I hope you realize that the citizens of other countries often have more political power than we do because they are not afraid of "looking silly" and because they actually protest and use the power of democracy in their favor. Look at the various recent revolutions/protests in the former Eastern Bloc countries where literally millions of people gathered to speak their minds and effected change. Those people who have recently gained this power think we are all fucking stupid lazy wankers who care more about "reality" TV and how we look than the power we (should) hold over our alleged representatives. And they're right. 100% right. You want to bitch about how no one in power listens to you but are too lazy to get off your fucking ass to do even one thing about it and poke at the very few who do? Shit. Those people literally grind business to a halt with protesting, and the government usually listens - and on the way makes a lot of them very bloody.
3 - I rode a bike for years because I could not afford a car, and almost daily died at the hands of motorists who could not be bothered to pay attention to their surroundings, and it had nothing to do with Critical Mass. Places like Portland - where the city supports bike riders by providing good and useful bike lanes/streets/trails and racks on busses and trains is not Columbus. By inconveniencing drivers for one fucking day, I would assume the bikers are probably going to actually get something done (see point #2), although maybe we're too busy making fun of them and they won't.
And ZAS, while I kind of see what you're saying about some people coming across as holier than thou, fuck them. Who cares. Can you really blame someone for being passionate about their causes, which may come across that way when they get made fun of every day by people too stupid to care? I have not even watched the video from Comfest, and I am in no way connected to Critical Mass, but if someone is brave enough to exercise their first amendment, don't shit on them.
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_________________ "The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other... involves orcs." - Kung Fu Monkey
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