"Biker down" threads. Yes or no?

[marty]

what, like a right to silence? fuck that! everyone should be compelled to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

[boomer]

what, like a right to silence? fuck that! everyone should be compelled to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

is that the fabricated truth as told by the boys in blue or the other truth?

[Grahameeboy]

Cool.. you go live in the Ukraine then sweetheart

Pppfftt...I said some control just to keep the peace.....tell me any country where there is no control.......some say that Democracy is just 'Legalised Extortion'.............so is your other half letting you out tonight??

[Ixion]

Are you talking scuttlebutt from a KB ride (" so and so ended up in the shrubbery"); or a report that is already appeared in the general news ("tragically a well respected X district motorcyclist was killed yesterday - see the Harold report ").

Once the matter is in the public domain it seems rather precious for motorcyclists, of all people, to close their eyes and pretend nothing has happened.

I suspect a good part of the angst about such threads is due to some motorcylists not wishing to face the facts of the dangerousness of what we do.

So long as the pretence can be maintained that "skills" and the magic gear will always keep a biker safe, people can feel complacent in their invulnerability. Reports of bikers for whom it didn't work shatter that composure. Not all can face with equanimity the reminder "There, but for the grace, etc".

I say yes. It behoves us to be reminded frequently that we are not invulnerable, and that the penalties for overdoing it can be serious.

[paturoa]

yes, with restraint, eg fatality

[Joni]

I said what I think earlier...

- these rider down, or RIP threads cause more damage than good, there have been times when we have all been RIP'sing and the poor bugger is not even dead... we have a thread about "discussing accidents" and I feel that until KB can take a more mature approach towards discussing these types of things maybe they should not be discussed.

[Karma]

there have been times when we have all been RIP'sing and the poor bugger is not even dead...

That'd be hilarious!

I'd have to paint my bike all white and ride around wearing a sheet... that'd scare the shit outta a few of you.

[jrandom]

Can't stifle the voice of the masses. Let the 'rider down' threads continue. If the rider in question or their family, etc, object, then mods should intervene.

rotten.com set a good example on this general issue by taking down the photographs of the machete'd dude from South Auckland leaking brains onto a shopping mall carpark after his family ran into them via Google. Remember that? The Herald even reported on it.

A default 'freedom of speech' position, modulated by common sense, is appropriate. But, then again, this forum is not about being nice to people.

A gedankenexperiment is in order.

Let's say, f'r'instance, I'm on a ride with Hitcher, he falls off in a horrible, horrible accident and amputates his goolies, and I rush to the nearest PC and post a 'Situation Vacant' ad with regards to the sexual servicing of Mrs Hitcher.

Q: Should the thread be deleted out of common decency?

A: Only if Southerners start volunteering.

[NhuanH]

Issues around privacy of natural persons

and what of persons of an unnatural disposition?

[boomer]

Pppfftt...I said some control just to keep the peace.....tell me any country where there is no control.......some say that Democracy is just 'Legalised Extortion'.............so is your other half letting you out tonight??

i feel quite grown up and able/capable of abiding by a set of laws, well most of the ones i agree with, i don't need a subset of laws and controls thanks. pssst...my mrs does what i say otherwise she gets a black eye(luckily i live in a country where this is allowed & tolerated )

[Joni]

That'd be hilarious!

Um actually no Weasel it was not - especially for the person who called to give condolences to the family... it was farken shite actually!

[justsomeguy]

That'd be hilarious!

I guess you weren't an active member then. The situation was actually horrible.

A lot worse than the trouble I caused with my intended pisstake prank that went utterly wrong.

I chose option 3 - No.

There used to be an unwritten rule on KB concerning posting about crashes. If you are not directly involved ==> until the people directly involved have their say or make their intentions know.

Biker down usually means the biker's down and he/she isn't getting up in a hurry - ambulance called, unstable condition, hospitalisation required, fatality.

Minor accidents are usually refferred to as "Offs".

[boomer]

That'd be hilarious!

I'd have to paint my bike all white and ride around wearing a sheet... that'd scare the shit outta a few of you.

i thought border control had prevented foot and mouth outbreaks in NZ?

[terbang]

I think its fine and, as has been said before, there is an informative and even contemplative value to be gained from biker down threads. I havn't yet seen any such threads really stepping over the line. I remember back to the Korowetere threads and also IL4's recent threads having a positive effect on KB community that didn't need moderating. If I or my family were faced with a difficult situation then I would be happy that the understanding of my own misfortunes could possibly help someone else in the future. The protocol that I would like to suggest is that if we are out there riding (as a bunch of KBers) and someone has a bin, that those on the ride refrain from too much online analysis. At least until the binner has had their say first. Its not a biggie with the cops but Insurance companies are allways trying to weasel out of paying people out and they could easily arm themselves with a barrage of fish hooked questions during any claim based on Info gleaned from this site.

[Blondini]

Um actually no Weasel it was not - especially for the person who called to give condolences to the family... it was farken shite actually!

I think what toni says carries some weight On one hand it is good to show support toward biker down and perhaps learn from others mistakes and on the other hand the facts have to be correct and in case of more serious injuries ,confirmation,someone senior could ring the hospital patient enquiries for info.At the end of the day I was amazed how everyone gave such support (and that is continuing)to inline.This is a credit to you all