Further spiraling down the rabbit hole into uselessness (following their recent FUBARs in changes to donation levels and generally crappy customer service), Humble Bundle offered up this gem:
Humble Book Bundle: Bikes by Microcosm
Now, if one were to judge a bundle by its title, one might assume that this is a batch of small-press books on bicycles and the cycling lifestyle.
Not a chance in hell. It features such wonderful titles as:
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Bikes in Space: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction
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Taking The Lane - a series of Feminist and Trans 'zines about dealing with misogyny and the like in bicycling culture in Portland
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Bikes Not Rockets: Intersectional Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction Stories
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Trans-Galactic Bike Ride: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction Stories of Transgender and Nonbinary Adventurers
I couldn't make these up if I tried. Out of the whole bundle it looks like there are maybe three or four books that might have something real to read about cycling culture. The rest are in the same vein as the above-listed feminist and trans rhetoric.
I have but one thing to say: We needed this bundle like a fish needs a bicycle.
Good lord, I have so many questions! Why are there so many books on women/"women" and bikes? And why is the cover art on all of them so go goddamn ugly? Is there a generator running somewhere that just keeps shitting these out?
I especially like the "bikes not rockets" thing, the title is like that old saying that if we were ruled by women we'd still be living in caves. Heh.
Best guess (based on the fact that several of them are zines) is that the whole thing was shat out of Portland,
WAOR - known home of general weirdness, radfems, and people of all 1000 different made-up sexual orientations. Chalk it up to their smug, fart-sniffing ways.See above about Portland and their community. If everyone in the circle-jerk keeps telling you that your artwork is great, then the empress will keep behaving as if she has clothes.
Sadly, I'm betting that there's a clique of "authors" in the
WashingtonOregon area that produce this garbage and then act like they're the best thing since Vonnegut and Kerouac because their writing is so garbage that nobody but them can stand to read it.EDIT: I fail at geography...
Portland Oregon. Washington does insane weirdness in a different way.
Seattle had CHAS, portland burnt an elk statue and continues to riot in the touristy areas. Same coin, same side, different letter.
You have no idea how much I wanted to invite the proud boys to have their protest at the Rose Stadium and come with boffers before all the Covid riots. I would make a mint charging admission to see the fight.
Sonofabitch... I do that way too often. With both Portland and Seattle being SJW enclaves my mind has completely conflated the two. Thanks for the correction.
A german word for bike is "Rad". You may be on to something.