Responses to unicycling(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

230 pointsby PaulHoule3 tahun yang lalu338 comments

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2151169/

338 comments

HanClinto3 tahun yang lalu

I rode a unicycle to class during college for 2-3 years. The author's experience matches my own very closely, and gives me a lot of flashbacks (positive and negative). This bit in particular stood out to me:

  > Almost 50% of those encountered, more often men than women, responded verbally (box). The sex difference in the type of response was striking. Around 95% of responses from women praised, encouraged, or showed concern, and women made few comic or snide remarks. In contrast, only 25% of the comments made by men indicated praise, appreciation, or neutrality, whereas 75% were attempts at comedy, often snide and proffered combatively as a put-down. Equally striking was their repetitive nature, even though given as if original—almost 66% of these “comic” responses referred to the number of wheels (the most common), the absence of handlebars, or a part having being lost or stolen (box). Less than 25% used less obvious snide humour, but often with stylistic repetition.

Everything that the author states matches my own experience -- almost to a T.

I often felt bad -- riding a unicycle is incredibly quiet (as there is no chain or gearing), and it's disturbingly easy to sneak up on a lone pedestrian at night and give them a scare when you announce that you're passing them on the left. I'm a rather large male, and recognize I can strike an imposing figure, and hated scaring people like this. I took up whistling whilst riding near people at night just so they could know that I was there.

This was also an interesting thing to read:

  > Aggressive boys
  >  “Do you want to knock him over?” “Yes I bet I could do it”
  >  While kicking a football, “Got a good target”
  >  Riding at me on bicycle, “Fall off granddad”
  >  Sudden loud shouts, then they threw small pebbles
  >  Loud noises, then “You’re gonna fall off . . . you’re gonna fall off”

This VERY closely matches my experience -- I was surprised at how much hostility I received from other guys. It wasn't always directly aggressive -- sometimes it was a bit tangential. Guys would often be playing pickup baseball (using a tennis ball) outside my dorm when I would arrive / leave -- and the ball would often come close to me. I only learned much later that they timed their games and would quickly run outside to try to play a few pitches only in order to try and hit me as I was riding by. On one level I thought this was kind of cool that they cared enough to do this, but it also made me sad inside in a way that I have never fully been able to put into words.

There were the regular jeering remarks, and even the more aggressive actions of going so far as to steal my unicycle a couple of times -- thankfully I was always able to recover it (a friend would call me and tell me it was found lying in a parking lot across campus -- clearly abandoned after they gave up trying to ride it).

It's an interesting case-study on how society reacts to outliers -- this was a beautiful set of data to read. Thank you!

wiredfool3 tahun yang lalu

Middle kid has a couple unicycles -- he's the only one around, and rides often. (And he's pretty good, can jump mount, do 180 jumps, ride up and down stairs, and generally he's a comfortable as on a bike. He has played the Emperor's March on a trombone while riding as well. He insists that he's not practicing for the circus).

Most common comment by far: "Do a wheelie", second -- "Where's your other wheel/You've lost a wheel" (which is answered by the tshirt -- "My other wheel is on my other unicycle".

talldatethrow3 tahun yang lalu

This is totally ignoring how most men jokes with other men vs how women talk to strange men they don't know.

Not a shock that women are a bit friendlier. Whereas men try to be a bit more clever for the sake of fun.

I spent a decade selling cars and the part I miss most is the totally crazy humor between salespeople and management. You know how a salesperson goes to talk to his manager every iteration of any negotiation? Every single time my manager would have a funny quip when I returned. And I'd also try to have something funny to say about either the manager or the customer or myself.

OP would label all this as hateful or negative which really it wasn't.

Boogie_Man3 tahun yang lalu

I'm not able to tell: does the author imply the "lost your wheel?" type comedy questions are put-downs? I have trouble seeing it that way. I would call it more of a jest than an insult and more of a basic attempt at humor that notes the uniqueness of the situation. To call noting anything that is odd a put down stretches the limits of credibility.

rob743 tahun yang lalu

TIL that the well-known stereotypical "circus music" is actually a march called "Entrance of the Gladiators" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrance_of_the_Gladiators).

emptybits3 tahun yang lalu

Every, and I mean every, kid’s reaction when first seeing a unicycle: awe and big smiles. Naturally, right? It’s a bit ridiculous and amazing, isn’t it?

So IMO if any adult doesn’t respond with a smile (at least on the inside … be honest with yourself) then they’ve lost their inner child … and isn’t that a bit sad?

Disclaimer: I have a unicycle and am a terrible terrible rider. Don’t care. Gotta hit the sidewalk once in a while to refresh and damn if I don’t end up giggling every time I fall.

earthboundkid3 tahun yang lalu

> “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”

Margret Atwood

> The quote is usually presented as inherently true, capturing the asymmetrical nature of the neverending war between the sexes. And I think that aspect is basically correct. But, if you’ll forgive me for being a pedantic male, it’s incomplete. Yes, men are afraid women will laugh at them; yes, women are afraid men will kill them. But do you know what else men are afraid of?

> Men.

> Men are also afraid other men will kill them.

https://verydistantlands.substack.com/p/the-eraserhead-guide...

TFA fits the pattern. Men feel the need to quickly establish a hierarchy with a modest putdown.

Hasu3 tahun yang lalu

Somewhat off topic, but I run barefoot (when I run, which isn't as often these days), and the responses are very similar. Mostly repetitive insults from men, ("did you forget your shoes?", "be careful, you'll cut your feet"), some curiosity, ("doesn't that hurt?"), some envy ("wow I wish I could do that") and a small amount of praise.

It's interesting how many people feel free to say the damnedest things when they see someone doing something they don't understand.

callumw133 tahun yang lalu

There's a lot of the rider's bias leaking through here. "Men who seemed to be of higher social class", "Middle Class Men", complete assumptions and biases that aren't used to form any sort of conclusion. Frustrating in an otherwise enjoyable and interesting essay.

magic_hamster3 tahun yang lalu

This was an interesting read however it's clear the author is very far removed from conducting this "experiment" neutrally. For starters, it's not about "response to a sudden, unexpected exposure to a new phenomenon—unicycling" as the author suggest, but rather about exposure to the author on a unicycle. Can you imagine the responses were the same if we replaced the rider with a stunning female model? Would the men and boys still have challenging reactions? I bet not.

perydell3 tahun yang lalu

It would be interesting to contrast the unicycle experience with tandem bike experiences. When I ride my tandem bike with a partner I almost universally experience smiles and happy waves from people that see us.

I can ride a unicycle and rode it more often as a teenager. Lots of comments about getting lost from the circus. But they were meant to be funny. I think.

recursive3 tahun yang lalu

Maybe it's a cultural thing, but the alleged put-downs and aggression mostly sound mis-categorized to me. There are only a few of the given lines that sound aggressive or insulting.

air73 tahun yang lalu

My interpretation is that this action, peformed by a man, is a show of force which is why it gets praise from females and envy/aggression from males.

lupire3 tahun yang lalu

The "Indirect put downs" are mostly misclassified. I'm surprised that a unicyclist has no sense of humor, and the fully grown adult has no sense of banter. It seems that the author has a chip on his shoulder against men.

Indirect put-downs:

    “You must like living dangerously”
    “Odd things you find on cycles”
    “And what were your other birthday presents?”
    “Is it a new form of transport then?”
    “I suppose it saves on tyres”
    “You park your bike for two minutes and that’s what you are left with”

zem3 tahun yang lalu

> About 1-2% of people expressed anger, distaste, or fear of collision, mostly elderly women and some men walking with sticks.

fortysomething able-bodied man, but i suspect fear of collision would be my first reaction too. unicycles look hard to control and liable to crash into things, based on instincts developed riding bicycles. (i would also think it was a neat thing to do, though)

JoeAltmaier3 tahun yang lalu

I wonder if the men's remarks aren't often born of envy? It's common for men to say stuff like "That must have cost a pretty penny" or "He must have a small penis", regarding other vehicles.

And let's be honest, a unicycle is pretty amusing. My first impulse would be to make a joke.

Lastly, I'm not at all surprised that women, seeing a man performing a significant act of physical agility, might have some positive emotional reaction.

I'm most impressed by the systematic way the OP collected the statistics!

grumple3 tahun yang lalu

This mirrors my own experience as a unicyclist (both traditional and electric). Reactions are very common, and vary wildly. It's rare to pass someone and not get some sort of reaction, and if you stop near them it's always "was it hard to learn?" or "what's that cost?" for the electric one.

asdfasvea3 tahun yang lalu

I use mine to walk my dog and get nothing but amazement and joy from people of literally all ages. People over 4 years old smile, point and say 'that guys unicycling, awesome'. People 4 and under smile, point and say 'doggie, doggie doggie'.

Never a bad word, but I don't ride it like I'm an A-hole bicyclist.

seagullriffic3 tahun yang lalu

I highly recommend some of the best content on Youtube, Ed Pratt's series [0] where he unicycles around the world. [0] https://www.youtube.com/@EdPratt

perlgeek3 tahun yang lalu

My sister self-taught unicycling as a teenager, and then used it for short trips to the supermarket (in an area where pedestrians and cyclists are pretty common).

She got lots of attention, but only rarely talked about getting negative comments. (But she's not the type who would rate "I suppose it saves on tyres" as a put-down).

roskoez3 tahun yang lalu

I used to unycicle around when I was about 16YO. I didn't get much response, really, maybe because my age made it less ridiculous or maybe intimidating. Still, I got a lot of free drinks and requests for trying when bringing it to music festivals

natemcintosh3 tahun yang lalu

As someone who once rode a unicycle (also in the North East of England), I can say that I received almost exactly the same responses listed here.

mellosouls3 tahun yang lalu

Very interesting and original.

Seemed a little overly-defensive/uncharitable wrt the banter from men, most of them didn't seem snide or negative but perhaps you had to be there...

nickcw3 tahun yang lalu

I think the best heckle I had while riding my unicycle was from a policeman who shouted: "Are your brakes working?".

This is funny because (just in case you didn't know) unicycles don't (generally) have brakes - you slow down by putting the pressure on backwards on the pedals.

analog313 tahun yang lalu

Oddly enough I get a certain number of predictable responses when I'm carrying my double bass around. My favorite reaction so far:

"Nice purse."

scotty793 tahun yang lalu

It's really sad to read about reactions of adolescent and adult males. Something terrible happens to men as they grow up. I don't think it's just biology because well off man have the damage somewhat alleviated.

notnmeyer3 tahun yang lalu

> “And what were your other birthday presents?”

this is a particularly hilarious comment imo

hasbot3 tahun yang lalu

I've ridden an electric unicycle around town. I generally get a few stares but little interaction possibly because I travel faster than a unicycle. In a safe environment, it's a relaxing ride but my current city isn't bicycle friendly. I travel too fast for sidewalks and mixed-use trails are marked "no motorized vehicles" though e-bikes are exempted. I have ridden on some trails anyway but each time some old guy gives me shit and it's just not worth the hassle.

magicalhippo3 tahun yang lalu

Recently saw a guy near work cycling on a Penny-farthing[1]. That certainly rised my eyebrows, as he navigated the pedestrians on the path.

Interestingly few others seem to take much note.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny-farthing

bradrn3 tahun yang lalu

(2007), though I suspect things haven’t changed much since then.