I used to believe that nobody would be more excited for the Williamsburg hipster trend to pass than those of us who live in Portland, Oregon, where the style has somehow managed to garner leagues of dedicated, skinny-jeans-clad adherents. It turns out that I was wrong.
Hasidic Jews and hipsters are in the midst of a turf war over bike lanes in Williamsburg, the former believing the influx of cyclists in the traditionally Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn poses a “safety and religious hazard” and the latter wanting a safe place to ride down Bedford Avenue.
The two unlikely groups came to a head last week after the New York Department of Transportation removed a 14-block section of the Bedford Avenue cycling route “as part of ongoing bike network adjustments in the area.”
According to a report in the Huffington Post, opponents to the change claim the city is just giving in to demands by members of the religious group, who complained to the community board that many of the young, female cyclists who rode through the neighborhood were “hotties,” who “ride in shorts and skirts,” both of which are against their dress code.
In response, a group of local bike riders has taken it upon themselves to repaint the lane lines themselves. Ironically, the group of guerrilla line painters reportedly included members of the Hasidic community who are not opposed to the lanes as well.
Unfortunately I’m going to have to side with the hipsters on this one. Bike lanes, even if they are used to traffic hipsters into the city, trump religious fundamentalism every time.
Watch the footage of guerilla line-painters at work above.
[Via: Huffington Post]
guerrilla line-painters? religious fundamentalist? You’re not even kidding are you. Please read up on the history of Williamsburg and how after the Holocaust European jews established a neighborhood in New York where they could be jews. Its not a question of if they’re simply being up tight and need to mellow out (which I assume is your idiotic hepstard argument), they are simply defending THEIR neighborhood from a bunch of shortbus middle class white kids who are causing THEIR RENT to go up. Guerrillas? Are you kidding? Try TUG TACTICS…such as burning down Synagogues and carting people off to camps. I used to live in Portland so I’m aware of the fact that whereas most places will be sarcastic about a word like hipster, YOU GUYS actually take it very seriously and as a matter of pride. “Keep Portland Weird”? More like “Keep Portland Anti-Semitic”
Also, that video is absolutely insane. They seem to be sending a message that that neighborhood BELONGS to them whether the Jews like it or not. UMMM, guys, do I really need to point out how idiotic you’re making yourselves look?
I’m glanced through other blogs about this topic and sure enough they all side with the hepstards, comparing them to Che Guevera Freedom Fighters and actually comparing the whole situation to the Howard Beach situation. UMMM, yea, so hipsters are now an oppressed ethnic minority. Ummm, no. Hipsters are scrawny, ritalin popping tards that NEED to be bitch-slapped. End of argument. You people need to calm down and realize how stupid you’re making yourselves look.
AND ANOTHER THING, how exactly do you define that word you used: FUNDAMENTALIST? Forget about religious, what exactly are the characteristics of fundamentalism? What tactics do they use? Sounds to me like you douche bags need to stop being Fonzie Fundamentalists….
Some things never change:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/747/was-hip-hip-hurrah-originally-an-anti-semitic-taunt
“Bike lanes, even if they are used to traffic hipsters into the city, trump religious fundamentalism every time.”
Hahahahahah, thats one of the funniest things I’ve ever read. 5,000 years of traditions and surviving countless pogroms is like totally less important than this seasons trend. You guys are reeeeeeeal smart, aren’t cha?