Thursday, December 18, 2008

Raising the Stakes: The Contest Continues

("Seal Chillin' Wednesday Style," by Erik K)

As I mentioned yesterday, I like when people pay attention to my blog. And when it comes to attention, there's nobody who pays more of it to my blog than the Opinionated Cyclist. Beloved by some, reviled by others, and ignored by all but a few, the OC is in a constant state of evolution. Having re-invented himself as a lip-sync act, he's no longer especially opinionated, nor does he really discuss cycling anymore. In that sense, he's outgrown his moniker, much in the way bands like Sonic Youth and Metallica have. (Sonic Youth haven't been "youthful" since the 80s, and Metallica haven't been "metal" since before Glenn Danzig autographed my ticket stub.) But this only makes the OC more compelling and enigmatic, as I'm sure you'll agree should you choose to watch this video, in which he performs Poison's "Unskinny Bop:"

It's worth pointing out that the OC's lack of celebrity is merely an accident of context and geography. If he were to relocate to Williamsburg, Brooklyn he'd become famous almost overnight. After all, he's slight of build, he makes lo-fi movies of himself, he rides an old crappy 10-speed, and he's obsessed with the worst cultural detritus of the 1980s. These are qualities that are highly prized among the hipsterim, and I have no doubt that he'd be hosting a monthly film festival, fronting a Britny Fox cover band, and on the cover New York Magazine within six months of signing the lease on his apartment in Bushwick East Williamsburg.

Moving on, I have some good news and some bad news with regard to The Great BSNYC/RTMS Fyxomatosis Photo Parody Contest (presented by the Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club). The bad news is that the Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club has withdrawn its support as a fictional presenting sponsor. As such, I've been forced to begin the hunt for new pretend support, and am currently in make-believe talks with Boston Whaler Boats--The Unsinkable Legend.

The good news is that the winner of The Great BSNYC/RTMS Fyxomatosis Photo Parody Contest (tentatively and fictionally presented by Boston Whaler Boats--The Unsinkable Legend) may receive yet another prize. That's right, in addition to:


The pie plate (but not the cravat);


The beer cozy and elk's tooth fun pack (courtesy of Stevil "Stevil" Kinevil of HTATBL and GWCTOH);

And the smock (if you want it);


...you may also receive a Fyxomatosis chainring, courtesy of Fyxomatosis!

Yep you read that right. (Or, if you can't read, whoever's reading this out loud to you read right.) The very bounty that Fyxomatosis put on my head can now be yours for parodying them! I don't know how it happened, but somehow this contest has collapsed under the weight of its own irony. All I do know is that Andy of Fyxomatosis is indeed serious. (He must like attention too.) I also know that the chainring is available in 130 and 144bcd (but not 135bcd, despite saying "brev" on it like a Campy ring does), that Andy is offering it completely of his own volition, and that it is perhaps the finest website-themed chainring money can buy--at least until I "drop" my own BSNYC/RTMS chainring, the "Vadrivetrain Dentata." (Ultra-rare 132bcd size only, choice of "raw" or "shaven" finish.)

At any rate, not only is this contest collapsing under the weight of its own irony, but I'm also collapsing under the stress of running a contest. (Frankly, I don't know how Fat Cyclist does it. And his contests are sincere to boot!) As such, I'm going to set a firm date for the contest's conclusion, and that date is very soon-ish. In the meantime, here are some more entries, which continue to come in from around the world:


This photo comes from none other than esteemed commenter Leroy, and is one in a touching series featuring a somewhat naive, Billy Mumphry-esque trainer making its way around New York City. Here we find it in Times Square. It's become very fashionable to speak negatively of the new Times Square, which since the Giuliani days has become "Disneyfied." Personally, I don't understand this. The only thing New York City lost when Times Square got cleaned up was yet another place to masturbate publicly, and there are still plenty of crappy areas in the five boroughs--trust me on that one. Then again, the old Times Square would have made an ideal backdrop for this photo, since it would have been easy to imagine the trainer getting pick-pocketed, or hustled by a con man, or being forced to spend the night in an X-rated movie theater due to lack of funds. Maybe the trainer would even be forced to turn tricks. I can see it taking a few bucks from a desperate roadie for some quick intervals in an alleyway or something. (In that case, the roadie would be more of a "Fred" than a "John.")


Speaking of hustling, here's another compelling shot from another reader. Note the secure locking job. This one's also part of a series:

As you can see, it's a series that goes horribly awry.

Moving from hams to gams, this photo is part of yet another sultry series called "Training to be a Fyxo Model:"

"Fresh Hot Cakes" indeed. Wisely, our model is training on a cyclocross bike before moving on to a track bike. Not only is this a smart bike choice for foul weather (it is winter after all), but the chainline shot is also a crucial one in track bike porn so it's a good idea to practice staring down one on a geared bike first. That way, you can vary the chainline to find your sexiest angle.

Here's another tasty dish, all the way from Italy:

Pros: wide-range cassette and quick-release seatpost clamp are decidedly un-tracky.
Cons: whole thing not slathered in marinara sauce.

Finally, here's a boudoir shot all the way from Romania:

The under-the-saddle shot is the up-the-skirt shot of bike porn.

However, when it comes to perversity, it doesn't get much more perverse than using a Chris King headset on a scooter:

This photo, forwarded by a reader, isn't even a submission for the Fyxomatosis contest, but if it were it would certainly be a contender for the grand prize. Certainly it's not uncommon to see bicycles on which one component is worth more than the rest of the bike. However, this is something else entirely. I'd actually like a wider shot of the room; I'm guessing he may also be using a King headset for his threadless doorknob setup.

Or maybe it does get more perverse. Another reader has sent me this:


I'm not sure what's going on here, but it appears to be some sort of amphibious 70s porno sex recumbent. I think this may have been a "collabo" between PPV and Boston Whaler. I'm not sure what's under that fairing, but I'm guessing it's not wearing pants.

132 comments:

Anonymous said...

HOLY SHIT, NO WAY!! 1ST!!!!

Anonymous said...

AND 2nd!!

Anonymous said...

AND NOW 3RD!!! Woo HOo!!! The whole podium!

Anonymous said...

I need to lose some weight. :(

Pulverized Concepts said...

It's warming up but there's still a Spandex shortage in Minneapolis.

Anonymous said...

I have a friend or "pal" that has a PPV in his backyard. No word yet if it is unsinkable.

Matt said...

Finished better than any race I entered last year.

Anonymous said...

this just in: BSNYC arrested for public indecency at an undisclosed location in the five boroughs.

murphini said...

now?

Anonymous said...

TOP 10!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

meh.

Anonymous said...

"It was an anti-doping control! I swear!"

Critical Ass said...

Last time I watched an OC video at home (just a rant, no singing, dancing or air drums)my 3-year-old daughter was looking on. After watching for about 30 seconds, she blurted out "Daddy, I HATE that guy. I wanna watch Hello Kitty".

About that time, I figured the video would be a good visual aid for the "Stranger Danger" lecture.

Anonymous said...

lucky numbah 13!

Daddo said...

no plea to lay off "The Truth Hurts"?

interesting

Anonymous said...

I thought I was in the money with a top ten only to be overtaken by a fast charging pack. This winter pass-time eerily mimics my racing career...

Anonymous said...

"It's warming up but there's still a Spandex shortage in Minneapolis."

no doubt about that, Flanders and Smithers heisted 'em all for 'cross season.

oooh top 20?

Anonymous said...

I just had a revelation.
OC == BSNYC
All is clear and the illuminati facade dissolves like the jarring twist at the end of an M Night Shamalyan movie.

To quote Neo, "Woah."

Anonymous said...

Top 20!!! Yee haaaaaa

Critical Ass said...

Agreed...in the right hipster neighborhood the OC would quickly become a celebrity and finally get the "fans" he has been longing for. Wesley Willis, Daniel Johnston, and Mikey Wild come to mind. I guess the OC just needs the right "handlers". Any volunteers?

ant1 said...

ant1st!

Bandobras said...

What a great vehicle. I'm thinking of trading in my 1966 ford falcon for that hot trike and then going out to find the ladies.

grog said...

If you like something to collapse under the weight of its own irony, then say it multiple times.

Surly Bastard said...

Hope I can get my contest submission in before the "soonish" deadline.

Anonymous said...

Do they hand out cycling blogs authored by abrasive, self-righteous hipsters once you move to NYC?

Doug V said...

what would the trainer offer for trix and what's the price?

Anonymous said...

Hurry up with those submissions! At some point soon, bikesnob is going to announce the date on which he will tell us when the contest will conclude.

samh said...

Perhaps Fyxomatosis should enter one of their own photos. That would truly be ironic.

Anonymous said...

no, that wouldn't be ironic. damn, as if alannis morrisette misusing the word wasn't bad enough

Anonymous said...

Ewwww, no pantalones. maybe there is a little bit of old Times Square left in that 'bent. I never liked Boston Whalers. Too much Fofonv

Surly Bastard said...

Anon 1:54:

Snobby did announce the precise date and time of the drop-dead deadline.

It's soonish!

Get a move on!

Anonymous said...

Woot! woot.

Anonymous said...

I saw my first tall-bike in Tulsa, OK. It was a large black monstrosity beckoning the inclusion of central/mid-west style in the cycling milieu.

P.S. winter starts on Dec. 21st.

Just sayin'.,.,.,

hillbilly said...

i saw the OC screen with POISON on it and was really hoping he was singing along with Bel Biv Devoe. DISAPPOINTED!

Sprocketboy said...

Is the girl training on the crossbike wearing a cheerleader's outfit? With flowers in her lap? Seems to be several fantasies coming together here...

Anonymous said...

dopey-pedaler:

Yes, yes they do. Just like they hand out "How To Be Bland" pamphlets to all Midwesterners (I used to be one too).

Welcome to Thunderdome bwha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!

I'm in a weird mood today.

moonshiner said...

spandex unda da pants

bikesgonewild said...

...'i saw the OC screen with POISON on it and was really hoping he'-'d taken some....'DISAPPOINTED!' 'cuz i woulda watched that...

ant1 said...

bgw - took me a second to see what you were doing there. Good one sir.

hillbilly said...

that was running neck and neck with singing along with Bel Biv Devoe in my book, wasn't sure which i wanted more.

Anonymous said...

That PPV was awesome, it was an acronym for the Playboy Porking Vehicle. The device was created at the height of the oil crisis in the 70s, when the prospect of public sex in a car was just too expensive, and gas lineups were a major turn off.

Coupled with Mr. Microphone, one could cruise for easy sex with skanks without fear of running out of gas.

Somehow, the text of that PPV ad got removed or lost:
" hey baby, do you want to have free, uninhibited, no-strings, sex?"
" sure man, and we don't need condoms,HIV won't be around for another 8 years."

The PPV was sold by RONCO.

Anonymous said...

"....Just like they hand out "How To Be Bland" pamphlets to all Midwesterners (I used to be one too).

....So says the person named "John"

Jim said...

It's become very fashionable to speak negatively of the new Times Square, which since the Giuliani days has become "Disneyfied."

Yeah, I miss the days where you could go to Times Square, catch a porno, get raped as you left the theater then get mugged and murdered as you tried to stagger away to the Hospital, while a couple demoralized, lackadaisical cops hung out smoking weed, chatting with hookers and taking action on exactly when you'd finish bleeding out. The new Times Square is so... clean and inauthentic.

I HATE YOU RUDY GIULIANI YOU BASTARD! YOU WRECKED TIMES SQUARE!!!!! JERK!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Jim...good times...good times...

Anonymous said...

oh, and the mouse ears on the hookers _are_ cute.

Anonymous said...

Is there some (ironic?) reason for that CX bike to have a double crank but no front derailleur? Is it a deliberate attempt to collapse under the combined ironic weight of V-brakes, rotorless centerlock splines and lumpy bar tape?



No, I wasn't primarily zooming in on the bike...

bikesgonewild said...

...i tell ya, guys...on a' these days oc will be headline news & for all the wrong reasons...

bikesgonewild said...

...whoops..."e"...i forgot the "e" on one...

...& 'on one' is an english bike company, as you all know...

Anonymous said...

my x had a board that collapsed under the wait of its own ironing

thats why i gots rid of the bitch if she wasnt going to press my tshirts real good

Anonymous said...

Podium!!















Kick ass!

Anonymous said...

sprocket boy, don't read into the outfit of the hipster cross girl too much. I think she's wearing a generic fanciful hipster costume, typically unthematic, without coherent motifs, pure caprice and nothing more, yet oddly enough, highly selfconscious.

Anonymous said...

Hey BS, are you trying to lull unsuspecting readers into thinking they have an extra day to bone up for the inevitable Friday fun Quiz? The BLOG date suggests that today is Wednesday today... not a big deal, but I almost put on the wrong smock.

Anonymous said...

dopey-pedaler:

touché. told you I was from there.

Anonymous said...

http://sandiway.blogspot.com/

BikeSnobNYC said...

Dingle,

Oops! Thanks for pointing that out. No subterfuge intended.

--BSNYC

leroy said...

Billy Mumphry-esque?

(Sigh.)

We artists are so misunderstood.

The Times Square shots were obviously an homage to Midnight Cowboy Joe Buck, demonstrating that NYC is still the film noir cross roads of the world.

"I'm spinning here! I'm spinning here!"

Maybe it helps if you view the series with appropriate background music.

http://tinyurl.com/4hr4bx

By the way, that's great that Fyxomatosis has upped the ante.

Do they make a compact model of that chain ring?

Anonymous said...

...i tell ya, guys...on a' these days oc will be headline news & for all the wrong reasons...

The new governor of Illinois?

bikesgonewild said...

..."ya know, people, as yer new governor, people, i'd just like to say, people, that it's an honor representing you people, people"...

...nah...doesn't have the "literary denouement" of the over repetitive "bikesnob, bikesnob, bikesnob"...

...cross governor off the list...

Anonymous said...

bike snob you're a genius comedic writer, but why don't you sell a bike snob t shirt for me to rock all day every day??

Anonymous said...

I'd rock one! (I'd run one too, if I raced and you made a BSNYC singlet.)

Bluenoser said...

Has anyone here noticed that bgw has put a great old-timey pic up. I had shoes like that once.

Also I look after three of those Outrage Boston Whaler bastards. I must have something in the boatsheds to put up for a prize Snobie.

-B

bk jimmy said...

Wade,

You got the general idea right, but she's not wearing caprice, which are those warm-weather calf-length pants.

Anonymous said...

Is it ironic that Anonymous@2:19 PM misjudges samh's valid application of the term ironic while in the same breath properly criticizes Alanis Morrisette's misapplication of the term? Or is is just confusion?

Matthew Ruscigno said...

From The Guardian.

Taking its name from the Greek eironeia (dissimulation), irony consists of purporting a meaning of an utterance or a situation that is different, often opposite, to the literal one.
-Maike Oergel, Encyclopaedia Of German Literature

Irony is a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.
-The New Oxford English Dictionary

Anonymous said...

I left my job at the cleaners because it was too irony. Bwah ha ha...

Anonymous said...

irony 2. fig. A condition of affairs or events of a character opposite to what was, or might naturally be, expected; a contradictory outcome of events as if in mockery of the promise and fitness of things.

no, to enter your own contest is not ironic, perhaps if he won his own chainring by winning snob's contest, but merely entering your own contest has absolutely nothing to do with irony

Anonymous said...

it would be ironic if i had "misjudged", if i were wrong....but i'm not

Anonymous said...

irony (easy definition): intended and actual outcome of an event are opposites.

So since the intention of entering a contest is to win it, losing is ironic. So most racers here are ironic riders, but folks who just get out to spin their wheels and have some fun are not, unless they have a non-fun bike experience.

bk jimmy said...

It would be unexpected, and consequently a little amusing, if the Fyxomatosis guy entered a contest mocking his own contest.

Maybe not great irony, but some irony nonetheless.

Anonymous said...

unexpected does not equal ironic, missing a comic/absurdist element. george bush making a good decision is not ironic, and neither is rain on your wedding day or entering a contest people don't expect you to.

Anonymous said...

Silly, irony is what a triathlete gets after doing an ironman, followed by the ironfoot. But the ironbutt comes first.

hillbilly said...

speaking of irony, maybe access a ride would sponsor the contest?

Mongo Pusher said...

When I was a kid, I had a 13ft Boston Whaler with a 25hp Evinrude...It was sweet!

Anonymous said...

@ 5:19

The twist here is that the Fyxo guy would be joining in on something that was originally meant to make fun of him. Good enough for me.

Anonymous said...

Kind of amazing how many people don't understand irony, even when presented with the definition.

Anonymous said...

first of all, winning wasn't specified when i said it was not ironic. submitting one of their own photos still strikes me as unironic, they are both bike-related sites after all....

Anonymous said...

Irony? The Boston Whaler boats BSNYC chose as his sponsor go by the model name "Outrage."

Unknown said...

Oc says "Bike Snop" 42 times in two and a half minutes. I counted.

Bluenoser said...

If you had to look after one you would call it an an Outrage also.

-B

I'll check the shed for a BW prize tomorrow Snob.

-B

Anonymous said...

I think the london langster that was not locked very well is its own security device. I mean think about it, you saw it locked like that, stood there long enough to take a picture of it, then walked away with out taking it right? London edition langster, the unstealable bike!

Anonymous said...

besides, it is in the later stages of hipster cysts anyway. probably has about a month of riding left in it.

sprider said...

bk jimmy, "You got the general idea right, but she's not wearing caprice, which are those warm-weather calf-length pants."

Those warm-weather pants are "capris". Unless you meant "caprice" in an irreverent, unintentional ironic way.

BGW, nice avatar, kind of scary, just sayin...

Anonymous said...

Irony? I just saw a TV commercial for the new Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Rub-your-nose-in-it size and luxury combined with excellent fuel economy. Brilliant! Saving the planet, one Escalade at a time.

theBeatnik said...

I'm voting for the up-saddle pic to win the contest, hands (or hand-lebars) down. Oh man, I made a pun, I've been waiting for weeks to use that line!

Anonymous said...

Snobby

"he's obsessed with the worst cultural detritus of the 1980s"

I think 80's jetsam and flotsam would be a more apt description.

Words are important, as you know.

How about sweetening the pot with a Rapha Bonk Bag. The cravat is so yesterday. It's all about being hip isn't it?

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous 5:19 PM
"Unexpected does not equal ironic...neither is...entering a contest people don't expect you to."

While I agree with all your points individually, you have misunderstood the source of irony in the hypothetical scenario wherein Fixomytosis enters Snob's contest. As you correctly point out, it is not ironic because it is unexpected. Rather, it is ironic because Snob's contest mocks the Fixomytosis aesthetic. Hence, if Fixomytosis were to submit its usual pictorial fare as an entry into the contest, it would not only be unexpected, but also absurd and incongruous, with a dash of cheekiness thrown in as well. That is to say 'ironic.'

Anonymous said...

I really want to win this contest!!!
Here is the link to them:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ani.rayaflores/UntitledAlbum?feat=directlink

Anonymous said...

Liked the OC more during his Kenny Rogers phase, more genuine, more heart felt, more soul and he really nailed the sentiment. But I think he needs his equivalent of Dolly Parton to complete him... I'd pay to watch that duo

Anonymous said...

2nd Anon 5:56 pm

The word you are not grasping is "nuance."

Anonymous said...

Definitely an ironic contest, but I'm beginning to think that the OC is the BSNYC (Used to think it might be the Fat Cyclist, but I met him [well, now that I think about it, I think I met him...])?

Oh, forgot--90th!!!!! Can't believe it! Whoot woo! Whoot woo!

Anonymous said...

it is not absurd at all to enter (knowingly) a contest that mocks you. i think we all learned in middle school that the ability to laugh at yourself is the way to not get your ass kicked.

Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or when the Fyxamatosis comp got "dropped", wasn´t rhe Rapha cravat the major prize, with the pie-plate just the cherry on top?
This is shamefull double-dealing on the part of the Snob.
Re-instate the Rapha neck wrappings in the prize pot or declare thyself a bounder and a liar!!!!

bikesgonewild said...

...sprider...i look at that foto now & think "wow...i was 'bikesgonewild' 35 years before there was a need for 'bikesgonewild' "...

...either unintentionally prescient or the cosmos is pulling my leg...as we said back in the early ' 70's "it's like karma, man...far out !!!"...

Anonymous said...

There is a very important work which needs to see the light of day. Prepare to be enlightened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sRKP6Ippc8&feature=related

Anonymous said...

Late to the party--kept changing my mind about what to wear.

Trawler, sweetie, speaking of 80's jetsam and flotsam, I would love to be the Tawny to your David. 'Cept it might take me a minute to crawl up on the hood of your truck in a pair of stilettos.

Anonymous said...

Frilly

Hood??

Get IN the truck!

Anonymous said...

When I was little, our next door neighbor had one of those pedal powered vehicles in his garage.

I found it strange, even at age four.

Anonymous said...

where's woogie?

Anonymous said...

woogie! woogie! woogie!


where is he?

is he on yet?

ant1 said...

ant100th?

Anonymous said...

Also the Rapha Wank Bag - also with two silicone bananas.

You can substitute cucumbers (the really long English hothouse ones), and still have room for alcohol wipes, lubricant, and absorbent cloth or small packet of baby wipes, and there's an internal pocket for a copy of Mayfair or Zipper or perhaps a sploshing special issue (or A4 pads).

The Bonk Bag has a condom pocket and silicone bananas (as shown) and is padded, and has a zippered outer pocket for Rohypnol and Viagra/Cialis.

Well worth the $50.00 retail price.

Anonymous said...

naughtywater:

go back to the original contest post and see that the cravat was never a prize.

John:

please choose another name, we already have one here, albeit a very bland one.

Anonymous said...

If this things a rockin'...

I think you know what comes next.

Mmmm, bananas.

Unknown said...

What the HELL is up with that Opinionated Cyclist? Dude, (Bike Snob that is)... I think he's OBSESSED with you. I *tried* to watch that "Unskinny Bop" video, and it's like he has to mention your name 2-3 times in a sentence!! That is flat out scary!!

Did you hear about the obsessed fan of Paula Abdul who killed herself recently? This dude sounds exactly like that... OBSESSED with you, and if your identity ever gets exposed, he's gonna be showing up at your doorstep everyday. I hope you're familiar with filing restraining orders, cuz this dude is gonna be all ABOUT THAT.

Hey OP... don't wait until Bike Snob's identity gets exposed and then kill yourself on his doorstep. Just go ahead and do it now, cuz you are a damn FREAK. Get your own life, and leave Bike Snob alone. Jackass.

Anonymous said...

PPV = Pedaled Pimping Vehicle

Anonymous said...

woogie, woogie!!!

Anonymous said...

yeah!!! allrgiht!!! right on!!!!

Anonymous said...

This podium shit is like taking part in the Special Olympics.

Even if you win, you're still a retard.

ant1 said...

what's sadder - being an oblivious retard having a good time taking part some competition or being a normally functioning person who feels he has to make fun of the retards to make himself feel better/occupy his time.

Anonymous said...

antWerp, you're the only bumhead left defending your silly game - over and over. It's like you're waiting for someone to knock on your schtick, just so you can blab some teenage twaddle we all last heard on the playground.

Oh, and remember: I'm rubber, you're glue. Everything you say bounces of me and sticks to you!

"Pwned!"

Now, back to bikes. You do have one, right?

Whichever way you answer that last one will prove that you do take the time out to whine online. "Lolz!"

"Zort!" ad infinitum...

ant1 said...

I don't whine online, I defend myself against insults online, slight difference. On top of that, I try not to be too insulting (or use any teenage twaddle), I just respond to the attacks using a little logic, and sometimes a little humour. You refer to the podium race as a silly game, I agree on that point, it's a silly game some people like to play. How would you define the constant attacks against those of us who enjoy the silly game? Intelligent, fruitfull, original, non-whiny?
Yeah, I've got a few bikes, what does that prove?

Anonymous said...

You said it Ant1!!! Woot!

Surly Bastard said...

Podium!

Wait this is yesterday's post.

Last!

Luck E. 7 said...

There it is...

Back of the Bus is the new ITOTM.


A

hillbilly said...

ant1st! hell yeah! i wonder to what we can attribute the recent spike in douchery? makes me wanna go occupy the New School

Critical Ass said...

Teenage twaddle??? In most states, you can go to jail for that.

hillbilly said...

i did twaddle often and with great voracity as a teen

Anonymous said...

it is not absurd at all to enter (knowingly) a contest that mocks you. i think we all learned in middle school that the ability to laugh at yourself is the way to not get your ass kicked.

Where are you getting all these rules? Having a valid reason for doing something doesn't preclude irony: situations are multifaceted and at times paradoxical.

Some people can take a joke. But many people are irritated or offended by things that mock them. Hence some people find it surprising when a particular mockee can turn around and laugh at him/herself.

Just because you personally are not surprised by the situation in question doesn't nobody else is. Opinion is one thing, but making sweeping statements about subjective things (e.g. declaring forcefully that something is ironic or not) requires insight into other people's perceptions.

Otherwise it's like saying, "I don't find Seinfeld funny; therefore it is not a funny show."

I mean, really.

Anonymous said...

pesky thing those rules, otherwise known as DEFINITIONS

Anonymous said...

This is part of the definition of "irony"?

it is not absurd at all to enter (knowingly) a contest that mocks you

Anonymous said...

so you do find that absurd, eh? look, i relented long ago and said i could be wrong about this, etc, etc. i don't think it is analagous to whether seinfeld is funny, which it is, and if you want irony, check out Kramer's Peterman pants story

Anonymous said...

i think it is missing a component to make it ironic. i think if you approached random people and said, 'yeah, so this guy is entering a contest that was started to mock him', most wouldn't find that ironic, it's purposeful, blah,blah...now if he were to win and his photo featured a pic of snobbie or something....

bikesgonewild said...

...the lofty pinnacle of irony has been firmly scaled in that there is so much assumptive 'twaddle' written here about the definition of irony...
...(btw, nice word that...twaddle)...

...bsnyc/rtms scores again & it has nothing to do about 'contests'...

Anonymous said...

1:39

I agree that when you remove something from its context and strip away the detail it will lose it's comedic & ironic value. But comedy and irony are ALL ABOUT the details.

LK said...

Ohh, the PPV. I lost my virginity in one. Hmmmmm.

Anonymous said...

BS:

i would try and tone down the egging on/acknowledgment of opinionated cyclist. the guy has serious issues that could be exacerbated by your dialogue...

Anonymous said...

you see this is exactly why we will NEVER find out bike snob's identity. cause were OC to find out...

Anonymous said...

if you saw your bike in thirds will it still float?

Anonymous said...

if you look at some of the other ronaldo pictures he's sporting a black pie plate.

Anonymous said...

hey i sold you that lockring and cog at chari, sorry we didnt have any dura ace 16thcog for you

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

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