I Take Issue With That Sir!

First off, thanks to all the awesome folks coming out yesterday and making it a BOOMIN' good time!!  Nearly sold out entirely on adult size bikes and clearly have to build allot more QUICK!  Even the two I did put together (sorry, sold to quick to even get pic's) found good homes FAST!  Also, as always, we appreciate all the trust, good will and fine words from the folks happy we are here!  Gosh, you're making me blush!  And as is always the case, had a flood of re-pairs come in as  well (thanks for the trust) hence why I ended up working late, as had a last minute "I need it for work tomorrow" repair that needed to be done!
Had one phone call that gave me a moments pause, however.  A young gent called looking for a ride.  Seems he unfortunately had his bike recently stolen and needed to replace it.  Seems that due to a tad bit of excessive frivolity he is without a license for an undisclosed period of time.  He went on to express his shame and embarrassment that he "had" to ride a bike, but it was his only option in getting to work on time.  His genuine loathing of his veloisitc transport was quite evident in the venomous way he spoke of the inequity.
It got me pondering (or as my lovely wife would say "gave me reason to sit") What is it about an adult riding a bike that shames some folks.  Now when we see spandex clad grownups with the Rocketeer helmets zooming down the Pinellas trail we don't think shame (all right...maybe with some "silly") but  a guy heading out to work at 5 am to ensure his family eats, that's a reason for scorn and ridicule?  Or if someone should decide they no longer want to be part of polluting our atmosphere, they should stick to the relative seclusion of side streets? 
Man has existed for roughly 200,000 years on this planet (as current science conjecture implies) and he did so for quite sometime without the help from Henry Ford.  The first automobile was invented in 1769.  Granted it was steam, but that counts apparently.  The first bicycle was conceptualized in 1493 by Gian Giacomo Caprotti an underling of da Vinci, but it wasn't until 1817 that Karl von Drais was credited for the first practical use bicycle.  I will however take a leap and say that if they could conceive it on paper, it was probably in limited use somewhere prior to that given the simplicity of it's design and ease of construction.  So with that all in mind what's the big deal.  In most countries around the world the bicycle is an excepted if not preferred mode of transportation.  Whether it be out of necessity or common sense they utilize it as practical part of their life.  And in contrast look at the level of problems inherent in the introduction of the automobile.  China, becoming more upwardly mobile has seen a massive increase in the number of cars on the road.  Guess whats happened to their already over polluted air.  The ease of transporting goods not withstanding, can you really say our quality of life has increased, gotten profoundly better with the advent of the auto? Does arriving to our destination a few minutes early counteract the ill effects associated with internal combustion?   Does spending  25% of your working day, on average in traffic endow you with excessive quality time? The list goes on and on, and Lord knows I keep beating this horse, but Hey, I didn't bring it up! 
In final reflection, given all the evidence at hand, I really think those banging around in auto, oblivious to the world around them and the impact they have on it are the ones who should feel shame and embarrassment.
P.S. This has absolutely nothing to do with todays topic, but Angi sent it to me and I think it's hillarious!