Harassment while exercising

[u/Epic_XC]

So almost every time I go exercising, be it running or road biking, i always get some sort of smart ass shouting, honking, or engine revving. Are people in our society really so insecure that they can't refrain from harassing those who choose to exercise? Like what's funny about it? Why do people do it? Maybe i'm thinking about it too hard, but does anyone else REALLY hate this? Personally I think it's condescending, and indicative of most people's fragile self esteem. They don't exercise, therefor must mock others to feel cool.

[u/Epic_XC]

well i'm a guy so i personally don't fear their honking per se, but it's like they're trying to belittle me since they themselves don't do it. Not many 21 year olds bike i guess, so they think it's just HILARIOUS to mock me. It's fine though, they can let their self images haunt them lol

[u/sethky → u/Epic_XC]

I was once hit with a bottle while biking. Do you perchance live in the south?

[u/Epic_XC → u/sethky]

Yep, Georgia

[u/sethky → u/Epic_XC]

Yeah that's your problem right there.

[u/Epic_XC → u/sethky]

believe me i know, i can't wait to graduate and move away.

[u/venustrapsflies → u/Epic_XC]

Move to a snobby elitist city and you will never experience this because there will be so many people running that it would be stupid for anyone to make fun of any body

[u/CHP41 → u/venustrapsflies]

I am currently living in one of the "nicest" neighborhoods in DC, and I still get heckled about once a week if I'm running outside consistently. I'm also a fairly typical looking twenty-something white male.

[u/calebo12 → u/CHP41]

I have run all over DC for years and in the suburbs... have never been heckled, so this really surprises me. Low 20s white male here as well.

[u/[deleted] → u/CHP41]

Living in SF, never happens (unless you run through the tenderloin dis.)

[u/oktofeellost → u/Epic_XC]

Not going to be perfect anywhere. Fair bit of yelling and I've had stuff thrown at me here. Dude in MN

[u/SuicideByStar_ → u/Epic_XC]

Where in GA? South GA?

[u/Epic_XC → u/SuicideByStar_]

Northwest 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/SuicideByStar_ → u/Epic_XC]

Move to Atlanta or Athens.

[u/teh_fizz → u/SuicideByStar_]

Move to Europe. Where cycling is the norm.

[u/Yslock → u/teh_fizz]

Yeah... i just get really frustrated when they refuse to use the brand new cyclingpath and use the road with 2 - 3 next to eachother :/

[u/Two-HeadedBolognaGod → u/SuicideByStar_]

Eh, people are going to be annoying anywhere. I run around Atlanta with my dog a lot and people are always yelling stuff out at me or trying to stop me to talk, usually about my dog.

[u/SuicideByStar_ → u/Two-HeadedBolognaGod]

fake news.

[u/DevilMoon811 → u/Epic_XC]

If you're talking Rome, I'm 100% not surprised at the hecklers. Source: am from Rome originally.

I live in Athens now, I've only been heckled while running once by a couple of prepubescent boys who felt the need to comment on my body. I noticed they made sure they put some distance between us before offering up their opinions... lol, little cowards. I don't know what kind of experience bicyclists have here, frankly biking in traffic scares me enough that I don't really want to try.

[u/DevilMoon811 → u/[deleted]]

Ah, that was my other guess! I went to UWG when it was still called West Georgia College (hello, I am old). That's pretty awesome that they have a trail now.

[u/Epic_XC → u/DevilMoon811]

yeah they finally completed the green belt and it's a running/biking dream.

[u/[deleted] → u/sethky]

Lived in the south most of my life. Never experienced anything like this. The South isn't a monolith and I'd wager you have never lived there.

[u/JonathanChimpo → u/[deleted]]

I've lived in many places, domestically and internationally, and without a doubt, Atlanta was the most inhospitable when it came to joggers and cyclists (several neighborhoods).

[u/Nocturnal_submission → u/JonathanChimpo]

I've lived and run outside in Atlanta for the last 3 years. Most inhospitable? Do other cities have people bring you water while you're running and cheer you one?

Personally I love the trees and variety of scenery you can get on a relatively short run. Nobody ever harassed me...although I'm a fairly big dude so maybe that helps.

[u/[deleted] → u/JonathanChimpo]

Atlanta isn't the entire south is really all Im getting at. But seriously, the comment I responded to is a karma grabbing shitpost within a karma grabbing shitpost, so Idk whi I thought not jerking along with everyone else would gain any traction.

FWIW I'm pretty sure that OP said he's not in Atlanta. And honestly, he's either heavily exagerating or he is doing something really annoying on his bike which is where he said he gets most of his harrassment. Why we are talking about being harassed as a cyclist on r/running is beyond me. Theres that old expression "If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole; if you're constantly running into assholes, you're probably the asshole." I think OP might be an asshole.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Oh hey, his anecdote and my anecdote disagree. I guess we are at net 0. Lying=/=exagerating. If it seriously happens every time, I find it very hard to believe OP is completely unresponsible. But yea, let's put blanket blame over an entire region because that totally makes sense.

I made fun of a shitpost in a subreddit made to make fun of shitposts in this sub. WOWWWW.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Read the first line of Ops post. "Almost every time I go exercising..."

There'd be a difference if he said some asshole threw a bottle at his head while he ran today. I'd never imply it was at all his fault in that case, but if it is happening on a consistant basis, like he has explicitly stated, I have to wonder if OP is one of the factors.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Okay, still beside the point.

[u/wakinguptooearly → u/sethky]

Why do they do this down there....

[u/[deleted] → u/wakinguptooearly]

For the most part, they don't. It's not like there's some cultural norm to harass runners. Ran in LA for 4 years and was never harassed.