I just remembered this old lady, generation not important because it’s her attitude that’s old, complaining about people walking along the bike path listening to music. She was probably whining to me about me honestly. So the next week I listened to expedition 33 music on my bike because it’s amazing music. I have heard that music coming out of her house and not one complaint about people listening to music on the bike path since, the old bat. Show her what music is.
Of course you survived! The ones that died from traumatic brain damage aren’t around to make stupid comments
And let’s be honest, fewer of us survived than nowadays.
Yeah, not everyone got rocketed out the front window from lying up on the rear deck of our parents’ oldsmobile. Not all of us had life altering injuries from jumping bikes off shitty ramps with no protection. Not every one of us ended up in a pedo neighbors basement, But some of us did. Our parents’ apathy to parenting and our own poor judgment skills weren’t lessons to make us better or badges of honor. We survived despite of all that rather than because of it.
I survived because mom made me take judo at like a rather early age, I think I was like around six or seven. But practicing falling down safely. Ukemi.
Ukemi (受け身) refers to the art of safe falling and breakfalls in Japanese martial arts, such as judo and aikido, literally translating to “receiving body”. It is a critical skill for absorbing the impact of throws or takedowns, protecting the head and body, and ensuring training safety.
Like I didn’t even know I had that skill, but since these electric scooters and bikes and whatnot have come super popular and I’ve owned a few myself, I’ve been in way more falls and crashes than I was as a kid. Even somewhat serious ones.
But I never hit my head, and just found myself on the ground slightly winded.
In one I apparently made it sone 3m into the air, I remember seeing a car drive in front of me and then ground-sky-ground-sky-ground-sky. Luckily the dude wanted to call the cops (as he was blaming me for his wannabe tuned bmw got a bit smashed). Cops came and noted how it wasn’t my fault. The other dude had to pay a few hundred euros to me for ribs and whatnot.
Anyway how I’ve survived, literally, is intuitively shielding my head and falling the right way. Without even knowing it. I just realised after like a half a dozen crashes that it can’t be luck.
I should really start wearing a helmet.
But practicing falling down safely. Ukemi.
Ukemi (受け身) refers to the art of safe falling and breakfalls in Japanese martial artsJust as advice, you don’t even need to go to martial arts class to get this; various activities have tutorials on falling “correctly”, even theater! Even if you (the reader) don’t get a formal lesson, let me share the basics :
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Bend your knees when you fall, absorbing the impact
- Roll to transfer the vertical momentum to horizontal momentum
- Curve your back to assist on point 2 (NB : do not do funky things on your back if you are about to smack your back INTO something)
Better yet, have a spotter (someone who is there to make sure you don’t fall off whatever thing you are on).
I learnt the last one from trampolining and indoor climbing.
Oh sure, I’m not saying it’s just judo or martial arts or anything.
My point is that I’m thankful my mom made my 7-year old ass listen to someone who taught falling safely, as I fell quite frequently. And for some 20 years I did not realise just how strong the effect of the conditioning had been. Which was very good.
I’m sure you’d agree that someone just reading the instructions even if they’re perfect, would have a hard time achieving doing them on the first time. That those kind of things, tucking your chin and exhaling on impact, really only become familiar once you’ve drilled them again and again and again and again. I don’t exactly like repetition, and that judo course as a kid is one of the only things I’ve ever repeated before I was like 27. (Nowadays I do rewatch a lot of shows, I didn’t used to do that)
yep, the reply isn’t so much for you, just reminding people that various activities can offer this, and it’s more accessible than one may think.
have they not noticed the average life expectancy has gone… up since then?
It’s the lead. They inhaled too much leaded gasoline fumes and lived during the golden era when a job at the hardware store was enough to afford a 2,500sq/ft house and 4 kids.
Just a helmet is fine and still 99.99% as fun
So you admit that it is less fun…
When I was 7 years old in 1982 I fell off my bike and got a concussion. I was unconscious for a whole day. Not every child survived injuries sustained during those decades. I’m lucky I did.
I have had a concussion as an 11 year old, and have absolutely zero memory of what happened or how. It probably involved my bike, since that was outside when I somehow stumbled back home (which I also don’t remember).
My brain goes from two or three days pre-concussion, to having the absolute worst time with my parents waking me every hour at night for no clear reason and my arm being broken. I think I have some vague delirious memories from that, but none of them make sense, and maybe I inveted them afterwards.
It was not a fun time, and a helmet would have probably prevented that. There’s no permanent damage, i think, but that was extremely lucky.
Ya a whole day pretty bad. You’re lucky you woke up, pretty sure that was a coma. If your out for 20 - 30 mins you pretty much received brain damage.
I was a pretty intelligent kid with all my wits, and that accident happened in the 2nd grade, and I remember in the 4th grade being a wiz at geography lessons, same year my teachers chose me to be the “class president” and in 5th grade was invited to special early morning classes for gifted writers at the high school campus, so I guess my brain remained intact after the 2nd grade concussion. I also remember in 4th grade writing about my “concution” and my teacher talked with me for a minute about it, she was concerned & interested, and told me the correct way to spell “concussion.” 😄 I’m 50 now & still remember so much, so I guess my brain’s alright.
Survivor bias.
Ayup. Ask them about that mate who died as a kid and they go all funny and quiet
Exactly, no one mentions the kids that died from traumatic brain injuries
Knew a guy who came through a nursing home.
Dude was in his 50s. Had an injury at 17. Fucked him for life. Dude was emotionally stunted at like 13. Confined to a chair, horrific tripping hazard when walking. Harassed women at every opportunity. Stuttered. Had a permanent soft spot. Worst part about the women thing is he knew better. You’d call him on it and he’d stop. Ended up talking to him like a dog near the end.
He was a rolling fucking lawsuit. Dunno where behaviorallly he could have lived but not in an assisted living.
I think the family just moved him around to various places until he got kicked out.
… The ones they don’t mention
That seems inconvenient to think about, so im not going to.
And now a lot of the same shit is documented on video a couple of clicks away from where this boomer consumes content. I gave up on seeking morbid shit like an edgy teen a long time ago, but just regular news feed on telegram, reddit and the likes frequently brings up NSFW content. It’s still spring but I remember at least a couple of clips this year of kids playing stupud games to their end I saw on the surface-level internets.
I always bet the old people alive posting this crap also never did it. I think about all the stuff my friends and used to do racing bikes or whatever we could fine that rolled in the alley in our neighborhood and never once think it makes me a better person than kids today. Was driving home late the other night and saw kids in the abandoned pool having a band play, skateboarding and even spinning fire and wish I was doing that then commuting home. The kids are alright.
Survivor bias… they incorrectly believe that because they lived that there was no actual danger. Truly, the selfish and self-absorbed generation. :(
Well ya know I drank really really hard for 40 years, but I didn’t have liver failure.
Guess there’s no consequences for alcoholism! Guess I can keep drinking forever! I am immortal!
And THAT is what I imagine my still alcoholic boomer dad must think daily.
I grew up when drunk driving was legal! I had a van, and was always the designated drunk driver! Cops would stop me and tell me to drive safer in case another cop was arsed to pull me over! Never got busted, and never died!!
Woke snowflakes today, I tell ya’ !
When I was younger, I had my Boomer in-laws decide that I would drive because I had drunk the least—I had drunk plenty. And this just seemed like something normal and I’d just nonchalantly say, “Oh, that makes sense. That’s smart.”
They were upset that I wouldn’t, insisted they would, and got more upset that I ordered a cab.
Fortunately, after they realised they’d lost, they sided with the idea being really stupid and irresponsible, but I think that’s just because they got morally caught out by a 22-year old.
I died every day for the past 30 some-odd years, until woke cancelled my deaths! People were just built stronger back then! Every night, after being an alpha mega-male, I’d force myself into a cocoon of dead organic matter encased in synthetic materials, and then wait to die, and then go to Hell. The next day, I’d come back to life, as though nothing even happened. Lots of us ended and restarted our lives just like this!
Don’t get me wrong, some people didn’t make it. There was a series of documentaries about some of those unlucky few. Most of them, coincidentally, had run-ins with a burn victim who was fond of knives and children. Sadly, that guy who looked like a young Jack Sparrow was an early victim night-death unreturning.
But now, ever since DEI ruined science, everyone keeps trying to tell me that I actually never died! They keep accusing me of being woke, too! I’m not woke! I’m not “open-minded!” In fact, I’m dense as fuck, like a real man!
Nobody who smoked for 70 years ever died young. That’s a fact.
one of my best friends growing up drak heavy for 30 years and then tried to quit but had a Alcohol-related seizures from going cold turkey, fell and broke his neck. But his liver is fine.
he has barely any movement of his upper body but he kicked the bottle, hasnt had a drink since! (Because he cant do it without somone helping him)
I often think of the old man that lost his horse.
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Can’t believe The Onion is nearly a century old.
I always like to point out that they were originally called Generation Me. They were the first generation studied, who were more concerned with self fulfilment, than social responsibility.
they incorrectly believe that because they lived that there was no actual danger.
Also, incorrectly believed that they were the ones on the bicycle.
For every kid doing this right, there were ten that did it wrong and fell over.
For every ten that did it wrong, there were another ten laughing up their sleeves and then… putting on a helmet and pads because they didn’t want to end up in traction (or because their parents were yelling at them to be safe).
It was before my time, but, when my father joined the army to get away from the hell that was home the day he left a boy he went to school with was hit while riding his bike. No helmet, no shit, no protective gear, no breaks. He didnt survive. There were two kids on the bike (17 years old but you get what I mean), we broke all the bones in his legs, barely survived.
Its 100% survivors bias, I know plenty of people my age who were seriously hurt in bicycle accidents too, myself included. I think some of that pain of crashing is fine, its part of learning how to take safety seriously. But somenpeople never learn.
“how did we survive?”
Ask anyone not wearing a helmet that got hit by a car or smacked their head on the concrete after going over their handlebars. Oh, right, you can’t.
This type of person cannot fathom that their singular experience is not representative of everyone else’s experience. Conservatism in a nutshell.
this is why they oppose developing critical thinking in public education. believe what you’re told to believe, do what you’re told to do.
science, facts, evidence all have a liberal bias, therefore the only choice is to support pedophile rapist fascist, because…he hates minorities just like his supporters do
Well, not liberal, but always left of center.
Bingo
All the non-conservative boomers were fucking murdered.
Friend got hit by a car when on bike, went flying, rolled over the car, smacked into the road.
Got up, checked bike first, sighted and started dragging it’s carcass back home.
…but to be honest, dude was kinda indestructible and totally the exemption in every dangerous situaiton.
Ive biked to work for years and only had 2 bad crashes. Both involved slamming hard into pavement at speed, one had me slide into a tree. Both times I hit my shoulder/arm/hip hard and was honestly very dazed, but neither time did I hit my head.
You can shake a bike accident off if you get lucky in how you hit the ground. Mainly if you dont smack your head. Super duper wear a helmet cause that the kind of spill that fucks you.
Worst crash I ever had on a bike was during a commute to work. It was winter and it was dark in the morning, and the bridge over the river had gotten icy. I hit my brake and slid, went straight into the retaining wall on the embankment, headfirst over my handlebars. I’m fucking lucky I was wearing my helmet.
Ended up putting a decorative bandage over the scuff on the helmet shell where I would have split my head open. It looked gnarly. I got a new helmet first thing as soon as I got my next paycheck. Kept it on a shelf for a while.
I got hit by a car while biking without a helmet! Toppled up onto their hood and slid off once they came to a complete stop. Totalled the bike. I just got really fucking lucky and didn’t hit my head. Would not advise.
I was just lazy and didn’t go back up to my apartment once I got down and realized I had forgotten the helmet, because it was “just a short ride to the park”. Never again.
I hit my head on the pavement bicycling drunk while my helmet was sitting on my desk at work. Ask me how fun the two weeks after that concussion was.
Multiple concussions from sports as a kid. It’s great to never know if my memory issues and depression are a result of that or if I was just fucked from the start.
Ask anyone not wearing a helmet that got hit by a car or smacked their head on the concrete after going over their handlebars. Oh, right, you can’t.
I mean, you can. Falling off your bike isn’t universally fatal. Even bad injuries aren’t unrecoverable - especially when you’re young and resilient and you’re body is still growing.
But imagine telling a 12-year-old to take off their helmet and pads and go plow themselves into a tree, because it builds character. Why would anyone voluntarily subject themselves to this? Why would anyone advocate for this?
You’re not building up some kind of robust spirit of mind or body. You’re not growing as a person. You’re just being hazed.
I’ve been hit by cars before on my bicycle. Six times.
You know what it was, every single time? The driver was turning right, and looking for oncoming traffic from the left. I tried to cross, and didn’t know they hadn’t seen me. Ran over my front tire, or just knocked me over.
I’m damn lucky those were all extremely slow speed collisions and they stopped as soon as they heard me scream. But honestly? Fuck cars. I shouldn’t have been forced to cross at the sidewalk to begin with. And they should have been looking for pedestrians anyway.
Boomers aren’t able to see anything beyond themselves. They lack empathy to a degree that’s insane. A Generation of Sociopaths as Bruce Gibeny says.
Before some boomer comments “not me!” (Because everything is about them) just look at the fucking world and the way boomers behave.
They survived with head trauma and voted for trump.
Many didn’t.
That was Gen X. And we have the scars and broken bones and dead friends to prove that it was dangerous. that’s why kids nowadays wear kneepads and helmets.
You’re welcome
TikTok and AI are bad for your brain.
Thank you. I was looking at the cars and thinking this was 1970s.
I did shit as a kid I’d never have let my kid even think about. I should have died several times until my mid 20s.
check out the banana seat and handlebars on that bike. so 70s.
I loved my banana seat. I thought I was the shit when I got one of those really tall flags with the orange pendant to attach to it.
Yeah, those rally flags were pretty popular
I taped firecrackers to my pants to blow holes in them so I could look " Grunge". That’s how fucking dumb i was. Anyways Fuck Gen-X. We suck too. I really can’t stand the Chest-beating i see online by some of us sometimes. I feel like saying, , “shut up, you neglected dipshit!”. But eh what’s the point?
Yeah, we were the generation that did heroin because it was “cool” and then got to enjoy all the ODs and HIV that came with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we were great or anything. I was just pointing out that 70s kids riding on bikes with banana seats weren’t baby boomers.
Why does someone who admits to be full of scars due to their stupidity has to insult random strangers by questioning their intelligence?
Why does someone who admits to be full of scars due to their stupidity has to insult random strangers by questioning their intelligence?
I didn’t “admit” or question anything-- and I can’t help but be amused by the hypocrisy of your own comment
Boink now you’ve edited your first comment trying to not sound like an asshole 👍 but you’re making it even with the second. and dude, I was just asking
just because you’ve framed false accusations as a question doesn’t validate them, and evading your own hypocrisy doesn’t validate that, either. it doesn’t work for Tucker Carlson, and it doesn’t work for you.
and this isn’t Fox News
Not sure what’s up in your head. Idk tucker Carlson and I don’t have fox news here. And lol how do you define hypocrisy?
Then I suggest you spend some time using google instead of trolling random people online.
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Lol first you insult random people and when someone asks you why you run like a crying baby
