Dublins 1st Monthly Bike Carnival

dublin | anti-capitalism | event notice Wednesday July 26, 2006 03:48 by Barry - Critical Mass criticalmassdublin at yahoo dot ie 086 3614554

...last Friday of every month...

On the last Friday of every month there will be a cycle carnival through the city in celebration of a vision of preferable alternatives to destructive car culture and the crushing monotony of contemporary capitalism. We aim to create a free, fun and creative public space while building a strong spirit of community. Bring friends, family, music, costumes and ideas

Meet:
Last Friday every month
6.30pm
Garden of Remembrance
Parnell Square

In recent months Critical Mass in Dublin has declined to the point that it is remarkable to see more than a handful of people gather for the monthly cycle through the city streets.

This is a serious attempt to revitalise, reinvigorate and rebuild an event which was until recently a hub of positive resistance.

Critical Mass was conceived to be a new kind of political space, not specifically about protesting but about celebrating a vision of preferable alternatives, most obviously in this case bicycling over the car culture. Some may conclude that Critical Mass is apolitical either because it eschews demands, lobbying, and policy declarations, or because it is celebratory and fun and not confrontational and aggressive.
However, the promotion of the bicycle as a powerful tool of direct action against any number of negative and destructive aspects of society has been at the core of CM since its inception.
In the simple act of reducing individual dependence on automobiles we can expand our autonomy and help erode the power of centralized hierarchies, and by extension capitalism itself. Indeed, the greatest strengths of CM are its spontaneity and lack of formal leaders, inspiring a sense of self-determination and community which is completely absent from the isolated and regimented gridlock of car culture.
A bicycle is a tool that can be used to free ourselves from a dependency on oil and complicity in a system which utilises war and oppression among other methods to secure its supply.