The Lines Are Your Friend

In the words of my husband, "See, this is what happens when you venture out into the world of other people. You find a bunch of morons."

I don't want to start off the the new year dwelling on the inadequacies of human nature, but sometimes you just have to stop and marvel. In clicking randomly from link to link this afternoon, I somehow stumbled onto a message board full of runners engaging in a spirited debate about — not making this up — whether on not runners should wear iPods in races.

It's good to have something to be passionate about. I think.

The case against iPods contained three main arguments. First, they ostensibly cause an insurance liability for the event coordinators because iPod wearers, in a fit of AC/DC-induced obliviousness, may inadvertently wander in front of a big rig. Um, isn't in my own fault if I walk in front of a moving vehicle? Also, I guess I'm at a loss as to why it's a bad thing when an adult dumb enough to dart out in front of oncoming traffic suffers the predictable consequence, so I moved immediately onto the next argument.

The second objection to iPods (and I'm barely paraphrasing here) was that if you can't run without music then you're not a real runner, you're just a "weekend warrior." Golly, if Joe "Lance Armstrong" Smith doesn't think I'm a real athlete, I don't think I'll have the strength to go out in public ever again.

The third argument was even better than the other two, if you can imagine that. In short, "Why can't you people just follow the rules??? If you don't like the rules, don't sign up!" Yeah, well, if you don't like being around people who lack your inexplicable need to always do what you're told, why don't you sit this one out?

That last argument was the one that sent me scrambling for my soapbox. Assertions to the effect of "if you don't like something about an organization don't participate" (often seen in its "well maybe you should just move to another country" form) irk me greatly. We don't live in a dictatorship; we are well within our rights to attempt to changes rules we don't like, and conscientiously refusing to obey rules is a time-honored form of resistance. Ask Gandhi.

In my experience, a rule exists for one reason — to benefit the person/s who made it. I should know; I'm a teacher. I really don't understand the personality type that seems to genuinely believe rules should be followed simply because they exist. There's nothing inherently right or just about any particular rule; these codes merely reflect the desires of those within a particular community or political entity who possess the power to have their desires reified as law. Travel through history and/or geography and you'll infinite, conflicting rules. Things which are expected in one culture give offense in another.

There are only two reasons to follow a rule: either because you agree with it, or because the penalty for not following the rule is greater than the inconvenience you suffer through obedience. I generally follow the rules of my society, as often for the second reason as the first. I stop at red lights largely because the stoplight system is a good way to prevent accidents, but also because I don't want to get a ticket for a California rolling stop while turning right. But if I do roll through a red light at one in the morning when no one is around, I really don't think anyone suffers, and I certainly don't think I'm throwing the world into disarray by using my own judgment in formulating my actions rather than doing what I'm supposed to do just because I'm supposed to do it.

At any rate, the case for allowing iPods was a bit simpler — quit being a goose-stepping little busy-body and run your own damn race.