We’ve all met these guys who believe they are a tad smarter than the rest and feel the need to go heavy on riders… referring to them as “organ donors.” Such pejorative speech is often met in communities that are not too well educated and in which organ transplants are looked at as something that belongs rather to science fiction movies than to the cold mundane reality.
I’ve happened to receive such “compliments” from a few idiots and I’ve noticed the way they started to feel uneasy when they noticed that my face went grim. The last fellow who mentioned “organ donor” as a pejorative term was, however, luckier than the others, simply because I had the time and the mood to talk to him about this. To my great joy, the fellow seemed to understand how undignifying and stupid his badly-chosen words had been, and I do believe that he will tell the story to others he would meet in similar predicaments.
For starters, those of you who read this editorial and don’t know too many aspects of motorcycling, should understand that most of us riders are well aware of the fact that life on two wheels is a bit more dangerous than driving, and most of us take precautions in the form of riding gear, safety courses, riding in a defensive manner and all.
Of course, there are a lot of fellows who seem to ignore the basics of self-preservation, and they can be found in pretty much any walks of life. Some are truly mindless, and even though I don’t condone with them, I have to admit that this seems to be their choice. Some are even so reckless that they cause horrible accidents and kill or maim themselves and other innocent people. Riding mindlessly and causing such a crash is indeed stupid, equally stupid with the same thing happening to a driver. Still, using this excuse to insult a whole community does not cut it.
It looks like “organ donor” surfaced as a pejorative term to refer to motorcyclists who ride without a helmet. Again, we’re not debating on civil rights and similar issues, statistics are eloquent enough: unhelmeted riders DO die much easier and often in a crash than those wearing head protection, and trying to say this isn’t so is silly. Police reports, coroner reports, medical reports, they all say the same thing, and just because some riders say they’re wrong does not alter reality.
Still, the blame lies with the first chap who thought that using this term in a demeaning manner was cool. Well, it wasn’t then, it isn’t now, and it will never be cool, simply because it associates a potentially (self-)destructive behavior with the very noble and selfless act of helping people even after passing away.
I know this sounds gruesome to many sensible ears, but again, so is life itself at times, even in the absence of accidents. In fact, I believe that most of the patients who require an organ transplant are not involved in accidents but have simply become ill. So… when salvation comes in the shape of a rather unexpected organ that simply “shows up,” how fair is it to mock the donor?
I’d rather say that “organ donor” should be rather used in praise and not in scorn. It’s almost like laughing at those who donate blood, and call them spiteful names… with a twist: their blood regenerates, and they could come back and donate again in several months… whereas the organ donor you looked at in disdain chose to help you even from beyond the definitive border between life and death. Could someone explain to me how this makes him or her a lesser man or woman?
Some of the people I’ve talked to were quick to argue that they were only referring to those who ride like idiots in utter disregard of traffic laws and the safety of other motorists. Even though I know for a fact that this was a lie, I would reply that the choice of words was a most uninspired, and offensive one, no matter what they thought they were thinking.
If you feel like calling an idiot names, then go ahead, call him or her an idiot, a fool, a complete moron, a mindless f***, a criminal, a murderer even… but don’t use “organ donor” as an insult, because this makes you a bloody hypocritical A-hole. I’m pretty sure that when your son or wife receives the cornea or kidney they’ve almost hopelessly been waiting for for months in a row, you’d be happy.
And when the transplant goes well and you learn that the kidney or liver which allows your beloved one to live by your side now comes from a biker, you’d be glad that we carried an organ donor card. In a way, I’d even push things to the limit and say you’d be in a way happy it was him or her to die instead of your kin.
It sounds cold-hearted and unnecessarily evil, doesn’t it? It may be, but once again, it’s only life itself, accompanied by death itself. No need to fear, because what must happen will happen, to whatever end. But until it does, you’d better think twice about using “organ donor” as an insult.
There are many riders who felt weird when they enlisted as organ donors, much weirder than you’d ever believe this could feel. Still, they will be helping someone even in death and it’s not about bravery, it’s about kindness, selflessness and good will. Not all bikers are criminals, and in fact only few are. Compared to the rest of the decent motorcyclists, the law-breakers are a dismal minority, definitely not worth you becoming yet another ignorant biker-basher who thinks using “organ donor” as an insult is cool.
For starters, those of you who read this editorial and don’t know too many aspects of motorcycling, should understand that most of us riders are well aware of the fact that life on two wheels is a bit more dangerous than driving, and most of us take precautions in the form of riding gear, safety courses, riding in a defensive manner and all.
Of course, there are a lot of fellows who seem to ignore the basics of self-preservation, and they can be found in pretty much any walks of life. Some are truly mindless, and even though I don’t condone with them, I have to admit that this seems to be their choice. Some are even so reckless that they cause horrible accidents and kill or maim themselves and other innocent people. Riding mindlessly and causing such a crash is indeed stupid, equally stupid with the same thing happening to a driver. Still, using this excuse to insult a whole community does not cut it.
It looks like “organ donor” surfaced as a pejorative term to refer to motorcyclists who ride without a helmet. Again, we’re not debating on civil rights and similar issues, statistics are eloquent enough: unhelmeted riders DO die much easier and often in a crash than those wearing head protection, and trying to say this isn’t so is silly. Police reports, coroner reports, medical reports, they all say the same thing, and just because some riders say they’re wrong does not alter reality.
Still, the blame lies with the first chap who thought that using this term in a demeaning manner was cool. Well, it wasn’t then, it isn’t now, and it will never be cool, simply because it associates a potentially (self-)destructive behavior with the very noble and selfless act of helping people even after passing away.
I know this sounds gruesome to many sensible ears, but again, so is life itself at times, even in the absence of accidents. In fact, I believe that most of the patients who require an organ transplant are not involved in accidents but have simply become ill. So… when salvation comes in the shape of a rather unexpected organ that simply “shows up,” how fair is it to mock the donor?
I’d rather say that “organ donor” should be rather used in praise and not in scorn. It’s almost like laughing at those who donate blood, and call them spiteful names… with a twist: their blood regenerates, and they could come back and donate again in several months… whereas the organ donor you looked at in disdain chose to help you even from beyond the definitive border between life and death. Could someone explain to me how this makes him or her a lesser man or woman?
Some of the people I’ve talked to were quick to argue that they were only referring to those who ride like idiots in utter disregard of traffic laws and the safety of other motorists. Even though I know for a fact that this was a lie, I would reply that the choice of words was a most uninspired, and offensive one, no matter what they thought they were thinking.
If you feel like calling an idiot names, then go ahead, call him or her an idiot, a fool, a complete moron, a mindless f***, a criminal, a murderer even… but don’t use “organ donor” as an insult, because this makes you a bloody hypocritical A-hole. I’m pretty sure that when your son or wife receives the cornea or kidney they’ve almost hopelessly been waiting for for months in a row, you’d be happy.
And when the transplant goes well and you learn that the kidney or liver which allows your beloved one to live by your side now comes from a biker, you’d be glad that we carried an organ donor card. In a way, I’d even push things to the limit and say you’d be in a way happy it was him or her to die instead of your kin.
It sounds cold-hearted and unnecessarily evil, doesn’t it? It may be, but once again, it’s only life itself, accompanied by death itself. No need to fear, because what must happen will happen, to whatever end. But until it does, you’d better think twice about using “organ donor” as an insult.
There are many riders who felt weird when they enlisted as organ donors, much weirder than you’d ever believe this could feel. Still, they will be helping someone even in death and it’s not about bravery, it’s about kindness, selflessness and good will. Not all bikers are criminals, and in fact only few are. Compared to the rest of the decent motorcyclists, the law-breakers are a dismal minority, definitely not worth you becoming yet another ignorant biker-basher who thinks using “organ donor” as an insult is cool.
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