exoplanet Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Before I got one, I was hesitant because I knew the rules said that one is not under any circumstance to get an electric unicycle. Only 14 year olds use them and they are dumb. The real reasons though is that they are or are perceived (both) to be dangerous. You are supposed to suffer and bicycle or use public transport til you can get a car. It's a stigma. It says you are not a productive member of society because obvioously you would have gotten a car if you could afford one. Shure its fun,but so is heroin i am told. how do we remove the stigma? or should i just get some money and buy real transportation? I am thinking of selling the little shit and getting an e assist and throttle electric kit for my bicycle so i can be poor more stealthily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingouin Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Hi, Where do you live ? I know here in France we often get coments that we don't want to do some effort/sport, because EUC are often compared to bicycles. However, I really don't think that people think that only 14 years old use them, the average here is 45 years old, it could almost be considered as a "old man's hobby" Mentality has to change, and it will change with the energetic transition that is slowly occuring, cars are incredibly expensive, and the average family will have more and more difficulties to have one, electric rides will rise, and I think people don't usualy see us as "old kids" or lazy people. IMO stigma will decrease, and EUC are a real mean of transportation ! I have a car, I could afford to use public transports, I could take my bicycle, but EUC is just convenient and fun ! I do almost everything with my EUC (go to work, shopping, meetings, w-e walk...) and I only take my car when I need to travel fast on long distances. Btw EUC are not that cheap, and I have never been considered "poor" (not that it bothers me that much..poor people are also respectable) because I ride EUC, quite the opposit in fact. My advise would be not to care too much about what other people think, if you like EUC riding, just ride and enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Well, it might be because the GT16 is so damn handsome, but the comments I get come in three flavours... A certain kind of "tough guys" have a lot of fun about the wheel, the rear-view mirror and so on. Usually to impress the girls by their side, while the girls they try to impress look at them like "he's so stupid it hurts, I wonder if I can end this date in a nice way soon..." Small kids, their parents and adventurous boys and girls of all ages goes oh! and ah!. Hot chicks nudge their boyfriends saying "THAT one I would like to have! It's gorgeous!" The last one has happened at least once a month since I got the wheel... But then it is very good-looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Funnily enough, teenagers are nearly all impressed seeing an old fogey like me on a unicycle, younger children just stare with their mouths open, old ladies stop me and chat me up (why couldn’t they have happened 25 years ago ?) the only ones that have a downer are the 20 something’s and even then it’s a minority of them. However, any new tech does seem to have a “nerd” effect. I was using electronic organisers in the 80’s, when the Psion Organiser range was streets ahead of anything else. I reckon I got more work done on the train commuting then I ever did actually at work yet people did look down at me as some sort of geek. Now days absolutely everyone has their noses seemingly permanently stuck in a very similar device that, actually isn’t anywhere near as productive. Can you imagine typing an entire technical manual on an iPhone for example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demargon Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Hi @exoplanet. In my opinion a car is a "suit" to hide people inside when moving around. In opposite, riding a bike, euc, etc, show you to everyone. The old powerful people has made the car a symbol for his status in substitution of they unhealthy body. If you have the health and energy to ride, let the people see it and don't bother about his envy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 EUCs are really a roschach (ink blot) test. People project themselves in how they respond to the wheel. I've only had a couple of negative responses so far. I'm not affected one way or the other by the opinions of those who see the wheel. I get a kick out of the people that feel compelled to make sure you know that they wouldn't want one, for some invalid reason or another. I wonder, how many people avoid EUCs simply because it could expose them to possible public ridicule? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbfrese Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 1 hour ago, Pingouin said: My advise would be not to care too much about what other people think, if you like EUC riding, just ride and enjoy Exactly. Be yourself and ignore the haters. I have never encountered anything negative, at least among the comments I've heard! I do believe any negative comments you hear are rooted in jealousy. They fear doing what you do, or fear they could never learn it, or fear they don't have the courage to try, or whatever. What they say, as @mezzanine commented, says a whole lot more about them then it does about you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exoplanet Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 People would switch to a cheaper car immediately if they could. the problem is that the euc is not a real substitute. It is like living under a bridge and portraying it as a house. Basically it shows you have low self worth since you are willing to risk everything just to save pennies or to get your adrenaline high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exoplanet Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 People withhold the negative comments because it doesn't serve them to share them. just like if you walk around with worn shoes. Nobody comments and everybody judges. Same with body odour. The euc Stinks and people dont comment. Kids dont know any better. What is the best conversion technology that can turn my terrain bicycle into a stealthy moped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbfrese Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 11 minutes ago, exoplanet said: Basically it shows you have low self worth since you are willing to risk everything just to save pennies or to get your adrenaline high. My self worth is not determined by money, either the lack or abundance of it! I live in a very "upscale" city, yet I don't give a crap that they drive Beemers and Mercedes while I drive around in my very practical (bought used) Toyota Echo. I laugh all the way to the bank because I have no mortgage and no car payments while they are in debt up to the gills. I am in a better situation all around even though my income may be below the average for my area. 8 minutes ago, exoplanet said: Nobody comments and everybody judges. I'm afraid @mezzanine's comments may apply here. Unless you have the ability to read minds (and i have yet to meet anyone who has that ability) you don't have the slightest idea of what anyone else is thinking. As humans, many of us have the nasty habit of projecting our own worst behaviors and thoughts upon other's actions and motives, while ignoring our own failures, weaknesses and foibles. That is hypocrisy in its worst form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 16 minutes ago, exoplanet said: People would switch to a cheaper car immediately if they could. the problem is that the euc is not a real substitute. It is like living under a bridge and portraying it as a house. Basically it shows you have low self worth since you are willing to risk everything just to save pennies or to get your adrenaline high. I could switch to a cheap car. And I live in Canada where having a car for winter driving would be more convenient. We'll see, I may still get a car, but a large % of my transport needs are within a 3km radius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xebeche Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 42 minutes ago, exoplanet said: People withhold the negative comments because it doesn't serve them to share them. just like if you walk around with worn shoes. Nobody comments and everybody judges. Same with body odour. The euc Stinks and people dont comment. Kids dont know any better. What is the best conversion technology that can turn my terrain bicycle into a stealthy moped? Man, honestly this sounds more like you have a problem about how you perceive yourself, then how other people might perceive EUC as a vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 16 minutes ago, xebeche said: Man, honestly this sounds more like you have a problem about how you perceive yourself, then how other people might perceive EUC as a vehicle. Definitely this. Status anxiety is a fascinating area of social psychology. Especially as it relates to the perception of class and self-worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litewave Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 2 hours ago, exoplanet said: Before I got one, I was hesitant because I knew the rules said that one is not under any circumstance to get an electric unicycle. Only 14 year olds use them and they are dumb. The real reasons though is that they are or are perceived (both) to be dangerous. You are supposed to suffer and bicycle or use public transport til you can get a car. It's a stigma. It says you are not a productive member of society because obvioously you would have gotten a car if you could afford one. Shure its fun,but so is heroin i am told. how do we remove the stigma? or should i just get some money and buy real transportation? I am thinking of selling the little shit and getting an e assist and throttle electric kit for my bicycle so i can be poor more stealthily. Because 'not-driving-a-car' is perceived as a sign of low social status and poverty in many places. To most people, there is nothing worse than being poor. As @Carlos E Rodriguez posted in another forum: On 5/21/2017 at 1:27 AM, Carlos E Rodriguez said: Some day you will realize that the American market is not that important anymore. USA 300,000,000 CHINA 1,300,000,000 INDIA. 1,2000,000,000 these countries have people jammed packed in super cities. Larger than 10,000,000 each. This supports infrastructure of trains and small moped vehicles favorable for EUC. THE USA is all spread out all over the place because we want or big yards and SUV instead of EUC. We like to show our exsuverance and EUC are just toys for us. Even bus or trains don't work in the USA. They are riden by the poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 26 minutes ago, mezzanine said: Definitely this. Status anxiety is a fascinating area of social psychology. Especially as it relates to the perception of class and self-worth. Yes, and as soon as you see through it, you have the choice of not giving a f***. I think that the perception will change drastically within a few years though. A lot of people over here are getting themselves electric bikes, as an alternative to going by car when you commute. The reasons are both that going by car is about as fun as pimples on your behind when everybody else is going to or from work, and environmental awareness which is pretty high in my country. So people may still go by car during the snowy months, but the rest of the year going by electric bike, scooter or unicycle is so much more convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Hoffmann Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 2 hours ago, exoplanet said: People would switch to a cheaper car immediately if they could. the problem is that the euc is not a real substitute. It is like living under a bridge and portraying it as a house. Basically it shows you have low self worth since you are willing to risk everything just to save pennies or to get your adrenaline high. Really ? I think here it's more like wow what's that, or man this dude's got money to throw out of the window for crazy gadgets :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exoplanet Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 Here if it is a grown up commuting on this device it means something is wrong with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exoplanet Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 And the stuff about seeing through the status anxiety thing is partially bs. There is a reason why stuff is high status while other stuff is not. There might be some lag, who knows, but in this case there are real reasons for why people who are productive and have money dont drive euc's other than perhaps trying their kids device in the back yard while the wife or neighbours are not looking. That being said i mainly get positive reactions riding around. But i dont see others riding them. likely because it is new and because people are afraid of being judged or because they can afford the better alternatives. Not everyone has debt who has nice BMW's and Range rovers, and mercedeses. Actually most people where i live buy them cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaughthammer Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Just now, exoplanet said: Here if it is a grown up commuting on this device it means something is wrong with him. Could you please elaborate on the subject of "here"? Riding an EUC does not automatically imply, that one doesn't have also a car. For some occasions, a car is far superior, for example when you have to transport large and/or heavy stuff around, or when the trip is longer than a few miles. But for short errands and commutes, where everything you might have to carry fits in a backpack, the EUC is a nice to have option, especially if the roads are somewhat congested with other cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exoplanet Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 By the way. If I had a car and were chosing to ride the euc, there wouldn't be a problem with me judging myself. The problem is that this is my best option. I could use public transportation, but compared to the euc it is horrendously expensive and doesnt take me where i want to go. Looking forward to becoming rich. By the way. The era of the car is over very soon. There will be an alternative soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 This kit is about $500, a cheap bicycle and you have an electric bike. https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Bike-Kit-Lithium-Included/dp/B00K7IA5JG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 EUC's are a cheap form of transportation until you get hit by a car, and then the resulting medical bill dwarfs anything you saved by riding one. I understand this, and accept it, and hence regard my EUC as a somewhat extreme hobby, same as I would while bicycling. I saw a girl last week get hit and knocked off her bicycle from a car that had a red light and she was in a crosswalk just for bicycles! While cars are expensive, the two biggest debts held by Americans are actually divorce debt (more money flows through family courts than the rest of the courts combined), and college debt. Notably these are two debts that cannot be discharged through bankruptcy. Really, so long as you don't expose yourself to the extreme danger of divorce (don't get married), and so long as you graduate from college, then honestly you're golden. Taking out debt to pay for an expensive car isn't a big deal, or credit card debt, simply because those are fairly minor debts compared to the two major debts of most Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Backe Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 12 hours ago, exoplanet said: Before I got one, I was hesitant because I knew the rules said that one is not under any circumstance to get an electric unicycle. Only 14 year olds use them and they are dumb. The real reasons though is that they are or are perceived (both) to be dangerous. You are supposed to suffer and bicycle or use public transport til you can get a car. It's a stigma. It says you are not a productive member of society because obvioously you would have gotten a car if you could afford one. Shure its fun,but so is heroin i am told. how do we remove the stigma? or should i just get some money and buy real transportation? I am thinking of selling the little shit and getting an e assist and throttle electric kit for my bicycle so i can be poor more stealthily. I don't know where you live, but there's no negative stigma regarding EUCs where I live. Maybe it's all in your head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUCMania Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 I have not meet any ridicule about riding EUCs. I do not know whether there are someone in those silent majorities ridiculed me in their mind. Even if there are some of them, I do not care. As to "car is more expensive" and hence associated with higher status kind of thing, that may happen in poor countries where car is still a status symbol. In the place I live, cars just do not have that wow cool factor. I did some experiments as follows: Tere are many people ask me about the price of the EUC I am riding. So, I tell different people different prices to see their reactions. I found that the higher the price I said, the more wow kind of expression they show. I guess that if they check price later on internet, and found that the current price is much lower that the one I quote, they may feel that they got a good deal and pull the trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 3 hours ago, Marty Backe said: I don't know where you live, but there's no negative stigma regarding EUCs where I live. Maybe it's all in your head He lives on the fringe of the solar system, so that probably explains why his experiences are not shared by the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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