If you have ever judged book by its cover, you might be thinking that hundreds of motorcycles and Harley riders, albeit in the same place, would not be the best place for a tourist like me and my young daughter to hang out. That being said, this past weekend marked Arizona Bike Week in Cave Creek, Arizona. There were hundreds of them–everywhere we went. I’ve never had the opportunity to see such a variety of the two-wheeled roadsters; at least not outside of a car dealership that is.
Originally, my idea for this blog post was to show how bikers interact within their own social group, and as crowd participants, how they fit into the Collective Behavior and Collective Action Theories. However, in my search for the ultimate biker, I noticed two people who I thought met the requirement.
Meet Debbie and Tony. They just love to ride in the open air, and as a couple, it was what they loved to do together. This was no ordinary couple. They “looked the part” and were willing to be photographed in their element. Dressed in black jackets, jeans, and boots, they were the epitome of the biker sterotype. Seemingly middle aged, experienced riders, long hair, beards and chains hanging from their clothing. People my age might remember a loveable biker group from the past, The Hells Angels, who would wreak havoc and chaos wherever they went–and there were lots of them.  But not Debbie and Tony–not your typical bikers, in my opinion. Very friendly and willing to pose for the good of the story. But how can we really be sure they are or aren’t typical bikers? And what can we say about the word “typical” anyway? Does this mean that they were “in” or “out” of their element? It’s all about our perception of the stereotype.
While Debbie and Tony were active crowd participants, I imagine they were most likely just as curious about me. Dressed in office casual at the time, while attending a desert event, I sure didn’t fit the part of a biker. Perhaps they were judging me as well. Since I just turned another year older, I thought it was important for me to understand their behaviors and how they came to be at this annual event in the first place–not any of my business, but a story I felt compelled to write.
I felt that this was a fantastic learning opportunity for my daughter too. While it is ok to decide whether friendships are worthy after the initial meeting, I too had to step back. Unfortunately, that within our own social groups, we can and do judge a book, or in this case, a “biker” by its cover. But now that I’ve had the opportunity to briefly meet some dedicated “cruisers,” I have a different view. I don’t see me ever hanging out with a biker simply because I am not into motorcycles; we would most likely not have much in common. That does not take away from the idea that the outer shell needs to be opened before we can find anything worthy inside. I enjoyed getting to know these two and I could tell they were happy to share thier experiences. It was a good day and not at all like I imagined when I first arrived at the event.
Debbie and Tony, if you are out there somewhere, I hope you keep in touch. I appreciate your flexibility and hope to see you somewhere in the desert soon.
Photo cover credit www.ExperienceScottsdale.com
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