BCR

If you are BCR, you are BCR. My pal Crusty says this (Industrial Revolution Bike Ride) is the beginning of the BRC tours. So what is BCR?

BCR stands for Blue Collar Racing. My pal brings to light one of facets of this ride's experience.
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When I plan a ride, I like to educate myself, . . . and others, . . . about what I might experience. Why the roads are named the way they are, For example:
The Mad Ride
http://curbdestroyer.blogspot.com/2009/03/mad-ride-report.html
Gunn City Ride
http://curbdestroyer.blogspot.com/2009/03/brevet-schmevet-its-freedom-baby.html
Gunn City and Old Drum
http://curbdestroyer.blogspot.com/2010/05/gunn-city-and-old-drum.html
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Kansas City, or back in 1838 when it was founded was called the "Town of Kansas". If you look at the history of this area. You will see it was about this time this are really gained traction. So what we will see, will be what they call the Second Indutrial Revolution. Hmmmm Looks like I could have called this ride "The 1st, 2nd Industrial Revolution Bike Ride"
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Back to BCR. I'm going to add another facet to this ride. The human experience. I think you almost have to. If not for the people . . . White collar / Blue Collar . . . The Second Revolution would never had happened.
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Just like that Depeche Mode song, "People are people, so why should it be, You and I get along so awfully". Like Light vs Dark; Dog vs. Cat; White collar vs. Blue Collar. Is it just one of these Natural Law things, or is it more of a Dialectic where the thesis (White Collar), and anti-thesis (Blue Collar) working together to create a synthisis? I'm not sure Haven't really looked at the white collar crowd yet. However being from a blue collar background I've had a look at that side. In fact it was the White collar vs. Blue collar animosity that BCR was born . . . it was said that we were dropped from a team because we were too Blue Collar.
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Trent Reznor said he something to the effect he thought it was interesting that in the 90's we saw this surgence of people wearing service industry clothes, basically it was cool to be a janitor, or a mechanic. I made a similar observation about country music. I think it was about the time Garth Brooks was popular. You saw all these people driving trucks, and wearing cowboy hats . . . and don't you forget your "Mo" Betta shirts. I saw it a bit like Halloween. I saw a lot of people playing dress up. I began to wonder when we would see people dressing up like Vikings. With River Dance I was sure Viking music was not far behind.
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I found this BLOG called Rivet-head.blogspot.com. It has a lot of links to a lot of interesting things that can be considered from the turn of the 1900's. Now these people are the real deal. For some reason you get the sense that these people know who they are. I guess the corporate marketing teams didn't get to them. I mean what would they have come up with. I hear dressing up like a conquistador is in! The clothing is a little heavy, but you'll alway be able to make sure your hair looks good, by looking at the reflection on your sleeve.
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An alarming trend is how Blue Collar workers are made out to be. Heck they even have a Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Hey Larry the cable guy, are you laughing with us, or at us. I know your laughing all the way to the bank. Who doesn't know Jeff Foxworthy's . . . "You might be a red-neck". . . . Right . . . If you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at? I think this is called "Perversion": Deviating from what is considered right and correct. Marked by misinterpretation or distortion. Here's an example. If you have ever seen the movie "The Natural". You will notice the people at the baseball games are dressed in suits. These people wanted to look the best they could . . . now look at us. Tank-tops, cut-offs, and flip-flops . . . How about shoes without laces, Pants with a waist too large, and no belt so we have to hold them up with one hand. Kind of sounds like a guy in jail to me. Our fashion now emulates a criminal's. Where before we used to strive to excel, now we emulate the lowest rung of society . . . A ganster. So what happened? Did anybody stop to look around and think?
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Now doubt manufacturing in KC isn't what it used to be. Where's Armco Steel? Gone. At first thought. I saw and image of us on this bike ride looking at the old buildings like a butterfly looking back at the cacoon after the metamorphosis. but second thought I see that scene were we see someone has someone else by the back of the neck forcing them to look at a dead person yelling . . . "Look at him, Look at him, He's dead, and if you don't watch it, it's going to be you!