Ride Videos
Are We Doomed?
Some people in the ole interweb world are desperately hungry for success. They yearn for the spotlight, the "easy" money and the internet fame. They create content daily, or for some- several times a day. Nothing these days seems to be off-limits, either. They film themselves doing all kinds of things, from singing, dancing, street racing or just riding motorcycles, to simply doing dumb crap like eating soap, assaulting people or showing off their naughty parts. It's kind of disturbing to think how much social media has altered our society's moral compass. Now, with the advent of artificial intelligence, it really does feel like we're on a precipice, looking over at the end of our civilization.
Crime
Like a lot of folks, I do happen to partake in watching the "true crime" videos that are out there. I have always found it fascinating to see how cases are solved through evidence, interviews and good old-fashioned police work. I grew up watching shows like COPS, Forensic Files and Autopsy with Dr. Baden. As fascinating as those shows were, though... there was always a disconnect while watching them. Sure, they were real stories, but they seemed more like they were Hollywood productions of rare instances that happened in a far away land, or a long time ago. Most of them were just dramatizations of the crimes, accompanied by a suspenseful soundtrack, so they seemed less frightening. These days, though, we see raw videos of people in our own towns attacking fast food workers, kids assaulting random elderly people walking down the street and even committing heinous acts against other people... all while filming it themselves or having someone film it for them. No suspenseful music, no actor portrayals... just vicious, evil people and the terror of their victims. It's horrific. The only good part is that it makes it tremendously easier for law enforcement to identify and arrest them, and significantly easier for judges and juries to convict and sentence them.
Sexualization
Sex sells. It always has and it always will. What is truly disturbing though, is how quickly social media exploded with it and how easily people can, and do, sexualize themselves for views. It's truly sad to see so many people exploiting themselves, putting themselves on full display for anyone and everyone to see. Sure, some may even be reading this and laughing at me while they count their money, and that's okay. Look, let me be clear- I'm not judging anyone for their choices- that's not my place and I'm certainly not fit to judge anyone. People have, and always will, use sex or their sexuality, for their own personal success, but at what price? Maybe I don't understand it because I'm not better looking, and nobody is gonna pay to see me in my skivvies, but it does make me wonder what happened to modesty? How much is too much? There was a time, not so terribly long ago, where self respect was paramount, and modesty was a highly desirable trait. Of course, I grew up watching reruns of old TV shows from the 1950's, 60's and 70's, with actors like Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Grace Kelly. In the 80's we had guys like Chevy Chase, Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford, and women like Michelle Pfeiffer, Heather Locklear and Sally Field lighting up our TV screens. Those women had such poise, grace and ethereal beauty that they didn't need to expose themselves to be desirable. The men were tough, humble and noble, often paired with a good sense of humor, and they were worthy of emulating.
Me And Mine
If you folks have been keeping up with my little corner of the interwebs, you've no doubt seen that I've made some videos, myself. While I haven't made anything inappropriate, you may be inclined to think that I'm over here casting aspersions on others, while trying to get views myself. Truth be known, I don't really care about getting subscribers to my Youtube channel or views on my videos. Sure, it's nice to see others enjoying my adventures and my creative work, but in all honesty, I do all this for myself and my friends. I started this blog, mainly as a creative outlet for myself during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. I had been writing for Internet Brands' Harley-Davidson Forums for a few years, making a few bucks for each slideshow article I wrote, but those slideshows took a lot of work to put together, especially to the quality that I demanded of myself, and I was limited on what I could write about. IB wasn't going to pay me for writing an opinion piece on crappy friends or living your best life. IB was paying for motorcycle content, and I wanted to be able to write about more than just that, so I started my blog. After writing a few pieces, I realized that I really enjoyed it, and as it were, other people from around the world, seemed to be enjoying it, too. I was amazed to see the stats showing where people were logging in from. Folks from almost every continent around the globe were visiting MY little blog site! It was, and still is, very humbling, but I still just write this blog in order to get all of those extra thoughts and opinions, that are taking up space in my head, out. I don't make money off of it- that's why my blog is one of the few places on the internet that you can go and not be overrun with ads for people or places that are trying to take your money.
During the months following the pandemic, I started playing around with making videos and in doing so, found another creative outlet that I found to be very satisfying and fun. After making a couple of videos for myself and my friends, I was tasked with creating a video for a local business. It didn't pay much, but I had fun doing it and the creative release was really what I was seeking. I have always been somewhat creative- as a kid, I used to really enjoy drawing and, in a high school art class, my fellow students and I learned basics in watercolor, pen and ink, relief printing and sculpting. Several years later, I learned that I was a pretty decent writer, too. I submitted an article to a local motorsports magazine and, after it was published, I was asked to be one of their regular contributing authors. I was even credited in the magazine as part of their staff. That was a labor of love, though, much like my blog and Youtube channel are now, as I didn't get paid for my contributions. I wasn't seeking money or notoriety, though, I was just enjoying being able to express my creativity, just like I still do. The process of filming my rides, then going back in and editing the footage to make it into a cool video, allows me to relive my ride again, while cutting out the boring bits and adding funny captions or background music. Watching the finished video gives me an opportunity to experience the ride again, without all the boring, awkward, or unpleasant parts. I have done a couple of other videos where I was trying out the moto-vlogger thing, but in all honesty, I have a face for radio and a voice for silent movies, so I just prefer to put my words in writing, instead.
Creative Expression
While writing this, I have just had an epiphany. I just said, "I wasn't seeking money or notoriety, I was just enjoying being able to express my creativity,..." and maybe that's where most, or all of this whole social media culture came from- a bunch of people that wanted to express themselves in their own, creative ways. Sure, there's a lot of bad out there... God help us... there is so much bad, but there's also a lot of good. Social media and Youtube gives a lot of creative and interesting people a platform for reaching other people with similar interests to share their work and adventures. There will always be bad people using whatever means they have available to them to spread their hatred, misdeeds and evil ideologies, but they aren't the majority. I believe that there is more good than bad, and when faced with adversity or challenged by evil, that the good will stand up and in doing so, prevail.
I don't foolishly waste my time hoping for social media to come to an end, or wishing hopelessly for money or fame, or infamy in some cases, to suddenly become less desirable or enticing to people. Those things are never going to happen and we all know it. But maybe, just maybe, the tides will change and the internet will become so overrun and inundated with all the trash content, that creators will be forced to start making better, more interesting and perhaps, even more wholesome, content in order to stay relevant. I know it's wishful thinking, but that's what I hope for.
Final Thoughts
As I've said, I write this blog to satisfy my own creative expression. When I'm not writing, I love riding my motorcycles and, sometimes, I like to video my rides so that I can share them with my friends and family. Editing the footage and creating "pocket-sized" versions of my rides that I can spend 15-45 minutes watching on a rainy day is a fun way for me to spend my time when I'm not in the saddle.
The takeaway is, I suppose, that everyone makes content for their own reasons, some are just fortunate enough to make enough money to make a living out of it. I started working when I was a young teenager, not even old enough to drive. When I graduated high school, I went to work full time and, aside from having a year or so where I was working part time while attending junior college, I've worked a full-time job ever since. Social media has only really evolved, into what it is now, in the past 20 years. When I was first joining the workforce, the options were pretty limited, and even more limited if you didn't have an education. Making a living by posting videos of opening a cheese wrapper wasn't an option for me, but if it was, I might have opened a lot of cheese back then.
When I started this in 2020, I never expected anyone to visit my site, read my words or watch my videos, so the fact that you folks are stopping by, even if only for a moment, fills me with a sense of joy. It tells me that all across the world, from the United States, to France, from Singapore to Bangladesh and almost everywhere in-between, there are like minded motorcycle enthusiasts, reading the same words of encouragement, insight and hopefulness that I try to write. The fact that I have had a few thousand views of my videos, and well over 300k visits to my website, is just incredible to me, so I can only imagine how the folks with millions might feel... I just hope that they realize that they have the potential to make a positive impact on the world, and that they work towards spreading positivity, love and peace.
Until next time, MotoReaders...
Ride safe and make good choices!
p.s.
If you want to watch my most recent dirty bike ride, I'll drop the link here.
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