Just as we all hope and wish for uniform, consistent law enforcement to create a safer living environment for all of us, whether Chinese or expatriate, we too have a responsibility to do our best to be good citizens. The stakes already are high for foreigners because we stand out in a crowd and and are easily taken as representatives of "all foreigners" or "all people from Country X or Country Y". The stakes then rise even higher for us as motorcyclists in China because of the chronically negative stereotypes we face.

So we motorcycle-riding foreigners, like it or not, bear a special dual responsibility: to live to the highest standards of decency as people, since we are, fairly or not, seen as representatives of all foreign people, and to ride to the highest standards of safety and responsibility, since our behaviors can strongly affect perceptions of all motorcyclists.

There's always a risk that some hothead out there will observe something about us, whether the way we treat people or the way we ride, and decide to engage in reprisals. All the more reason to be model citizens and model riders. All the Gear All the Time, and All the Courtesy All The Time. Keep your middle finger tucked away, bite your tongue when you feel like cursing, smile when you feel like sneering.

I'm not trying to sound like a saint; these are ideals for me, but I'm human and sometimes a hothead, and I often fail to live up to my own ideals. I hereby resolve to work harder at it.

And let's hope this thing passes before someone gets hurt.

cheers