For 98 years some of the fine folks of San Francisco, it’s neighboring cities and in fact the world at large have been running this little race called Bay To Breakers. It goes just 12 kilometers (7.45 miles), starting at the Embarcadero and ending at Ocean Beach. The event started as a way of blowing off some steam after the very scary and stressful earthquake of 1911.
A few years back, a group of revelers joined the other runners and started to do the race in their own style. They run, walk, get drunk, wear some interesting costumes, build some really eye-catching floats, and generally just have a good time. And I say “LET THEM GO ON HAVING FUN!”
This year one of the main sponsors of the event ING, in response to complaints from local citizens has pressured the organizers into adopting a Zero Tolerance policy. That means no drinking, no littering, no floats and most likely not much fun. ING (and some San Franciscans) have forgotten the very spirit this race was founded on. That spirit is the need we all have to cut loose and have some fun from time to time. I can understand not wanting litter. That’s totally understandable, as the folks that live along the route would like to keep their sidewalks clean. Fine. No argument there.
But no drinking? No floats? No nudity? Come on people. You live in San Francisco!! (Except for ING which was started in the Netherlands and has it’s home office in Amsterdam – a city where soft drugs and prostitution are legal, can anyone say hypocrisy?) Everyone knows that historically the “City By The Bay” has been all about Laissez Faire – you know, letting people express themselves how they see fit. Besides, it isn’t like the participants are asking to drink alcohol and go around in their birthday suits all year round. It’s one day! For one day you can let them fly their freak flags and then make them live by the buttoned down rules the other 364 days. Every city needs to vent, especially in these tough economic times. Let the people play. Let them have fun as they go from the east shore to the west and remind the onlookers that they don’t have to go through life being so square. Isn’t it bad enough they live under the Governator’s regime in a state that has the world’s sixth largest economy but is billions of dollars in debt? Isn’t it enough that a whole bunch of them are currently unemployed and struggling?
Don’t ruin a nearly one hundred year old tradition because people are upset about litter and noise and nudity. If people litter, then make it the responsibility of them and the race organizers to clean up after the event. That’s all. As for the noise and the nakedness, suck it up. It’s one day! One solitary day in a whole year!
I’m urging everyone who reads this to sign the following petition, write letters to the editors at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Examiner and ING, send emails, call them, just make sure they understand that they are making a bad decision. Every city needs to vent, every city needs a few days a year to de-stress, recharge and just have some fun. It’s great for morale, it’s great for the economy and it serves as a reminder that we can all live together happily and healthily and not have to worry that we all need to forgo our own personal brand of fun because some major corporation and a few mean-spirited neighbors think we should.
That’s all I’ve got folks. Peace out.
ING Contact Info:
Joseph Loparco
(860) 580.2677
Joe’s Email
