The World Naked Bike Ride 2006 Truth

"America is addicted to oil."

--George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 31, 2006


People around the world share the President's belief that oil addiction is a problem that needs to be confronted.

Yesterday, the WNBK (World Naked Bike Ride) did an intervention of sorts to draw attention to oil dependency.

According to WNBK, "[C]ities across the world will experience the naked joy of the worlds largest naked protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity. It is time to stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies! Naked Bicycle People Power!"

Yes, they took to the streets all over the world to express their concern about oil and the car culture.

From the BBC:

Up to 500 riders travelled routes in London and Brighton as part of the World Naked Bike Ride.

...Last year 250 people took part in the event, making it the UK's biggest naked protest.

...Sussex Police used police patrols and CCTV to monitor the cyclists in Brighton.

A spokesman said that no-one had dared to bare completely and consequently no arrests for nudity had been made.

Other naked bike ride events took place elsewhere in the UK, including Bath, York and Edinburgh.

Around the globe cyclists took off their clothes and hit the road in countries such as Poland, the US, Russia, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and South Africa.

In the Czech Republic, a handful of young cyclists took to the streets of central Prague for an hour, wearing paint - and in some cases not even that.

More than 60 men and women took to York's medieval streets on Friday evening in a bid to encourage riders to take part in the London ride the next day.

Jesse Schust, one of the riders who took part in that event, said they were warmly supported by revellers heading to bars in the city centre for a night out.

He said: "It was great. We were really well received and it was a lot of fun to be involved in."

So the bikers were "well received" and had "a lot of fun" in York.

But what about the oil? Did the "revellers heading to bars" get serious and pause to reflect on the world's oil addiction?

Did the protest accomplish anything of significance? Did anyone who caught sight of the bikers think about "oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity"?

Did the protesters win over any hearts and minds?

Will people around the world give up their cars for bikes as a result of yesterday's event?

OF COURSE NOT.

It was an opportunity for exhibitionists to flaunt and flop freely on city streets under the guise of a legitimate cause.

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Dozens of cyclists rode nude through downtown Mexico City on Saturday, demanding respect from motorists and protesting against the car-oriented culture in this megalopolis.

With slogans like "Respect Bike Riders" painted on their bodies, about two dozen naked cyclists turned heads in a city where it's rare to see even clothed riders braving the chaotic traffic on bikes.

"Drivers don't respect us, which is why we've had to take this kind of action," said Felipe Fulop, a protest organizer.

Agustin Mendez, 48, arrived at the protest wearing only a pair of sneakers and a bike helmet.

"This is what we have to do to get drivers to see us and respect us," said Mendez... .

Sure. I guess you have to do what you have to do to be respected, especially when you're forty-eight years old.

It appears that the Mexico City riders claimed to be more focused on looking for respect than the oil angle of the protest.

And what better way to get respect than by riding a bike through downtown Mexico City wearing sneakers and a bike helmet?

Let's be honest.

This isn't a protest about oil dependency or pollution or the car culture. This isn't a serious endeavor.

It's a chance for nuts to show the world they're nuts.

Don't you think that the ride would have been a great publicity stunt for An Inconvenient Truth?

Instead of hopping aboard private jets and tooling around in limos, Al Gore should have been leading a pack of naked cyclists somewhere.

Maybe not.