This advertisment is meant to offend. It is meant to insult everyone who rides a bike as having made an inferior choice to driving a car, and to insult cyclists' ability to pay for driving as if they were too poor.
It also insults cyclists' aesthetic sensibilities for wearing spandex. And it suggests that there is little or no choice for cyclists but to wear spandex. As is if the fashion industry has never before looked at cycling fashion, and there there is lack of choice of clothing that is comfortable and looks like anything resembling "normal". Or that cycling "sport" fashion is all there is for cyclists.
State Farm insurance has a reason for running an ad like this. They are scared that many people will actually like cycling, and that they won't have as many drivers/cars to insure. Since they don't have an insurance plan for cyclists, that means 100% lost revenues.
Driving, car ownership, even car culture is starting to wane. For many cycling has taken it's place. Cyclists are becoming better organised and are starting gain a voice. We are now the threat.
And I think that we will see more of this kind of defensive behavior from various areas of the motoring industry.
What do you think?
