Walking in and around our massive campus is a core part of student life here at the University of Nevada, Reno, and although it may feel mindless to many at this point, it is still no easy task. As a freshman, I came to the realization that our fellow students have taken up various forms of transportation to make this daunting task more convenient for themselves. Bikes, E-Bikes, skateboards, longboards (hoverboards?), etc. You get the idea. Now, while I do envy the people fortunate enough to ride these fun, personal vehicles, I hold nothing against them… Except for the electric scooters; they suck.
I do not like electric scooters, specifically Bird Scooters. My disdain for these things most likely stems from my lifelong love for skating culture (although I cannot skate myself), and the stigma that the community tends to have towards scooter users in general. But honestly, they’re just lame in my opinion.
I mean, look at it this way: when someone is riding a skateboard (or any board for that matter), they have to take the time to learn that skill, and they actually look cool doing it. Watching some random dude hit an ollie over the stairs by Great Basin Hall, then try and fail to hit a pop shuvit a few seconds after was just cool. On the other hand, to ride a bird scooter you just need simple balance, a dollar or two, and a low amount of self-respect. I mean, the number of times I have almost been hit by one of them in the last week alone has me looking over my shoulder constantly as I’m walking to class. Not to mention the lack of thoughtful parking, and the fact that they just look ugly. Their tackiness in comparison to a simple skateboard or bicycle is reminiscent of seeing a Tesla Cybertruck on the road next to a flock of classic American muscle cars. They are just so out of place on our beautiful brick-lain campus that I think they should just be gone altogether…