Sociologically paraphrasing Thomas Kuhn:

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A revolution occurs when a given social order encounters anomalies which cannot be explained by its universally accepted "paradigm". The paradigm is not simply the order's theory of how things work, but the entire "worldview" in which it exists, and all of the implications which come with it.

There are anomalies for all paradigms that over time are brushed away as errors, or simply ignored and not dealt with. But when enough significant anomalies have accrued against a current paradigm, the social order is thrown into a state of crisis. During this crisis, new ideas, perhaps ones previously discarded, are tried.

Eventually a new paradigm is formed, which gains its own new followers, and an intellectual "battle" takes place between the followers of the new paradigm and the hold-outs of the old paradigm.

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HEADS UP, fellow freedom fighters. The times, they are a-changing, and so may be our statistics:

MRO's may have trouble attracting new members, but motorcycle dealers are having no problem attracting new buyers. Motorcycles keep getting cooler and faster, and the numbers of untrained new riders injured and killed by their own inexperience keep getting larger and more alarming.

Yes, we must still oppose mandatory helmet laws as a violation of our rights. But no, we must not encourage neophytes to ride lidless. Yes, we must continue to shift the public focus to motorcycle awareness and mitigating inattentional blindness, because this is where we most benefit therefrom. But no, we cannot ignore that motorcycle safety is an important personal responsibility, and we cannot afford to tolerate the wave of newbie riders who do. If we do, that wave may wash away the very ground we as bikers rights advocates are standing on.

Think about that.

Bruce