Fear « Mimi and Eunice

Helmet Wars! Believe

As I’ve said before, I wear a helmet. But that’s not enough:

Last week I did a comic about helmets which led to the first abusive comments ever here at Mimi & Eunice (they remain unpublished). Most of my friends and loved ones weren’t crazy about that strip either. Yet, for some reason, after its lukewarm-to-hostile response I was surprisingly and effortlessly inspired to do 6 more comics about bike helmets! Comics that my friends and loved ones were sure to dislike, on an issue that has never been and will never be resolved. As my friend Gordon wrote,

Oh, Jeez, Nina, you’ve entered the HELMET WARS, in which anarchists and libertarians fight bitterly with helmet fascists and helmet nannies to the bitter end!! Only there is no end!!!

Why my Muse drags me into these things I cannot know, but my job is to obey Her. And so I bring you a new 7-part miniseries: Helmet Wars! To kick it off, here’s the not-cleaned-up version of that first comic (this one has a swear word!):

Please note: I wear a helmet.

Helmet

Self-righteous helmet naggers are a much more prevalent danger to cyclists than physical injuries. There’s little evidence my helmet would increase my physical safety in case of an accident (there’s as much evidence for the opposite, in fact), but it does protect my social safety. If I suffered an accident, I’d need the support of my friends and family, and they threaten to withhold this if I don’t wear a helmet. So I do. And then I make cartoons complaining about it.