Auntie ABATE / “Cuz” Report

Hey Cuz:

From time to time I hear about some ABATE member or another getting mad about something the current leadership of ABATE is doing and quitting the organization. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m a little confused by this.

 Why did this member join ABATE in the first place? If it was to support motorcycle rights, ABATE is one of the most effective SMRO’s in the country, so why would one not want to support that? If it was for friendship and brotherhood, there are many regional events, the Hummer and the Family Camp Out they can be attending, and ABATE Acres is available most weekends.

If they don’t like the direction leadership is taking, the old cliché “put up or shut up” comes to mind. Many leadership positions in ABATE are appointed because not enough members are interested in stepping up to compete for the positions. Some of the leaders of ABATE would probably not have a problem stepping aside and spending more time on their personal lives, allowing in some new blood and fresh ideas.

I have yet to meet a biker that was not a free thinker and didn’t have his or her own ideas (some of those ideas, including some of my own, can get pretty whacked out). In a large organization like ABATE, different people will have different priorities. That doesn’t mean those priorities are right or wrong, they are just different. So, find some other members that share your priorities and get together with them. Be patient and look for opportunities to bring up your ideas. It may take some time (years), but if you believe in something, eventually you can make it happen.

 Over the years, I developed the philosophy that if I can’t effectively argue both sides of any topic, I have no business having an opinion on either side. It’s not that I don’t have strong beliefs or opinions, I just like to understand where the other side is coming from. If you’re mad about something, first figure out why you’re mad and what the other side is doing before you take some action you may later regret.

Jas

Dear jas;

Very well put. Our organization is made up of many different individuals that come from different backgrounds and have different ideas, but as a whole we are a powerful force to be reckoned with. In order to be effective and continue to move the organization forward, we need to overlook individual differences and ways of doing things. If we argue over petty things or pinpoint faults in our members, we will lose the respect that we have gained within the motorcycle rights movement and the good reputation we have with our legislators both on the state level and on the federal level. I am proud to have the solid foundation that ABATE of WI was built on. Our previous leaders put things in place that we can continue to build and improve on, and we all know that we are going to need some of those building blocks that are there to fight what we may be facing regarding the future of motorcycling in Wisconsin. Ride safe…

“Cuz”