The irrationality of motorcyclists.

It has always seemed to me that motorcyclists are an irrational bunch: the risks of their pursuit, far outweigh any pleasure they might feel. Yet, today, I have come to understand that Malaysian motorcyclists are even more irrational, than is typical of their kind.

According to the New Straits Times, today, Malaysian motorcyclists are not fond of wearing their helmets. However, what struck me was their pattern of helmet use. Motorcyclists inside cities, tend to use them, whereas motorcyclists on city outskirts or in rural areas, typically did not use them at all. Now, what could be the cause of this peculiar difference?

Rather bizarrely, I thought, it all comes down to "getting caught". The city motorcyclists wore their helmets, not because they feared hitting their heads on concrete at 60 miles per hour...no, it was because they feared getting caught by the police and fined for not wearing one. That is why the motorcyclists living in rural
and less central areas, did not wear them at all: there were very few police and so they were never likely to be caught and fined, for not wearing one. To me, however, this seemed rather mad. Malaysian motorcyclists fear being fined - that is, the loss of money - more than they fear death - the loss of life. This is something I cannot understand. They consider the minor matter of being fined vastly more important than the major matter of not being alive anymore. You see they take significant steps to prevent a fine (they wear their helmets), but, when the risk of a fine goes away, they don't take the same step to prevent their own deaths (they won't wear a helmet, to save their lives).

Thus, it can be said that Malaysian motorcyclists are eminently irrational, in that they give importance to the unimportant, and no value to the invaluable.

How strange.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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