"Good Morning" to You Too

I was "good morninged"on Blacka by a couple of bikers the other day. They were riding towards me at speed  dazzling me with powerful headlamps mounted head high; not needed as daylight was good enough even for speeding.

As I took evasive action one of them said something as he passed, then saw fit to reprove me for not responding. He had apparently said "good morning". I was barely able to give an answer before they disappeared down the bridleway.

I recall the conversation near the beginning of The Hobbit: "What a lot of things you use Good Morning for," said Gandalf.

In this case as I've pointed out before the bikers use the phrase to score points knowing that they are not welcome. There is a clear agenda here. Put the inconvenienced walker in the wrong. Presumably the same principle applies to a mugger who robs you of your wallet knocks you down and calls out "Have a good day"  as he dashes off down the street. You should call after him "You too my good fellow".

This post from October warned of this.

30 years ago this wouldn't have happened. Country footpaths and bridleways were different places then. They were refuges from the madness of life elsewhere. That was what regular walkers came for. Those were the days before the curse of the mountain bike and its more annoying users, whose lives are enhanced by the thrill of the activity and opportunities for buying more and better gear. They do not visit Blacka because it is a special place in itself but because it's somewhere to use their bikes and various gear that goes with the activity. They're not there long enough to savour the pleasures of a nature reserve.

In that they have some affinity with SWT who also never visit to enjoy the place only to exploit it. One reason why SWT cultivates the bikers as allies. The bikers are well organised and represent a coherent and simplistic group who can be ranged against those regular but unattached users who appreciate the best that Blacka has to offer (and the worst that SWT does).