The Oxford English Dictionary, which bills itself as the “most comprehensive dictionary of the English language”, has amended its definition of “biker” after motorcyclists complained about the negative image it portrayed.
Up until recently, the online edition of the OED defined a biker as “a motorcyclist, especially one who is a member of a gang: a long-haired biker in dirty denims.” At issue is the stereotype of a motorcyclist as having long hair and wearing dirty jeans.
The definition has been altered and now defines a biker as “a motorcyclist, especially one who is a member of a gang or group: a biker was involved in a collision with a car.” Granted, most riders would probably prefer to be called a long-haired and wearing dirty jeans than get hit by a car, but the caricature in the previous definition proves to be both offensive and inaccurate. Continue Reading »
