I was just thinking about the reactions I’ve been getting when I tell people I’m trying to learn to unicycle. A couple of people laughed. Didn’t say a word, just burst out laughing. I found that strangely annoying. Others said that was cool, one guessed that I would probably kill myself, two friends mentioned they’d always wanted to try it (I’m trying to set up a date to bring my uni over to friend #1’s house for her to try it; the other friend is a such a couch potato and never follows through on anything that I won’t even bother with her,) and the best comment I got was an older, motherly-type coworker who said that she was proud of me!
My mother still lives in the building on the lower east side of Manhattan in front of which I taught myself to unicycle back in about 1976.
My neighbors were about 50% elderly Jews. Being of the Jewish persuasion I can tell you something about this population. (Or at least I can presume to).
About 20% came from the radical left/socialist intellectual agitating homosexual strain of Jews who lived in New York. They were universally supportive of anyone doing anything out of the ordinary; these people tracked my progress and cheered me on.
The other 80% were of the traditional strain. They mostly looked at me as though I were crazy. They never actually said I’d be unable to learn, but that’s what they seemed to be thinking. Either that or that I’d get hurt. And they didn’t like my long hair. “Vatchoo wanna look like a goyle for?”
The rest of the neighborhood was mostly Latino, Chinese, and Eastern European.
The Latinos were generally amused, but in an encouraging way.
The Chinese folk smiled and avoided the area around which I rode, but as I was a polite young man, often nodded encouragingly.
The Eastern Europeans barely looked up.
Forgive me for this blatant stereotyping, but believe me when I say, some of my best friends are ethnic stereotypes.
Overall my parents were very supportive. Both were iconoclasts in their own way. My father came from the leftist Jewish tradition and my mother abandoned her religious family for my father when she was 17. My mother would have much preferred that I join the circus or become a street performer than go to college. My dad not so much, except insofar as it would have been a lot cheaper.
Interestingly, not a single one of my friends showed any interest either way. They just didn’t care. Not surprising, I suppose, for a group that spent most of its time either getting high or trying to get lai… Well, we wont go there. Let’s just say I learned to unicycle.
Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
I get the laughs, questions of whether I’m going to run away and join the circus, and a fair number of incredulous looks and questions about how this fits in with my other hobbies. My other hobbies include spinning, teddy bear making, decoupage, quilting, etc.
My colleagues at work are convinced that I am the only geostatistician who unicycles. I’m off to Banff in September for Geostats 2004 and HOPE like anything to meet another unicyclist, even if they just live in Banff and will pretend to be there for Geostats 2004, just to prove the smug SOB’s wrong.
Jayne
I always get “are you a clown?” and “are you in the circus?”
Only very few people have encouraged me, while a majority have laughed dismissively.
On a few occasions I’ve had little kids ask me, “Are you in the circus?” and after I’d laughed and said no they’d say, “Well you should be…you’re good at that”. I like comments from friendly kids.
Raphael,
Thanks for sharing, that’s very interesting.
lala
Most of my friends didnt blink when i told them i want to start learning…im just that weird.
My dad has a unicycle from when he was like 15, and then it was his bar vehicle…and i grew up trying to learn, but only half heartedly…
Theni stopped growing, gained somewhat of co-ordination, and decided to try. My dad is 6’4" so his shoulders worked great!
I’ve got mounting and once i get going im ok, but its still shaky.
So i thought, hey, now im a unicyclist (or so i like to think…) I started to cruise websites, found MUni, and decided that is what i have to do. MUni.
So one day in Vancouver my dad and I come across a bike shop with 5 unicycles in the window (when does that happen?) 2 regular unis, 2 MUnis (i immediately mentioned my up and coming birthday…) and a giraffe…
Needless to say, i got the MUni and my dad got the giraffe. But my dad lives on the mainland, and i live on an island, so i have to get over there to pick it up 
Getting back to the point…
My friends just nodd and say ok…dont think they’ll believe it until they see it.
Like i said, my friends aren’t surprised, but i think they come to expect things like this from me…like i said to my dad “no sane person decides to ride a unicyle”
looking back on post wooooo thats long…sorry!
Jayne, I can’t prove them wrong but Kris Holm is a geologist by education. Maybe if geologist is a 50% hit on geostatistician, and Kris counts at least 200% as a unicyclist, your colleagues ARE wrong after all.
Klaas Bil
(Your sig applies.)
in general, people in australia are a lot friendlier. its true.
-grant
Oh, don’t get me started. One of the worst ones was the pat on the back and the, “that’s good for you, Nick.” Which wouldn’t have been so bad if a month later when she saw me unicycle, she was completely surprised I wasn’t juggling fire and in a full clown suit.
I’ve had people worry for space for it, automatically assuming it was over 6’ tall. 
Mostly, the worst I get is just people assuming ‘unicycle’ means ‘juggling unicycle clown’. I wish I could show them any of the unicycle trials clips I’ve seen on the internet.
From small kids: Are you working in a circus? Why do you practise it then?
and
“look, a trick-bike” (even heard that from an older woman!)
My friends keep calling me clown. Maybe because I also juggle. One of my friends keep telling me that it’s very dangerous to unicycle.
I showed one of my friends som freestyle/trial videos and he got interested. So I brought the uni to the school when I had a short day and he tried it out. Now he wants to have one, but he hasnt got the money so I hope the interest won’t die…
The reactions in the school were kinda odd. Noone said anything to me, except my friends. Not even when I played basket ball with my friends. Later on, some quys and girls wanted to try it. Half-heartedly (hm did I spell that right? :P). But one guy did pretty well.
Oh yeah: “Can you juggle on it” … I certanly could practise that, but I don’t want too 
Hehe I got one left. I showed my dad some Uni-videoclips on the computer. He said that they’re like the guys from Jackass.
Often Turkish men scare you with making a move like they would tackle you, on exact the moment you pass them.
I think it’s saying much about the person who does this.
Yesterday, in a reflex I’ve hit a guy (pretty hard).
I did’nt consider to apologize, but continued my way.
Listen to this My dad and stepmother come over the house the other day with her brother and sister-in law. So four people over the age of 60 are sitting there and when I show them my uni, 2 out of the 4 of them want to try it!! My stepmom almost makes a hole in the wall, falling off immediately, her brother sits on it in the hallway, very awkwardly but stays on. It was just amazing the response the unicycle got!!
can i try?
when my dad’s uni was in the bike shop getting a new innertube, the guy had to hide it because he had it sitting out, and every person that walked in wanted to try it!
you know the common sayings, like “Can’t you afford a real bike?” and so on, so do you have any funny answers to those?
Something that they think is funny too.
I use to say something like “So you are one of those who needs a support wheel?” I have don’t know if support wheel is the right word but I mean those 2 wheels kids have when they learn to ride a bike
i started a post about that awhile back, do a search for it. i think the title was something like “answers to unicycle questions” or something like that
edit: i found it
-grant
thank you 
johnfoss, posted a definitive list of responses aswel, but i dont have time to find a link