They give real cyclists a bad name.
I was riding that much all through the '70s and '80s. Went to high school riding with George Mount, if you recall who he was; that guy was an animal. In those dayse, it was Italian bikes, Campagnolo ONLY, silk sew-ups, and wool pants (I still have a brass Campagnolo Record derailleur). The manufacturers barely had what anybody would rationally call a helmet (the first Bell helmets really sucked). Cities didn't have bars on the drain gratings and nobody was looking for bicycles. Cops wanted me on the sidewalk (even though I was keeping up with or beating traffic). Car brakes were a lot worse too (I had more than one emergency stop balancing on my front wheel).
The really bad part of those days was that it was BS (before spandex). There were hardly ANY women who would ride at all. Man, that sucked.
Used to use Cinelli pedals, wearing what they called "death cleats."
Pull out the latch and the pin would drive into the dovetailed cleat on the shoe. I loved those things because you could haul like hell on them when climbing or accelerating from a stop (used to destroy spokes :-), but every once in a while, I'd lose a track stand and just go over and lie there until I could get them unlocked.
Anyway, I rode well over 100k mi that way without an injury accident (had to flip the bike over end into the bushes or onto a lawn a couple of times), but I must say it took a certain amount of aggression to stay alive. Eye contact was an absolute must and forced visibility even better. From a light, one had to get out front, take a lane, and keep it, especially on a multi-lane city street (where I did a good bit of my riding at 25-35mph). Car drivers didn't like it, even if, for the most part, it WAS the law and I got just as far and as fast as they did (there's a LOT less glass in the lane too). Drivers just don't think you belong there and can get pissy about it. In fact, to me the most dangerous riders are those who let themselves get squeezed to the right and allow cars to pass under unsafe conditions. For a while, I even had to keep copies of sections of the vehicle code, complete with sketches so that I could explain the issues for the benefit of people who didn't get it, including policemen (motorcycle cops in LA were the worst).
So, in some respects, I sorta feel like it's guys like me who made it possible for folks later on. While I agree with you that Critical Mass is a bunch of dope-headed idiots, I have some compassion for their complaints, and if you'd ever ridden in Holland you'd know why. The mass of riders these days has made it easier, mostly in equipment and the expectations of drivers, but the infrastructure could be a lot better and the states do almost nothing about it (except recreational "bicycle paths" which no one serious would ever use). So without some degree of noise, cyclists would never overcome the car lobby long enough to get very much of anything, but it is also wrong that they don't pay for roads. So, (I know you're going to hate this) but my suggestion is that they pay a tax for infrastructure with the purchase of all equipment (I think that's the first time EVER in nearly ten years on FR that I've recommended a tax). I just don't know a fairer way to raise the money that should be spent, and I'm TOTALLY opposed to state licensing (put a stamp into my Somec and you'll die, nor do I want a freaking chip tracking me). With better facilities, particularly boxes for parking, people would save a lot of money and be healthier.