"Somewhere in germany - and when ugly shit happens I cannot go quietly." (Hey, that rhymes!)
Riding on the train in the middle of the night ... with some strangers. It's me, a vietnamese lady with two adorable children, and her friend from africa. He's a very small, very smiley black man. I like them immediately. We chat and realize that none of us have a ticket. We laugh ...
The African Friend goes over to this random guy, and asks if they can ride with him on a group ticket (up to 5 people). He goes, "I don't take any niggers." Deep breath ... whew.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. The smile falls from our man's face. Oh, great. I call our friend back over to us. At least fists aren't flying. Yet. That other guy looked so normal! (You never know.) Needless to say, I am opponent of racism wherever it lingers, whether it be in Alabama or London. Mississippi is perhaps the worst. I once met an old Black Panther and he said that the normal/nice people are the ones you have to watch the most. But this guy wasn't a Black Panther, he was just a guy on a train who needed a ticket. What was much worse than the rising anger in my breast was the fact that those two kids heard that terrible word!
I looked over at Mr. Ugly (we'll call him). You fucking pinhead. "I'm with them," I said very politely, "and I think that's mean, what you said. You really shouldn't say such things." Then I gave him my best Clint Eastwood stare. Tell ya, I ain't no angel, but (as the song says) I cannot go quietly ... Suddenly Mr. Ugly realized that he was out-numbered. He transformed from a mighty Prejudiced King to a Puny Wannabee. I gave a quick wink to the Children Of Tomorrow to let them know I was on their side. Brief poem interlude:
My inner fury almost got the best of me
My inner fury almost got the best of me
If you were worth it I'd knock you out
But I ain't gonna let you/it get to me
That may sound Zen, but I tell ya, I was pretty pissed off! Could have easily transformed back into a heart-less Wrestler from my high school days, put the bastard's words in a head-lock. Makes me jittery. Then Mr. Ugly got up, and slowly walked over. He said, "Actually, um, I do have a group ticket. Give me 5 euros and you can all ride with me ..." I'm still not sure if he had a change of heart, or if he just wanted beer money. There was a silence that hung in the air like a tomb. Was this guy a fascist, or just drunk party bum who felt big when approached by a tiny black man, or what? Pathetic. Some things change - and some things never do! Silence - what on earth do we do?
"Three euros," said the African.
Posted by calico at April 18, 2008 07:34 AM