Foul Language on the Bus
I was riding the bus today and a bunch of young black guys (25 years old and younger, I believe) were ranting about life. That was fine, but their language was so horrendous. "Bitch" this and "Nigga" that and "shit" this. They went on and on, getting louder and louder, until the conversation turned to how they never wanted to "bang basic bitches" and instead, would turn to teachers and deans and school counselors. Yeah, that was an actual conversation.
Normally I'm immune to this kind of language, but near the front of the bus, a little girl (maybe about five or six) sat with her father. I gave eye-rolls to the dad, and he seemed to understand that I didn't approve of the language, but the little girl...just the look on her face. At first I thought she was oblivious to it all, but as the language got worse and the situations more graphic, I could tell she knew it was "bad."
I was torn between checking these guys and my fear of being attacked, verbally or physically. At the end of it, I felt slightly abnormal and disappointed with myself. This little black girl, who basically is new to the world, was assaulted by a bunch of young black men. Why? They saw her. The knew she was there. They had an entire conversation about how women in Chicago get "split" from ear to ear in gang violence. As a positive.
What would you have done in this situation?
Normally I'm immune to this kind of language, but near the front of the bus, a little girl (maybe about five or six) sat with her father. I gave eye-rolls to the dad, and he seemed to understand that I didn't approve of the language, but the little girl...just the look on her face. At first I thought she was oblivious to it all, but as the language got worse and the situations more graphic, I could tell she knew it was "bad."
I was torn between checking these guys and my fear of being attacked, verbally or physically. At the end of it, I felt slightly abnormal and disappointed with myself. This little black girl, who basically is new to the world, was assaulted by a bunch of young black men. Why? They saw her. The knew she was there. They had an entire conversation about how women in Chicago get "split" from ear to ear in gang violence. As a positive.
What would you have done in this situation?