(no subject)
ugh. UGH. Today on the subway at one of the stops a middle eastern man, in his mid-20s maybe, was getting off and a white man was getting on. When they passed eachother the white man wheeled around and started shouting, "FUCKING ARAB SAVAGE! BLOOD ON THE GROUND... I WAS THERE! I WAS THERE! SAVAGE! FUCKING ARAB SAVAGE!" The middle eastern guy turned around and said something back which I couldn't hear, and the other guy just kept yelling "FUCKING SAVAGE!" He even stood in the middle of the doorway to keep it open so he could keeping yelling. Then the middle eastern guy just lost it. He turned back towards the guy and took a swing at him, but the door shut and he ended up punching the glass, cracking and nearly shattering it.
This whole exchange lasted probably 60-90 seconds and no one...did anything. Including myself. A few people yelled to the white guy, "just stop!" and "take it easy!" But that was the extent of it. Words were failing me and all I wanted to do was hurt the guy... if I was twice my size (and had twice my courage) I would have done SOMETHING. I've heard about this kind of thing happening all the time, and I've seen it a number of times as well. Except it had always been just noticing some sideways glances, hearing hateful banter, or hearing stories. The hate in the guy's voice when he was yelling...ugh. It was sickening. What gets me is that he also had kids with him. KIDS! What's he teaching them?!
When the train started moving again there was a brief period of complete silence and then everyone started with their usual chatter again. Just like that! Even the guy yelling started talking with his family about the marathon they were going to. Like nothing had happened. I can't remember the last time I was so angry and sad at the same time. I even found myself trying not to make eye contact with the guy, who was just a person or two away from me, because what if he started yelling at ME? Does that make me a coward? For not saying anything and just avoiding him? Doesn't he realize he is just making it worse? If I was angry I can't imagine how the guy he was yelling at is feeling...
Humph.
This whole exchange lasted probably 60-90 seconds and no one...did anything. Including myself. A few people yelled to the white guy, "just stop!" and "take it easy!" But that was the extent of it. Words were failing me and all I wanted to do was hurt the guy... if I was twice my size (and had twice my courage) I would have done SOMETHING. I've heard about this kind of thing happening all the time, and I've seen it a number of times as well. Except it had always been just noticing some sideways glances, hearing hateful banter, or hearing stories. The hate in the guy's voice when he was yelling...ugh. It was sickening. What gets me is that he also had kids with him. KIDS! What's he teaching them?!
When the train started moving again there was a brief period of complete silence and then everyone started with their usual chatter again. Just like that! Even the guy yelling started talking with his family about the marathon they were going to. Like nothing had happened. I can't remember the last time I was so angry and sad at the same time. I even found myself trying not to make eye contact with the guy, who was just a person or two away from me, because what if he started yelling at ME? Does that make me a coward? For not saying anything and just avoiding him? Doesn't he realize he is just making it worse? If I was angry I can't imagine how the guy he was yelling at is feeling...
Humph.