The Return Of Mechasmack

Every once in a while, you encounter someone on the train acting like an animal. What I mean by that is they seem to be making lots of noise just to bring attention to themselves and/or establishing dominance of their space. It's like they're trying to emphasize that they don't care what you think about them. If they do intimidate you, they are proud of that fact. Out of all the things that can be annoying about traveling on the CTA, this bothers me the most because it's usually a young black male that acts this way.

I recently saw a play by Rebecca Gilman called Spinning Into Butter. It dealt with racism on a college campus. One of the characters related how she used to have the bleeding heart liberal attitude towards minorities, feeling that they have been short changed and the bad situations they may be in now are a result of the legacy of racism in this country. But over time, dealing with them and seeing them make mistakes in life, over and over, her attitude changed. She no longer felt that their hardships were due to oppression. Rather, it was their own fault. They wasted the opportunities given to them. And she went even further to state how she even felt an aversion to black people, especially black males. When she got on a train, they were the last people she would sit next to.

This part of the play really struck a chord with me. It was a raw, honest opinion that you don't hear too often these days. Taken out of context it would come across as racist. But I can truly relate. When I see these young men acting out on the train, I'm embarrased. Part of me wants to yell at them to shut up and grow up. But is it my place to do so? I shouldn't have to. And worst of all I feel like even though it's not me, it reflects on me. There is stereotypical image of black men in this country and I know I don't fit into it. But I feel like too many non-black people still see us a some monolithic race. Most of us are in jail or on welfare. We can't speak proper English. If Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson says something, then it is the official opinion of all black folks. I rejected those stereotypes back in high school and it's troubling to me that they seem have gained momentum.

All I can do is be myself. Keep it real? I've been keeping it real for 20 years. I get up in the morning and put on a suit and and go to work and banter about the weather on the elevator and generally keep to myself during the commute. That pretty much makes me invisible. But I do notice when the seat next to me is the last one filled.