I was walking home from work yesterday and when I got to the corner, I heard a woman talking and didn't hear a voice answering back. I didn't pay attention too much at first because, well we're in the 21st century. We have cell phones the size of grapes and earpieces that are installed in your head for a nominal $49.99 fee.
However, when I looked, really looked, I saw there was no Bluetooth, BlackBerry, or trendy tech device attached to her ear or hip. There was nothing. This woman was talking to herself.
You've got to love good old fashioned "crazy."
Being my normal compassionate and caring self, I tried to stay as far away from this chick as I could.
She saw me though and she said, "What the hell are you lookin' at you stupid nigger?!"
The woman was black, but it's not like I cared about her race at this point. I just couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth.
Now I had one of two ways I could react to the situation:
A. beat the hell out of a crazy lady and then write a blog about life in a Cook County prison; or
B. breathe deeply, realize this person wasn't in their right mind and move on
After about a minute of debating in my head, I chose the second of both reactions for one reason: There were people watching me -- a group of tourists.
How do I know they were tourists? Well the lady with the headset talking about the Sears Tower and the people wearing fanny packs were pretty much a dead giveaway.
I just imagined what could happen giving in to the temptation and putting that woman in a headlock with my right arm while pummeling her with my left fist (I say I'd use my left fist because that's my strongest).
The impression these people walk away with about Chicago is concerning for me, but most of all I didn't want witnesses to what could be a very physical, LOUD and profane answer back to this loon. I didn't want to seem like a stereotype, I guess -- the neck-rolling, finger-waving black woman.
I'm not ashamed of who I am and I'm not Uncle Tom'ing it up for a group of white tourists. It's just that I didn't want to represent myself in a way I thought someone was expecting. Is that wrong?
However, when I looked, really looked, I saw there was no Bluetooth, BlackBerry, or trendy tech device attached to her ear or hip. There was nothing. This woman was talking to herself.
You've got to love good old fashioned "crazy."
Being my normal compassionate and caring self, I tried to stay as far away from this chick as I could.
She saw me though and she said, "What the hell are you lookin' at you stupid nigger?!"
The woman was black, but it's not like I cared about her race at this point. I just couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth.
Now I had one of two ways I could react to the situation:
A. beat the hell out of a crazy lady and then write a blog about life in a Cook County prison; or
B. breathe deeply, realize this person wasn't in their right mind and move on
After about a minute of debating in my head, I chose the second of both reactions for one reason: There were people watching me -- a group of tourists.
How do I know they were tourists? Well the lady with the headset talking about the Sears Tower and the people wearing fanny packs were pretty much a dead giveaway.
I just imagined what could happen giving in to the temptation and putting that woman in a headlock with my right arm while pummeling her with my left fist (I say I'd use my left fist because that's my strongest).
The impression these people walk away with about Chicago is concerning for me, but most of all I didn't want witnesses to what could be a very physical, LOUD and profane answer back to this loon. I didn't want to seem like a stereotype, I guess -- the neck-rolling, finger-waving black woman.
I'm not ashamed of who I am and I'm not Uncle Tom'ing it up for a group of white tourists. It's just that I didn't want to represent myself in a way I thought someone was expecting. Is that wrong?
