Microaggression?

For those of you who have never heard me whine about my physical impairments, I have a six inch plate and eight screws permanently affixed to my lower right leg, arthritis, a damaged metatarsal nerve, and sciatica. While none of these conditions are debilitating, and I exercise daily, by most medical classifications, I am indeed considered handi-capable.

For my over all health, I take the hills, and make my walking as beneficial as possible. I did just that on my journey to the grocery store earlier. I slowly made my way up the unshoveled hill on Madison Street towards Comstock Avenue. It is a brisk day, but sunny, lovely.

I traverse snowy unshoveled ground gingerly, in that the plate is the result of a fall on black ice. Looking ahead of me I noticed two sorority sisters dressed in their signature black down parkas and Ray Bans, walking towards me in conversation. One was taller than the other, and neither could have weighed one hundred pounds. I continued to walk, watch the ground and them, in that the walking space was very narrow. As they approached, I assumed they would move to their right in that there was a bank of snow at least a couple feet high to my right.

The shorter of the two looked up at me just ten feet from me. When they reached me they didn't take a half step to the right as I anticipated. The shorter girl walking in front, with a determined look on her face rammed right into me. She did not excuse herself. A little shocked, I stopped and told them that they needed to share the sidewalk. The second girl looked shocked as well, but rather she looked at me as if she could not believe what "I" had just done to her sister. The first girl still did not acknowledge me. She prompted the other girl to continue her conversation as if nothing had happened.

When you believe that you are so important to the world, and so much better than others that you believe a guy nearly forty years your senior should hop into a snow bank to make way for you, that's not just bad manners, that's some privilege crap.

White Guys Behaving Badly

All twelve registers in the grocery store had at least four people waiting. I imagine that it was so busy because the past few days have been so wintry.

As I waited patiently, a man a couple carts behind me bellowed "Is anybody working here?" He was ignored so, he got louder, and directed his attention to my cashier and the store employee whispering to her. "Hey, if you want to have a personal conversation go the fuck outside!" The cashier half smiled, and the 20-something Latino employee dude's expression was akin to "I know this MF ain't stressin me?"

I looked behind me to see an; angry, overweight, 60-ish, white man. He looked as if he wanted a fight. Just then another customer in the next lane with the exact same discriptors shouted at the man "Hey, watch your mouth there are nice people here!"

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be? You got a problem with me, we can take it outside," angry man yelled. Feeling uncomfortable, I stared at the cart in front of me and wondered what the French looking dude hanging on to it was going to do with two dozen cans of sardines? He smiled am uncomfortable smile. He didn't want to be in an impromptu brawl either.

The two grey-haired pony tailed dudes continued. The mid-40's sharp looking black manager guy walked up to them, and without a word brought them both to silence. The Savior of our sensibilities, and Mr. Privilege returned to their carts.

"Geez, you got to watch those guys with ponytails," I told the cashier when it was my turn.

Caregiver

As I walked in today's frigid tundra, I noticed about a half block ahead, a person "parked" in the middle of the southbound driving lane. Vehicle after vehicle swerved to miss who I could now clearly see was an elderly white gentleman on a burgundy motorized scooter. Across the street was a corner store, and a funeral home parking lot on my side.

I wasn't sure what to think. I walked slowly past as people walking and in cars appeared curious, yet no one approached the man. Well, you know yours truly... I walked over to the man and said. " Sir, are you alright?" He told me that he was okay, but couldn't get his scooter over the snow bank. I asked if I could help? He repeated that he was "fine," but this time added that he was waiting for his caregiver, as he pointed towards the store.

I looked over in the direction of where he pointed, and noticed a 35-ish black woman walking towards us with a "I'll cut a b!tch" expression. She glared at me, and I have seen the look before. It was as if to say "Why aren't you minding your own F-ing business." The look was so harsh that I looked away.

Then, old man started up his scooter, and motored forward. He thanked me as he got going. He now 75 yards ahead of me. I looked behind me, and the caregiver was 75 yards behind me.