Racial Disharmony on the E train
Every morning I take the E train from Queens into Manhattan which sucks so incredibly much I may revert to taking the 7 (or, god forbid, the L) even though it takes a good 10 minutes longer. The stop where I catch the E is the last one before Manhattan and so has been slowly accumulating people for an entire borough. By the time I get on, sardine-can is an understatement. Once we get into Manhattan people start getting out so it isn’t so bad, but the trip under the east river is pretty awful.
But this morning it wasn’t the pressure cooker that put me in a horrible mood. Hell is other people.
After the usual hell trip under the east river people started piling out at the first stop in Manhattan. In an effort to get out of the way I headed towards the end of the car. I saw a seat opening up next to an older Asian gentleman. Huzah! I thought and headed towards it. But a young Asian lady, about my age has also seen it and we noticed each other at the same time. Instead of being an asshole and racing her to the seat I let her take it and leaned up against the door.
Well, standing next to me was this middle-aged, beefy, white guy with a thick New York accent. Sort of the epitome of the stereotypical New Yorker. He’d seen this whole thing play out and turned to me smiling.
“Those damn Chinese, they’re always fighting with each other.”
At first I didn’t think I had heard him correctly through my headphones but the older Asian guy looked up at him, looked at me and started to stand to give his seat to me.
“No, its okay.” And I gestured for him to sit back down.
“You sure?” Said beefy guy, smirking at me.
“Shut the fuck up.” It came out soft, and almost questioning, but I said it and it shocked him. He immediately turned his back to me and went back to reading his tabloid. And that’s what made me most angry. His shock that I didn’t agree with him. That he assumed, that just because I am white, he and I could share a moment complaining about the Chinese.
I often hate being white. Fucking racists ruin it for everyone.
But this morning it wasn’t the pressure cooker that put me in a horrible mood. Hell is other people.
After the usual hell trip under the east river people started piling out at the first stop in Manhattan. In an effort to get out of the way I headed towards the end of the car. I saw a seat opening up next to an older Asian gentleman. Huzah! I thought and headed towards it. But a young Asian lady, about my age has also seen it and we noticed each other at the same time. Instead of being an asshole and racing her to the seat I let her take it and leaned up against the door.
Well, standing next to me was this middle-aged, beefy, white guy with a thick New York accent. Sort of the epitome of the stereotypical New Yorker. He’d seen this whole thing play out and turned to me smiling.
“Those damn Chinese, they’re always fighting with each other.”
At first I didn’t think I had heard him correctly through my headphones but the older Asian guy looked up at him, looked at me and started to stand to give his seat to me.
“No, its okay.” And I gestured for him to sit back down.
“You sure?” Said beefy guy, smirking at me.
“Shut the fuck up.” It came out soft, and almost questioning, but I said it and it shocked him. He immediately turned his back to me and went back to reading his tabloid. And that’s what made me most angry. His shock that I didn’t agree with him. That he assumed, that just because I am white, he and I could share a moment complaining about the Chinese.
I often hate being white. Fucking racists ruin it for everyone.
posted by Lark(e) at 2:09 PM
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