All or One

So today I'm driving along and it's around 5:00 and 75 South is already stacked. I'm not in a big hurry, so I decide to avoid the highway and drive the long way around.

I know where I'm going but it's not area I'm not familiar with the way I am my own neighborhood or areas I drive more frequently. I was making a right turn and traffic stops suddenly. It doesn't seem like a big deal except I'm stopped directly in front of what seems to be one of those long driveways, like you see in front of trucking companies.

A car comes up and since I had thought it was a driveway, I had stopped far enough back so that the car was able to get through. But I had given the car just enough to be polite driveway space not, all the way back far enough for an intersection space. It turns out that what I thought was a driveway was actually a street.

How do I know this? Because after the car squeaks through, a blonde haired, thin man walking two dogs points starts pointing at me. At first I don't understand why this guy is pointing and addressing me but he looks like it's urgent so I roll down my window. Then I realize he's yelling at me and pointing to a DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTION sign. OK, I get it, but damn, the car had already gotten through and I'd just made a simple mistake, right?

No. That's not enough for blond guy with two dogs. I was going to explain that I hadn't noticed the sign or the street, "my bad" but he has to take it to the next level.
"The SIGN says DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTION! You don't have the right to block the intersection just because you're black. Can't you read? The sign says..."
My expression: WTF?

I missed whatever he said next. I quickly rolled up my window and fortunately the traffic moved on. I made it to my destination and then I realized I had my digital camera and I wished I'd had the presence of mind to snap a picture of him. I went back and retraced my steps but he must have taken his dogs home.

I know this incident is not indicative of all white people just like my failure not to partially block an intersection is not indicative of all black people.

But incidents like this over and over and over, like getting called a nigger nearly every time I play yahoo hearts...

It leaves me baffled and confused and yes hurt. It also leaves me wondering...why are there still white people who act like this?

Comments

  1. I would comment, but cincysuz will sniff me out and call it an example of my self-loathing.

    ReplyDelete

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