12.12.2008

I Just Wanted to See the Doc

It seems like I can't go anywhere without hearing some racist bullshit come out of someone's mouth. I was just sitting in the waiting room of this ophthalmologist's office waiting for my pupils to dilate. I walk in and this man and woman are having a conversation. They weren't together. They were sitting apart from one another and just talking about the local news.

It was innocent. A local school had some trouble with a few teachers who had marijuana in their cars. They were idiots to begin with and that's what they were both talking about. Then she says that things are getting bad out there. He says something about it getting bad for awhile. She agrees. Then he says, "It's been getting bad ever since they stopped segregation."

I shit you not.

She just let out this, "Uh huh." Not in an agreeable tone, but one that signals to anyone that has more than two brain cells communicating with one another, "That's an interesting take on the world that I don't happen to agree with." This guy was obviously not one of those people. He continued on, "And it's going to get a lot worse with that new president."

The woman stopped and, just in the nick of time, one of the nurse/assistants calls her away. I on the other hand, had to sit there a bit longer. I was just off to the side of them and was trying to look interested in the movie playing and at the same time like I was about to fall asleep and viciously attack anyone that bothered me. I need to work on that look. He tried to talk to me about some hunting trip he had been on and, luckily, I have no experience in that area. I just sat and gave him a nod/shrug/eye-roll. He kept talking, but I stopped reacting and stared at the TV.

I could have argued with him over the benefits of segregation. I could have berated him with a logically formed response containing many polysyllabic words that would have escaped his grasp, but I didn't want to waste my breath. A man that would openly speak anything along these lines as matter-of-fact would not change his beliefs based on facts given to him by a complete stranger. No matter how well-formed these facts may be.

I pray he's sterile.

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