Social dinosaurs won't go extinct as long as they continue to breed.

One day I was walking down a sidewalk when I spotted a man I had encountered on a few occasions before, walking on the other side of the street. He was suffering from some physical disability that obliged him to walk in the tortured aspect of a hunchback. He apparently was employed somewhere, and he obviously took some pride in dressing in smart outfits that told the world “Don’t feel sorry for me.” But on this occasion he was taking just a few steps at a time before stopping to rest, holding onto the nearest pole or fence. I supposed that his condition had deteriorated since the last time I’d seen him, and for some reason I had it in my mind that I ought to shadow him just in case he fell down, since he obviously wasn’t going to be able to get back up without help. This lasted about ten long minutes, in between which he was almost hit by a car whose driver seemed oblivious to his disability; probably too busy being dumb with the “smart” phone. 

The man eventually made his way inside a trailer park, so I continued on my way at normal speed. Since it is late in the year, it was becoming dusk by the time of the evening rush hour traffic. At some point I approached a bus stop with a shelter. As I got closer I noticed that someone was standing near the stop post, but then retreated inside the shelter. I also observed that the blinker light used to notify a bus driver that someone was there was turned on. As I passed the stop, I could see that this person was a middle-aged white female who had covered herself up with only her face showing; she looked at me with a disturbing degree of apprehension, but I kept on going. I speculated that a comment was in order, but thought the better of it. 

As I kept pushing forward, something started to gnaw at me. It had been five minutes since I passed this person, and I had still not noticed a bus pass by; it would be another five before one did. Now, why should this bother me? Remember that this person had activated the stop blinker light just before I reached the bus stop. But there was no bus; she was trying to make me think that there was a bus approaching, so that I wouldn’t have some idea of assaulting or robbing her—in full view of a stream of passing cars. This is the kind of white paranoia that I have to deal with all the time, especially from white women. It is true that most who I encounter on regular basis don’t behave this way, but it is clear that the first (and only) impression of most is based on ugly racial stereotypes.

This past Sunday, the Seattle Times published a “special” about how race is still a complicated issue in this country. I don’t need to read the trashy Times or listen to hate-talk maven Michael (Wiener) Savage on the radio to know that. But as usual it tried to paint white women as being non-racist, and it has not been my experience that white women are any less capable of racism than white men (or, admittedly, a few black Metro bus drivers toward a certain group). I admit that white woman on the other side of the spectrum are “friendlier” and more personable than men, trying harder to “prove” they are not prejudiced. However, I find white women who are racists more despicable than those who are men, because while men try to “rationalize” their hate, that of women comes from a more elemental, primitive place that requires no explanation. They also seem to be more condescending and haughty in their rejection of certain groups as human beings; I observe this every time I’m on a bus.  

Most of this is due to ignorance, of course, although some will call it “rational discrimination” based on “justifiable” precaution. Recently I needed to go to an ATM machine and withdraw some money. It was around 8 PM and was already quite dark. The only other person in sight was a short Latina who appeared to be indigenous in "ethnicity." Even though I was standing next to her she didn't seem to be "disturbed" or frightened by my presence at all; I thought that I even detected a smile on her face. Perhaps it was because in her experience people "like me" were not likely to cause any trouble. She didn't "know" me personally of course, but there are just some things you know instinctually, if you've spent most of your life around certain types and know their habits. 

On the other hand, some people think they do "know" you, but not because they have any personal experience, but through the stereotypes and prejudices they harbor. The sad fact is that I certainly know them better than they "know" me. I keep thinking that the social dinosaurs will eventually die off, but for some reason the breed just won't go extinct.