Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A RANDOM THOUGHT

While staying in the city for a week, I noticed that most people on the street and in public transportation refused to make eye contact with me. I, on the other hand, always look at peoples' faces and if they make eye contact with me, I smile and say a friendly greeting. Then, I noticed that most of the people who made eye contact were people who were panhandlers, crazy street people, religious fanatics, and lost tourists who were seeking directions. "Aha", I said to my self. So that's why no one looks at me. They are afraid I will ask them for spare change, directions, or help, or give a sermon. I was saddened by this revelation but then I wondered if I might be one of the crazy people. And it was then that I stopped being friendly and just ignored everybody like the rest of humanity. And that's too bad.  
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6 comments:

  1. Patrick FeroSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:13 PM

    Dear Lance: Congratulations on beating the syndrome. You'll be far safer for it. In case you weren't aware, the Tsar's Book of History names this the Auschwitz Syndrome because it was there that people learned to avoid being noticed, which could adds days to one's life. It's also a valuable lesson for those who may become hostages: Do not make eye contact with the abducters who might just pick you to be the next victim if you make contact.
    There's one other thing you should seriously consider: stay off city streets!! Your odds of survival will increase dramatically.
    -TsarPat

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  2. Freelance ThinkerSeptember 21, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    Dear TsarPat,

    You sound like some of the crazy street people that I made friends with. I think it is a little far fetched to compare Auschwitz with Chicago. I did meet a hostage who claimed he was abducted by Sara Palin and the tea party. Big cities are interesting but dangerous. I'll give you that!

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  3. BrendaSeptember 22, 2011 at 3:52 AM

    Maybe Chicago is unfriendly. In Detroit, people say "hello" or "How ya doin'" all the time, even at 2am. I guess we do it so we don't get mugged. Who's going to kill me now that I disarmed them with a friendly comment or smile?

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  4. Patrick FeroSeptember 22, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    Dear Lance: It was not the Tsar's intention to compare Chicago with Auschwitz, but instead compare the possible results of human interaction everywhere.
    Some humans prey on other humans and a dense body of statistics shows that it happens more in U.S. cities than elsewhere.
    Unfortunately, praying does not prevent preying; therefore, we have to protect ourselves by avoiding deadly hotspots. The Tsar avoids U.S. cities like the plague. (This will only get worse as cities, quite wrongly in my opinion, cut back on safety and security assets to save money (but not, we can be assured, lives).)
    -TsarPat

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  5. Freelance ThinkerSeptember 22, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    Hey Brenda,
    Good to hear from you. Another explanation of why Detroit is more friendly is that all the sane people have left town. The crazy people who are looking for help are the only ones left. (Of course you are not a street person but some consider you to be a little crazy__in a good way!

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  6. BrendaSeptember 23, 2011 at 4:35 AM

    I am pretty crazy working in Detroit at night.

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