Monday, September 13, 2004
(9:22 PM) | Anonymous:
My commute.
I commute two hours to school and two hours back. For one of those hours I am on a commuter train from the south suburbs where most of the pseudo-yuppies live. They don't drive Escalades but the version right below and they won't be able to put their kids through college but will be able to help some. Everyday I ride with these people and I often get wayward glances at my greasy hair or tattooed arms and this doesn't really bother me because I understand that I am a disturbance to their fantasy of being regular yuppies. I remind them that this train is for people who can't afford to live in the Northern 'burbs where the trains are nicer and the people wear better suits. I also don't mind because they generally leave me to myself, avoiding taking the seat next or across from me which gives me more room to sleep or read.When I tell people that I commute two hours one way they always say something like, "That's rough man!" or "Shit!" I usually reply it isn't that bad and though I used to do it out of some kind of duty to not whine now I honestly mean it. I don't know if I'd be the kind of student I am now without the abuse I've had to lay upon my body and social life everyday. I also wouldn't get to experience this odd group of people on the train everyday talking about work issues for the entire hour. Banal and mundane describe nearly every conversation I've heard so far this year. Two women complained about the mail room's speed and lamented the fact that they didn't have a more efficient system for delivering packages. Another complained of being tied up with yet another shipping problem causing her to shirk other responsibilities. I've even heard people call their friends to tell them that they quit their job, their voices cracking, their cell phone shaking.
Looking at these people, the work force that I travel with, I see how evil Capitalism really is. Granted, none of these people are starving. Few would think of themselves as having a meaningless existence due to the fact that their work is alienated from them - but they look and talk as if they are the most bored people on earth. Some try to cover it over by reading The DaVinci Code or The Bible's 50 Financial Success Secrets , but you can still see it in their slumps, their pressed suits and pant suits, and the way they look out the window just waiting for their stop.
Update: Adam R. made me realize that the quasi-yuppies present me with the same thing I present them. Namely they disrupt my fantasy that I am not a yuppie or on the track towards being one. The fact that I ride the train with them means I too may be a part of that social group.
