Strange Demonstrations Evoke Fear, Laughter, Confusion
I suppose that this is as good a point as any to let you into the strange world that is living in Brooklyn. Actually, this has nothing to do with living in Brooklyn other than the fact that it occurred on the subway as I was headed back to Brooklyn. It’s really just a way of letting you into the strange world that is my daily existence:
While headed down into the L train this evening (always a bastion of strange occurrences), I noticed a “Dance Against Sarah Palin” rally in the middle of the Union Sq. subway station. Naturally, it consisted of four or five very hipstery youths (as does any dance-themed political protest in a public space) who were grinding ironically against one another to some classic 80′s hits.
This is not so much what caught my attention (though I was slightly tempted to join in on the fun until I remembered that I have never once enjoyed the act of dancing, ever). What really struck me as odd was the older woman in front of me who seemed so remarkably upset by the movement. Of course, we all have every right to be irrationally upset over political protests that in no way obstruct our paths or in any way affect our day to day lives. But this woman took bitterness in a direction I never thought possible.
Upon seeing this fine display of political activism as expressed by “getting jiggy with it” (as I believe it is called) the woman in front of me remarked to absolutely nobody: “Yeah, dancing’s fun now, but wait ’till you spend seven hours in the emergency room.”
This may seem like a simple death threat, nothing uncommon in the New York City Subway, but she continued speaking to herself, further elaborating her point. To herself: “As soon as you slip, fall, and go to the hospital with a broken hip, we’ll see who’s laughing.”
Well, the person laughing was none other than yours truly. I laughed all the way down the steps and onto the L train, at which point the various girls in freakishly large, freakishly fashionable, glasses all stared at me as though I was an insane person on the train. While I may very well be (tests are pending), I’m almost certain the craziest person on the train this evening was the woman who had wished a broken hip upon some crazy youngsters for exercising their American right to boogie.
Update: Here’s a video of what Dancing Against Sarah Palin might look like. I’m not sure if these are the same people, or if this is somehow catching on. Anyway, you won’t enjoy watching it. Trust me:
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