Racist Commute

Certain voices and cacophonous sounds have a racial component to them. Consider this subway experience: You are sitting on a half empty train, exhausted, and ready to fade into sleep. Suddenly, a noticeable group of black teenagers swarm the train from two open doors and converge on the empty seats. Their loud, quarrelsome voices permeate the previously still subway atmosphere. You hear their loud chortles and exaggerated speech. You sense the antagonism in the air, you hear particular black slang words and the N word being exchanged like it's part of the group's diet. Immediately you clutch your personal belongings and tuck your iPod and earphones into your jacket and conceal them forever. You look to your near left and right to find a few passengers in your company, but they are feigning sleep. Therefore, you steal a surreptitious glance at these young men because you want to know that they are not staring at you. A few minutes later you could tell from the corner of your eye that they are staring you down and sizing you up from across the subway car. Do you move to another car or do you get off at the next stop?

Part of my language in describing this group of black men is racialized and highly stereotyped. I use words like guffaw and chortle to indicate the group's undeniable volume, tone, and guttural laughter. Their generous use of slang words and casual N word exchanges give way to hardened language. Tune in carefully and you will hear their conversation: they are talking about a fight they got out of and how out of hands thing out. You hear references to blood, money, death. In the middle of all this, you start to panic and become overwhelmed with paranoia. You wonder if they will head towards you and pull a knife on you. But you see them getting up. Your heart beat slows down and you anticipate a sigh of relief as the train rolls into their station. You are nearly safe. Until they start walking towards your end of the train, with pants sagging and curse-words flowing They give you a dirty stare, mumble insensitive rap lyrics, and disappear from the train.

Now consider this: You are extremely bored and you are on your way home from work. At the following stop, a group of white private school teens swarm the train from all sides and they occupy all the seats. Their whiteness somehow makes you feel a little more at ease. Although the teens' voices are loud and momentarily obnoxious, you do not consider them an eyesore. Most importantly, you do not consider them a threat. You are safe because you do not assume white teenagers will pick pocket you or savagely knife you in the throat.

These two examples could be compared to the mean example of "Would you rather walk down a dark alley where there is a black man coming towards you or whether there's a Chinese food delivery man heading towards you?" Now this question has an obvious question filled with hateful racial understanding and implicit stereotypical understanding concerning Asians and inner city African American population. Apparently persons will sense that a Black male coming your way must be an overwhelming, unsafe figure who is capable of bodily harm or antagonism. However, an Asian male is stereotypically thin, small, shy, incapable of wreaking any kind of havoc. It would be a miracle if he knew any English.

The train example sets the mood for an uneasy and vigilant train ride home. The group of black students looked increasingly suspicious, unschooled, unruly, and cunning. They seemed to be plotting who to rob on the train. Their eyes scanned all the passengers and they dig through their pockets for something. You can see the wild intention in their eyes. The very fact that they are so tightknit and so loud demonstrates their strong formation as a group. If you try to fight back, you know you are no match to eight tall black men.