As much as I love Chicago sometimes; its diversity, endless activities and sights – sometimes the city makes me go crazy. At the core of Chicago culture is good ole fashioned Midwest culture. The culture that was founded on farming, thrived in industries like steel, cars, and logging, and was populated by trains and canals. Here in Chicago though, it’s where ‘friendly’ goes to die. Common courtesy dwindled away like the train in the 20th century. Mores treated as if they never existed.
It all started about four years ago when I moved here. I was at a red light patiently waiting for it to turn green. Next to me was a turn lane. Across the intersection was my lane and to the right many parked cars. The light turned green. I let off the brake and on to the gas. The car to the right of me instead of making a right turn slammed on the gas, sped in front of me, cut me off before it slammed into the cars parked in front of it, and preceded to pass me for absolutely no reason. That day I didn’t know it, but it would only be the first of hundreds of times that this exact scenario would happen or something similar.
I’ve seen cars in the left lane of a two lane road cut off the rest of traffic to make a right turn. I’ve seen cars pass me illegally down a highly populated street going 80, skipping stop signs, only to catch up to them because they were stopped at the light. I’ve seen cars drive backwards down one ways. I’ve been honked at to go at a light even before the light turns green. I know if I leave room for a car to fit itself in while driving on the highway, that a car will manage to fit itself there. I’ve seen cars swerve to the break down or on ramp just to be in front of another car while in a traffic jam. I know at any time a car from a side street or side parking lot may dangerously pull out in front of me.
I know when I go running I have to make sure cars actually stop at stop signs before running across the cross walk so I don’t get hit. I know when I run I will have to get out of every single person’s way because not one of them will get to their side of the side walk or move over for a runner. I know while taking a walk I have to do the same thing.
Living in Chicago sometimes is like always having an invisibility cloak on. These are the new mores of Chicago. It’s a society of neighbors that don’t even look at each other or say “hi” when walking by. A society that sees more birds flying than friendly waves.
Not everyone is like this. Every time I go running I give the guy that sells the watermelons on Peterson a smile and he reciprocates. Sometimes I get a friendly greeting at a store or restaurant. And just last week while going for a run two little girls actually stopped their game on the side walk to move over and let us run by.
I don’t think I ask for much: just that people obey basic traffic laws, respect each other, and give up half the side walk when passing each other.
2 comments:
you've hit the nail on the head with this one. i don't know how you commute everyday - i almost go into cardiac arrest just driving to the grocery store. i don't know what gets into people, but i think its the same thing that makes people say things they would never say to a person's face on the internet, or with bombs and tanks - you don't see the person. in cars, you'll never see the person again, either.
Now I read it!
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