Going Blind In DC

I am not a native of the district of Colombia. I actually come from Kansas City. So one can imagine the stark difference in those two cities. I can honestly say there are some things I love about DC and things I hate about KC. The same goes visa versa.

One of the things that I hate about DC, or is hate too strong of a word? One thing that disappoints me about this city is how oblivious people behave in public. I understand that these are people born and raised in this city so the antics I often see in public that cause me to double take or stare is common everyday events in the capitol city.

The city makes you jaded I suppose. But really, how many times can you see a child fly out of his seat on a city bus and land seven feet to the end of the bus to the middle of the bus before you become used to it? Why is a man cursing and yelling at the man that is driving the bus okay and common place? Okay maybe the last one was a unfair question but still, that never gets old to me.

No matter how many homeless people I see talking to themselves or playing imaginary instruments and holding imaginary conversations with others I will always notice it and give pause. This city has made people blind to things that really should be noticed.

I understand people are busy and have lives to attend to. Not everyone can take time to stop and smell the bums. But are you so busy that when you see a man laid out on the street all you can do is step over him? Seems a little heartless to me. But then again what are they to do? Maybe the man is drunk, maybe he has over dosed on a drug, maybe he is dead. Either way do other people really want to deal with any of those possibilities? I can sympathize, I really can. Because for the most part I do just how everyone else does. I don’t react, I just sit still and pretend not to hear or see anything.

I often look around at the others and watch for their expressions to see if they notice the lady sitting across from us cursing the devil in a loud voice. No one seems to hear, no one even looks her way. In New York City I noticed the same thing, I supposed its just life in a big city. But if this is Big city life I want no part of it. I want no part of a society that acts so cold and crass to its fellow man. I mean, what separates us from the man on the street with no home? I tend to believe not much. Though one may have a good job and car now, they may have all the ‘protection’ money can buy how do we know that at one time that man didn’t have the very same thing?

Its almost as if people feel ignoring those less off or ignoring certain events will make it go away. This may just be an American trend. We Americans tend to have short attention spans. But, I wont rant against my country, not in this post. I just wanted to take notice of the fact that people in DC don’t notice anything.