Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Scary person wants to know how my day is going

In an alarming departure from my usual revolutionary routine, another person approached me this morning in what appeared to be a sincere attempt to discover how my day was going.

"Hey, buddy," he said at first.

Like so many interpersonal close-calls, it all began by making eye contact. My defensive strategy, nodding in robust agreement, proved inadequate even when combined with enthusiastic wheezing.

How this individual knew I was concealing something, when 99% of the population takes a grimace at face value, suggests a degree of tenacity amongst people who want to know how your day is going that I failed to account for previously.

The development could have far-reaching implications for my daily commute, including in this case my morning constitutional, when revolutionary spirit is best cultivated by thinking up clever ripostes for use in online forums.

5 comments:

James N. said...

The only way to end the hateful, savage status-mongering of the Black Iron Prison is to monger savagely for status among pseudonymous strangers. On the internet. Between 9 to 5, workdays.

You'd understand that, JRB, if you weren't such an anarchist-manque.

Randal Graves said...

Headphones.

drip said...

I use "Well, there you go." as an all purpose evasion response. I've tried headphones, but I miss my stop, when sitting and fall down when standing.

JRB said...

James N.:

It's true. I'm serious about revolution.

Anonymous said...

I like how when I greet someone pleasantly, with a smile, and ask "How's it going?" and I get a scowl or a very negative "It's going."

I'm thinking of switching my strategy to a pre-emptive scowling glare with a "Yeah, and fuck you too!"