The MAN: Not keeping me down today

I am not a hater. Si, I dislike a wide variety of things, people and places, but I do not hate. Not much. Bueno, maybe a little I hate.

The thing, or idea, I hate the most is The MAN. You know what I’m talking about.

The guy who keeps you from getting that job? The MAN.
The lady at the supermarket who makes you switch lanes because you have 9 items in the 8 item line? The MAN.
The dude who sells you what appear to be juicy mangoes, but in reality all have worms? THE MAN.

The MAN comes in all shapes, colors, sizes, and situations. The MAN is here to keep us down; to make us frown; to make us bite our lip in anger; to make us clench our fists; to make us feel powerless and alone. I hate The MAN.

The beautiful thing about la vida is that we can fight The MAN from keeping us down. Opportunities arise that allow us to say, “Oh, I’m sorry you little squirrel spit of a man, did I do something to upset you? Did I crack that fragile crystal aura of power that you have?” I live for those moments.

Years ago I witnessed an elderly woman being harassed on the Metro for taking a bite of an orange. When I heard the yelling I automatically thought someone had finally been able to combine the mad cow disease with the avian flu (like mi madre always warns me about) to destroy all the commuters. Then, I saw the circular orange shape in the woman’s hand and I was confused.

The woman, didn’t speak much English and didn’t understand. I stepped in to translate, but was then told to not.

“Sir, STEP BACK.”

Um, mam’ this woman doesn’t understand what you’re saying. I’m trying to help you out.

“Sir, STEP BACK or you will be arrested.” Yes my friends. I was dealing with The MAN.

Someone in the back yelled out that the you are not able to eat or drink on the Metro. The elderly woman felt horrible and threw away her orange globe of horror. Did the Metro officer stop? No. She continued to berate this woman in a manner that I felt was completely unnecessary. She was The MAN.

I think that same year a woman was arrested for eating a PayDay bar…..

So, yesterday, I was riding the Metro Bus like I normally do when I saw something glorious. To my right was a Metro worker. The same kind that is able to arrest people for eating malicious candy bars and evil drinks on any Washington DC transit system.
What was she doing? See for yourself:



Oh no, that is not Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass on her lap. That, my friends is a Wendy’s salad. Don't let the "W" confuse you. God knows we Americans have been confused enough by that letter.

Maybe she was going to look at it and eat it later. She knows the rules that she enforces with an iron fist. Oranges, chocolate bars, sodas? Not on her watch mami! But wait:



mmmmmmmmm Thousand Island dressing.............

Si, it looks like the rules and regulations of Metro don’t apply to the very people who yell at elderly women and handcuff people for having a quick snack. This, mis amigos, is a perfect example of The MAN.

Look, I like that our Metro system is very clean. I really do. It would just be nice to see the The MAN following their own rules. This, was just my little way of fighting to keep The MAN down.

Mucho Amor,

El Guapo