Pain in the Ass
Last week I broke another New Jersey Transit bus. Not
really, but the bus would have been just fine if they hadn’t stopped to pick me
up. The driver, who has successfully picked me up many times, extended the
wheelchair lift, lowered it to the ground, and then tried to cause it to ascend
to load me into the bus. It would not rise, with or without me on the lift.
This bus was now disabled (see what I did there?).
Being rush hour, buses are apt to arrive at the stop every
10 minutes or so. By NJ Transit rules they seem to need to get me on the next
bus if their first attempt fails. With everyone rushing off this bus to the one
pulling up behind it, I held back to wait for the following bus. I take up six
seats, and the driver would have been forced to expel people from an already
packed vehicle.
As one of the passengers hurried past me from the bus I
broke to the bus he hoped to take, he muttered under his breath, “Pain in the
ass.”
I could have charitably assumed that he meant the situation,
and not me in particular. However, I am not one of the 36 tzadikim (think
Mother Teresa), nor could I get any of you to buy the concept that the remark
was not directed at me. With no other real options, I just lamely shouted
“Thank You” at his receding back. Then, thinking it through, I realized he was
right.
I am not offended. Many people actively participate in our
new national pastime—being offended, either as a member of some ostensibly oppressed
group, or in support of someone with such a claim. I prefer baseball (go Mets).
However, I won’t apologize for being a “pain in the ass.” Deal with it.
The Libertarian in me is no fan of overreaching government
regulation, but I unashamedly (if hypocritically) applaud the Americans with
Disabilities Act. It provides a consistent universal set of guidelines that
force you to put up with small “pain in the ass” inconveniences (reserved
parking spaces, access ramps, special restroom accommodations, short delays on
your commute) to allow me to enjoy enhanced access to the world you enjoy every
day. Not only are most of you delighted to do this, but it makes you feel good
that we, as a society, have made this a priority.
So, thank you all for “dealing” with this unapologetic “pain
in the ass.” Thank you for holding the door, and thank you for offering to
help, even if neither of us can think of how that might be accomplished. And to
the “gentleman” whose commute I so rudely delayed, I hope you have a better
commute tomorrow. Not everyone can contribute to the thin veneer of civilized
behavior the rest of us struggle to maintain.
