if you follow me on facebook, then you're familiar with the little anecdotes i share about interactions with my riders. they're usually funny, poignant, entertaining, or some combination thereof. today's story needs a little more... breathing room, if you will.
i picked up two dudes from the airport. the text they sent me read, "2 big dudes. smoking by pillar G." (AWESOME 😷. FB followers, see rant just posted) i sighed heavily and put on my big girl panties and pasted a big smile on my face. i'm not normally overly fazed by noxious-smelling people, but today it got to me for whatever reason. i'm human and flawed. so are you. deal.
allow me to add some context so that the newbies know what's up. i'm a rideshare driver in austin, texas and have been for 2 years, 5000+ rides, and 100,000 miles. i realized some time ago that i am forgetting so many interactions, so i share them on FB. when i decided to make this my business, i had to decide how i want to run my business. top of that list is to create a space that is authentic, welcoming, safe, and engaging. i feel like i've accomplished that, and for that, i am very proud. the conversation that follows is one of my all-time favorites, and it happened today:
me: hey y'all! welcome to austin!
riders: thanks! we're newbies all the way from deep red california.
me: *wow. ok. they busted that door wide open. this should be fun...*
me: newbies! yay! i love newbies! i'm so glad you're here! i didn't realize that california has any deep red parts.
rider1: yup. it sure does, and we're proud of it. how is texas these days? y'all still red or did you turn blue?
me: i think we're purple now. the post-midterm electoral map shows many counties are now blue, some for the first time in a long time.
rider2: but austin is blue, right?
me: it absolutely is. we're considered one of the most liberal cities in the country. and we're the seat of government. i love the irony! it makes the city a very politically-interesting place.
rider1: well i bet you people hate trump. we love him.
me: *😑😑😑* *heart beats a little faster* *this is gonna SUCK because this is my car and i'm not pulling any punches* *girds my loins for the fight*
me: well... i can't speak for anyone but myself...
rider1: *cuts me off*
rider1: bunch of liberal, hippy dippy folks around here, huh?
me: *realizes he REALLY wants to pick a fight* *decides in that instant that there is NO WAY IN HELL that i'm taking the bait*
me: yep. there's also incredibly intelligent, moderate, kind, and reasonable people here, too.
me: *points to a letter clipped under my garage door opener on my visor*
me: this is a letter to beto o'rourke. he was the democratic senatorial candidate who ran against ted cruz.
rider2: he lost, right?
me: yes, but the letter is not about winning or losing. it's about thanking him for running a race with integrity, character, and vision. he gave a lot of people hope that there's a better way forward than where we find ourselves right now.
rider1: well... we're farmers. we're in the agriculture business.
me: *and the non sequitur award goes to this guy*
me: ok. so i have a question. it's seems that there is a correlation between the agricultural community and trump supporters. do you notice that? why do you think that is?
**yes, i actually said that word, and yes, it was physically painful to do so**
rider2: well we hate regulation. we hate government hand outs. we hate that people who don't work get free health care. we just had this conversation with our congressman. our workers are getting a raise so now they don't qualify for free healthcare, so they don't want to work as many hours so that they don't lose their free healthcare!
me: that must be a really difficult predicament to find yourself in.
*crickets as they are trying to work out for whom i am expressing sympathy*
me: ok, well what about farm aid?
*crickets*
rider1: well. uhhh. we live in california. we get really bad droughts. farm aid has saved us a time or two."
me: *deliberate silence while they ponder the irony*
me: what else? what do you care about that separates you from liberals?
rider2: regulation. stupid rules about protecting resources. liberals want government all up in everybody's business.
me: *HELLO!!! this can go SO MANY WAYS! the anticipation is killing me*
me: well, my degrees are in the natural sciences. my bachelors and masters degrees are in forest management, specializing in wildfire mitigation. are you guys safe from the wildfires out there?
rider1: yeah, we're good. but trump is right about it being stupid not to allow clear-cutting.
me: so you're interested in protecting the forest from wildfires? in what way?
rider2: clear-cutting. getting rid of debris. allowing agri-business. stupid extreme environmentalists stomping their feet about cows in the woods. fire is natural. cows are natural.
**i'm serious. you can't make this stuff up**
me: so you're in favor of land management practices like prescribed burning?
rider2: yeah!
me: well, as a scientist, i agree that too much fuel on the ground is the cause of how catastrophic these fires have become...
rider1: *cuts me off again*
rider1: yeah! and they just cut the budget to something stupid low. the money for managing our forests. who owns them?
me: *laughing, genuinely amused that they just bitched about a policy decision made by the current administration that they love*
me: well, the federal lands are owned by several entities. the national forest service. the bureau of land management. the native americans own some of the forested lands...
rider2: *cuts me off*
rider2: who does it fall under? the DOI?
me: yes and no. the forest service and the bureau of land management fall under the department of the interior, but the tribal lands fall under...
rider1: *cuts me off*
rider1: fires are natural. aren't they [the forested federal lands] related to agriculture?
me: yes. the department of forestry and agriculture...
rider2: *cuts me off*
rider2: well they just cut the funding down to something stupid low. they just need to let it burn.
me: it seems to me that there might be more that we agree on than we realize.
rider1: well, what about abortion?
me:*oh, here we go!*
me: well, as a woman who is not able to have children, i personally would not have an abortion because it would be an absolute, straight up miracle if i were to get pregnant. my issue is this: name ONE law in the united states that regulates what a man can and cannot do with his body.
*crickets* *lots and lots of crickets*
rider2: well i guess it's because women actually have the babies...
me: so... devil's advocate. so the mother must have the child but you're ok with children in cages at the border?
*palpable tension as they bristle up*
me: i'm asking because there seems to be a cognitive dissonance in the national dialogue. as a woman, a christian, and a scientist, i'm really trying to understand this.
rider1: well. there's legal ways to enter the country.
me: *deliberate silence while they find their words*
me: listen, i grew up in the south. i've lived most of my life in very conservative circles. i'm also a scientist, so i believe in facts. i'm also a christian. i now live in a very liberal city, so i've been exposed to all sides of these issues. what i've come to find out is that there is more that we agree on than we realize. we just have to be willing to dialogue about it. not talk at each other. everything is so divisive these days and it doesn't have to be that way if, like you guys, people would be willing to just talk. to have a conversation.
rider2: yeah...
rider1: yeah people are fighting like crazy right now...
me: yes! and it goes all the way to the family level. it has even changed how i manage my social media presence. twitter is all political, insta is all photographers, and FB is just my day to day life. i try to keep politics off FB, but i fail sometimes, to be honest. the division in this country is changing how i behave and how i live my life. it's that deep!
rider1: i hadn't thought about that.
rider2: me, neither.
me: well, since we are approaching your hotel, i want to thank you, genuinely, for having this dialogue with me, for being willing to talk to me and discuss some very divisive topics in a way that was respectful and meaningful. i really appreciate you guys.
rider1: well, thank you for asking hard questions. you definitely made us think there!
*riders get out and hug me*
riders: thanks for hearing us out and not hating us. thanks for listening.
me: back at you! and thanks for the hugs!
all of us: BIG SMILES and lighter hearts
