*Note: if you follow me, you know I avoid profanity. This post does contain a few instances, because they are direct quotes and pertinent to the discussion. Read on accordingly.

Sitting in an office at Peabody Hall on Miami University’s Oxford Campus, I hear the drone of a motorized scaffold (the lift machines that painters can drive around and move up and down to paint the outside of a building).

Most of the morning, I hear the machine and the blasting music from the radio the worker has going. They are painting the wooden frames around and within the windows.

Later on, I hear a string of cuss words as the painter working on my part of the building gets upset at something and I go to the window to see what is going on. He is throwing his equipment around and cleaning his hands furiously.

I walk away from the window but realize my window is next and go over to close my blind as his platform comes up. At first, he seems a bit surprised, then smiles and shouts over the noise.

“You want a ride?”
I look at him, puzzled, bemused. I can hear him clearly, but he takes my lack of response to mean I cannot hear him well because of the noise, which must be near deafening outside.

Painter: “You (gesturing at me) want a ride? (gesturing at the machine and up toward the roof)”

Me: gesturing to myself and shaking my head, I mouth “Me? no!” I smile with a hand over hand gesture also mouthing “next time”.

I close the blinds and return to my seat.

From the window, I hear the audible but unintelligible shout of a coworker on the ground, to the guy outside my window. (Like Charlie Brown’s teacher on a construction site).

The guy outside my window responds “It’s a fucking African American!”

*Charlie Brown’s Teacher responds*

“Yeah. A Fucking African American! I asked him if he wants a ride!” and he starts laughing.

I cannot really describe what was going on in my head at the time, but there was so much “what?!”

I am posting this to see what your reaction or response would have been. please leave a comment. follow the link to comment on the website preferred.

Thanks.

Leno