"Su*k my d*ck white bi**h". (I've starred out the curse part of those words so that my classy readers aren't caused the upset that I was on Saturday night.)
Caton and I were off to find our friends in the hip and slightly dirty Lower East Side and on our way up from the 2nd Ave subway station I was grabbed by a sea of 11 year olds (11 because we couldn't figure out if they were 9 or 13...11 was the logical choice).
The leader of the sea was the kid who decided to grab my arm and talk dirty to me. Caton says that the kid thought I was alone because he was really freaked out when Caton pulled his arm off mine and told him to back up.
This was the straw that broke the pre-teenager's back. Facing humiliation from all of his peers the kid immediately did what he thought was the next best thing. He threatened to beat up Caton and myself. We kept walking along while we were spit at, called racist names, and antagonized.
Finally my rage caught up to me and before I knew it I stopped and turned and screamed...
"WHAT ARE YOU 9? GO HOME? DO YOU WANT TO GO TO JAIL. YOU WILL GO TO JAIL. GO HOME. 9 YEAR OLD BOY."
Tough cookie aren't I? Caton of course scooped me up and grabbed me away cause what could we do? Sure we could take them...but they were children, you can't really hit a child.
Still, days later I'm infuriated...and I think more than I initially was. Why is it okay for them to call me a white bi*ch, spit on my boyfriend and harass us up and down the street?
It's not. And why is it so funny to the onlookers (the other teens)? If my friends witnessed me antagonizing someone and being a bigot they would be shamed and disgusted...not proud and cheering me on. Then again my friends are grown ups and know the difference.
While we were walking away from it all some stranger on the street said to Caton and I "It's a shame, they won't go any further than that in their life".
Is that supposed to make it better? Like we as a society accept poor behavior because those kids are screwed?
I don't accept that. I think it's a dangerous spiral to create.
Maybe that's one of those things you just learn to deal with living in the city.
Maybe I don't want to.