Riding the Bus In Madison, Wi-Preacher Man

Yesterday, while commuting to campus I met this character that I am going to refer to as Preacher Man. I guess it was in the cards for me to see this guy. I rode on the bus with him to campus, tried to catch a different numbered bus on the way back to my apartment because the first meeting was plenty, but low and behold Preacher Man was on the same bus .

He was a minority and he was pissed off. When I get on the bus I check everyone out with my eyes. It's a good habit. You can tell all kinds of information by the way a person uses their eyes. People always show their cards. You can tell if a person is hateful, enraged, bored or just contemplative. Most people don't like to make eye contact but I do. Preacher Man looked like one of his cards slipped out his deck.

He was really ranting at the bus driver but not in an aggressive threatening way. He was just loud , had opinions, a captive audience, and the spirit to voice each and everyone of them. His main philosophical points where how can minorities get ahead in life when the same rich families own everything and give the better jobs to their family members? Why should he go work for minimum wage so the rich can richer? He also felt like "people" where trying to take something from him and he keep trying to explain he didn't have anything to take. Preacher Man had a lot of thoughts about injustice.

Maybe every minority that comes to Madison, Wisconsin walks away feeling like that guy. This place does have a few social flaws and I'm from the South.There are few checks and balances that exist in the South that keep conflict to a minimum. Madisonites seem to be unaware that some people are determined to keep things balanced. I like for my bus rides home to be calmer than there were yesterday.I riding the bus was more like in elementary school. I want Mrs. Owens my 4th grade teacher to stand up and enforce the " no more talking rule". Bus rides that involve limited conversation or no conversation are the best.

In my daydreams ,Bus Preacher Man  stands next to Sidewalk Preacher Man, who shouts about God in front of the entrance of the art building and they this historic   debate about how to fix the world. One sells you salvationThat would be a lot more entertaining, but not as important, as Obama, McCain Presidential debates. The good thing about Sidewalk Preacher man and the Presidential debates is the ability to walk away. When you are stuck on a bus all you can do is hope things don't pop off.