First of all, let me say, that this blog and dated entry serve as proof that it was our idea. Basically it's an etiquette lesson for New Yorkers and NYC tourists.
HRH & I have written quite a bit over the past few years and I expect that now that I've revealed to the masses our plans, our publishers will be pushing us even harder to complete it.
Well, as I was riding the train this morning, I came up with an etiquette rule that may warrant it's own chapter.
When sitting or standing next to other people -- especially strangers -- it is absolutely mandatory that you do everything in your power to keep your fingernail clippings, your stray hairs and, most importantly, your psoriasis scabs to yourself.
Actually -- this applies to every possible human interaction, mass transit related or otherwise.
This morning, on my way to work (the most entertaining part of my day, if you judge by my blog postings .. oh. And the nightime. When I talk to ... mmMommy.) this guy walked on the train and came over to sit next to me. As he was approaching, I noticed that this poor boy had the worst case of psoriasis I have ever seen. It was all over him and my first thought was, I swear to you people, empathetic. I thought, "How awful must it be to deal with that every day of your life? Not only do you have an awful, certainly itchy and painful skin disease, you have it on your head and face." This was before.
By the end of the train ride, I wanted his scabbed little head on a platter. But wrapped in a plastic bag so I never had to touch it.
People, this horribly afflicted man proceeded to pick at the skin on and around his ear ... the ear next to me. Now. It's rush hour. We're at Fulton Street on the 4 headed uptown. I am going all the way to 86th Street. So I am subsequently forced to decide between riding for 25 minutes with an ever growing pile of scabby guy skin on my left leg, or suffer the horrors of having to stand all the way to 42nd Street as well as deal with the insufferable pushing and shoving that ensues as soon as the doors open at that station.
I stayed in the seat.
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7 comments:
I'm glad y'all are writing a book. Because I have to back out of the "Airport Bars of the World" coffee table book. (Although it was a brilliant idea. And I had already chosen my top 10).
Man. You and your issues with your DOC.
DOC?
Date of Conception? Disciples of Christ?
it is people like you that have given psoriasis its bad reputation......by your comments i see that you are the most shallow pile of compost i have ever seen.....you are rude and obviously believe that you are above people with a disability.....over 75% of the suffering that people endure is not the itching and flaking, but the idiots like you who make us feel like we are not fit to walk the streets.....and who makes you better than anyone else? well no matter what you think or have been raised to think in your spoiled rich bitch atmosphere, people with psoriasis are human and yes, it hurts when people like you talk such hatred over a condition we have no control.....maybe instead of snapping pics of this poor guy and posting them all over the internet, you could feel some compassion for another human being.....trust me, a piece of skin from a person with psoriasis is the least of your worries riding a public train......your kind makes me sick.....i would rather sit next to a person with psoriasis than your hateful snobby ass that thinks you are better than anyone else......beware honey, Karma is a BITCH! and so are you it seems!
Hi Stacy --
I want to clear up a couple of things. In the post you refer to, I clearly showed that I have immense sympathy for those with illnesses of any sort, especially psoriasis that is so frequently quite visible and certainly painful and embarrassing.
What I have no tolerance for is people being gross on crowded subways and flicking their dead skin, loose hair strands, clipped fingernails or any other such personal body materials on me as I commute to work. Disability or not, that is just not acceptable in civilized society.
Also, you should know. I did not post this man's photo all over the internet. The photo I posted was solely posted on my blog, and it was not a photo of the man I was talking about. It was a photo from a scientific site illustrating the symptoms of psoriasis.
In closing, you obviously have only read this post and have made rash judgments about me, especially the "spoiled rich bitch" comments. If you don't believe me, check the post on the Pee Pee Palace.
Otherwise -- thanks for reading and keep checking back! I'm not nearly as bad as you believe.
xoxoxo
Susan
It IS awful. My older sister broke out six months after she got married, as it can be triggered by high amounts of stress (luckily her husband was a stand-up guy and they are still together), though, as her body adjusts, it is not as bad as when it started. Although I agree he shouldn't be picking at himself next to you, I'm sure that by now it's just a habit. With my sis, she flakes everywhere and someone calls her on it, all she can do is look sheepish and say "I'm sorry" which is so sad. But she really deals with it well.
Anyway, the main reason I wanted to write was to point out a slight error. Unless you personally have psoriasis, you should have used the word "sympathy". Empathy is when you know what someone is going through because you've been through it yourself. Sympathy means you are understanding of their pain and tribulations. I'm not trying to nit-pick, but 1. someone else may try to call you out on it if make the same mistake later in a much nastier way and 2. I'm an English major, and while I WILL NOT point out every lil mistake, I WILL let you know when the vocab doesn't quite line up.
Have a good morning!
-Debbi
Hi Debbi --
First, I already knew you were an English major at "I wanted to write to point out a slight error." I too was an English major and I too have a problem holding back when I see grammatical errors.
And while I totally agree with your definitions of sympathy and empathy, I felt I was using empathy in a broader sense of being empathetic because I have felt embarrassment and shame myself.
Please don't write about my punctuation though, I use complete poetic license when it comes to that, so if you're good at that end of grammar, you'll lose your mind.
Also, that sucks about your sister. As I wrote, I was not judging his affliction, only his mindless picking and dropping the skin in my lap.
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