I watched two older men (late 40s early 50s, older than me) while I sat at McDonalds for lunch. They could be described as maybe a homosexual, liberal, artsy set (well kept hair, not a business style of hair, well kept skin, unusual jewelry including a thumb ring, tattoos) or just very unique. What caught my eye initially, though, was the fact that both men ordered happy meals. They sat next to a father (older, also, possibly grandfather), with two young (under seven) children. The men compared their toys, then handed them to the kids at the next table. A small act of kindness in a world that often overlooks such acts. All of this made me think, from a sociological perspective, how we try so hard to catalogue, place, and fit others into boxes that we construct in our minds. We have a need to label and understand, even if this really doesn’t help our understanding. What box would I put them into? I wish I had the guts to approach them and ask to take their photo. I wish I had the guts to talk to people. I am terrified of the phone, and stumble through small talk with people. I am the poster child for dramaturgy (look it up in the text book). I would love to have posted their photo and asked what stood out in this photo. By the time I worked up some nerve to stand up (a couple with a baby carrier needed to sit down, and I was in the handicap seat), the men had finished, and were heading to their car. They got in a truck (veers away from liberal, although it wasn’t a super duty) and the passenger (the younger looking) put out a plastic powerade bottle beneath the car, littering (obviously, not too green). I guess that breaks the easy liberal stereotype. Boxes aren’t so easy to fill we find, or we should realize. Soon, I hope to have the courage to document tattoos and piercings that interest me as I see them in the world. If I find the courage.
