The bus from New York City to DC yesterday was incredibly noisy. First off, the bus driver started playing the Frankie Muniz-vehicle "Racing Stripes" at what must have been full volume. But he started the movie at about two-thirds of the way in only because, as best as I can figure, he had started watching it on his first trip of the day and wanted to see how it ended. And then, several rows behind me, several people were conversing in Spanish at loud volumes, with a lot of back and forth and laughter. I turned up my iPod really loud. When I got tired of listening to music I put on the audiobook of Sandra Day O'Connor's "The Majesty of the Law." As I listened to her talk about how our system of government depends on people being willing to engage in public debate and forcefully advance their own opinions, this happened:
First Woman: "Would you people please shut up? You've been talking non-stop the entire bus ride!"I love this country.
[Spanish talking stops]
Second Woman (soft-spoken): "They don't know. It's part of their culture. They're just loud people."
Man (Southern accent): "They don't even understand what you said. They don't speak English. What you're doing is not right."
First Woman: "They're so loud. I've a four-year old, and even she isn't that loud."
Man: "That's just not right. You're yelling -- you're just as bad as they are."
Third Woman: "No, she's not. She just said one thing. And they've been talking for hours. It's not the same."
Second Woman continues with "don't know any better ... just their culture ... loud people." This goes on for a bit.
First Woman: "Just their culture? Well, you know what? We learned. We all learned. They can learn."
[Murmurs of accession]
First Woman: "And today is lesson number one!"
Second Woman: "Yeah. You're right."
Man: "Uh huh. Yeah."
(above is paraphrased)
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