Warning: Only those statements enclosed in quote marks represent exact quotations. Unless it’s in quote marks, I’m paraphrasing. However, all statements attributed to an individual below approximate Karen’s original statements, and insofar as I recollect, match the general spirit of the conversation.
I met Karen X on a crowded Metra train hurtling toward the Michigan/Randolph stop. She was sitting beside her brother, whom I’ll call Robert.
DC: Are you headed to work?
KX: Yes, sure am.
DC: Where do you work?
KX: I work for the greatest country in the world, and the greatest to have ever existed.
Disarmed, I couldn’t suppress a grin. This woman Karen exuded pride and confidence.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked. “Do you work for the US government?”
KX: I work for the Railroad Retirement Board. It’s the only federal agency in the country that’s headquartered outside of Washington, DC. Yes, I work for that idiot from Crawford, TX.
DC: Do you mean George Bush? Are you an anti-war demonstrator?
KX: I’ve been on demonstrations against the war for years now, all over Chicago.
DC: And you’re pretty comfortable sharing your feelings on George Bush?
KX: Someone needs to speak out.
Her voice boomed through the car. Perhaps Karen was exhibiting too much confidence. Others sitting nearby were beginning to stare. I spoke in an even lower tone of voice, hoping that Karen would catch on. Karen seemed oblivious.
DC: Is the Railroad Retirement Board separate from Social Security?
KX: Yes, the Retirement Board predates the Social Security Administration. But we’re very much like the Social Security that you’ll draw from when you’re the right age.
DC: I doubt I’ll have much returned to me by Social Security. I will receive far less, at least, than what I will be putting in.
KX: That’s because my generation has aborted and contracepted your inheritence away. Morals are a lot looser these days than they used to be.
DC: What do you mean?
KX: “There used to be 10 workers paying for every senior citizen retiree. Now it’s the exact opposite: there’s fewer workers than retirees.” That’s why your generation is in trouble.
By now, Karen’s voice had reached a decibal level usually reserved for rock concerts, so I thought it best to talk to her brother about the White Sox. Her brother is a lifelong White Sox fan, but it was impossible to communicate with him, for as I learned, he’s afflicted with autism.
Karen was also traveling with another friend whom we’ll call Chris. Chris worked for sixteen years at a plant based in Chicago. After sixteen years of service, Chris was earning roughly $14/hr. Then his company outsourced his department to the third-world. Chris’ income was cut by more than half after the reorganization, since the best job that Chris could find pays $6.75 with no benefits.
Karen stepped in to offer her own perspective: “If you were a business owner, would you pay $14/hr plus benefits to an American, or would you hire an illegal foreigner who will work twenty hours a day—only eight on the book—and is willing to accept whatever the employer wishes to pay?”
I parted ways with Karen, Robert and Chris shortly afterward. Karen moved Robert by the hand, steering him in the direction he needed to go. Chris plodded toward another day on the job. Karen, for her part, left with a broad smile.
[Picture of Karen and Robert embracing -- Coming soon]
I’ve been using Going.com to find new events in the Chicagoland area. It’s more flexible and comprehensive than Flavorpill and compared to Metromix or Redeye, and Going.com is much easier to use.
Try it out, see if you like it.
I met a student named Danielle Powell on the train back to Hyde Park tonight. I was sitting alone when she came onto the train and took the seat immediately to my right. Danielle was carrying one of those massive Tort Law tomes that you find on dusty bookshelves and she looked fairly young. I thought it safe to categorize her as a law student or a young lawyer fresh out of law school. I asked her about her class year (she’s a first-year Loyola Law student), and the conversation went from there.
As it turns out, Danielle had just finished her first day (and her first class) of law school (Loyola starts on 20 August and operates on the semester system). Danielle just moved to Chicago from Tallahassee, Florida where she attended Florida State University and graduated in three years with a degree in creative writing and minors in business and communication. She graduated at the top of her class at FSU, and she hopes to do the same at Loyola, since starting salaries at big law firms are closely tied to law school GPA.
Final note: I hate to point out the obvious, but as you’ll see from the picture (coming shortly), Danielle is very, very, VERY tall for a lady. She says she measures 5′ 9 1/2”, so with heels she’s even a slight bit taller than I. I’m afraid that when I asked her about her height, I may have triggered defense mechanisms, since after that point the frequency of references to the boyfriend increased. This was the first time in a long time I’ve felt uncomfortable continuing a conversation with someone I’ve just met, but I simply shared my own relationship status with her and I feel that solved the problem.
Ravin Shah stands on the left, along with a group of his friends–many of whom are featured in the Funkadesi footage below. He used to work as an Accenture consultant, but now he’s a Project Manager with an IT Division that works for Lehman Brothers. He started a blog of his own (Ravin Online).
Ken Stringer says he saw a motionless Tin Man in Las Vegas and figured he could bring the act back to Chicago, spiced up with a bit of liquid dancing. He’s not the only one who claims “Tin Man Original” status… at least one other claims the title. When I saw him, he was unloading a tall paint-bucket full of cash. He laughingly refused to let me take a picture of him until he was given a ‘donation’ of at least one dollar.
Ken Stringer has another stream of income through his “dating consultant” service. He started a company labelled “Alpha Male, Inc.” where he delivers advice to men on how to dress and act around women. He claims that all men fall into one of four categories: king, warrior, magician or lover. He goes by the title “Master Trainer”, and he has a MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/pure5
David, August 19th 2007, 10:31 pm
Filed under: Bars and Dance Parties, Street performance /
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Kenneth Stringer claims to be the first to invent the “Tin Man” persona.
I met Gillian and Meghan on a Red Line train last Monday, coming home from
Images.
Reema helped me find my way to Clybourn. After seeing my Funkadesi shirt she asked, “Are you a member of the band?” Her little sister knows the lead singer’s sister, and she was pleasantly surprised to learn that Funkadesi attracted such a large audience the night before