I am quite aware of the current events that have arisen from the Ride’s unpredictability; however, I am disheartened by the type of comments being made and the attitudes being expressed. The apparent issue is that the ride has a problem with picking people up on time and the amount of time people are left waiting. I realize this can be very frustrating but why should this instill such animosity?
In my opinion, a lot of attitudes expressed on this campus are ones of ‘over-privileged’ impatience. This innate thought that because you need something now, it has to be there or there is going to be a problem. This is very frustrating to me because it reveals the classist, self-importance issues that are so prevalent on campus and have been over looked.
Middletown’s crime rate is below the national average, yet Middletown has been deemed by many on our campus as a ‘bad’ area, whatever that may mean. As one student has put it, “I think the amount of violent crime that happens on and off campus should be a good indication of the fact that Middletown is not exactly the safest of towns in the world.” The fact that people create this dichotomy between Middletown and Wesleyan, again, shows a huge class divide. I do acknowledge that crimes do occur in Middletown, but I also acknowledge that crimes happen everywhere.
I have been at Wesleyan for about four years and have only used the ride a handful of times. I have no fear walking around at night, nor have I ever had any real problems. I know things do happen but these are isolated incidents and should not escalate the community into a fearful, angry panic. This only fuels misunderstandings and impulsive reactions that usually lead to wrong decisions.
I wish that people would just step back, take a deep breath and realize the implications of their words and actions. One comment that really caught my attention was “I’m not trying to be overly aggressive towards the drivers, but they should sit down, shut up, drive, and deal with students, because for some of them, the RIDE is their livelihood.” These types of comments show that classism is an issue that is fueling this heated reaction.
I worked in retail for awhile this past year and had to deal with a lot of ungrateful, nasty customers. Sure, I dealt with it for the mere fact that if I did not I would have been fired and would have been unable to buy food or pay bills. Most people on this campus will never have to experience this. This is fine and I hold no grudge because we all follow our own paths and must learn different lessons. However, there should be a realization that it does get frustrating, extremely difficult, and demeaning to help or serve people who are demanding, unappreciative, and rude. The times that I had used the ride, a lot of the people being transported or picked up were loud, obnoxious, offensive and rarely said thank you. I am not here to judge but there is a definite disconnect from the real world at this school. You can’t expect to not give respect and then receive it with full contentment.
The fact that some people are requesting to have some drivers fired is really upsetting. I understand that there may have been disagreements but requesting that jobs be taken away from people, especially in this economy, is another display of the real world disconnect. Most people who express these views probably do not have to pay for everything themselves let alone others. I think this is a pertinent issue that needs to be remembered.
I would really love to see people come together to be constructive and positive when dealing with this issue rather than vindictive and aggressive. The issues have been made aware, so let’s try to deal with them in a mature manner, look at all sides of the issue, and try to be conscious of our privilege and actions. Plus walking is a wonderful activity.
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