75: Kindness of Strangers
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Hello this American Life listeners, Ira Goss here. In these last couple weeks of summer, as I and the other producers on our show have been out in the field doing reporting for the fall radio shows we have coming up, we've been here on the air playing some favorite episodes from the first few years of our show. Last week's program and this one are both from our first two years on the air. We're going to be back with new shows including a show that we hope explains the entire healthcare system in the United States, no kidding, very soon. Brett was standing on a subway platform, afternoon in Russia where it was crowded, and he noticed this guy, didn't seem homeless, decent clothes, stopping in front of each person, looking into his or her eyes, saying something and moving on to the next person. Turns out the guy was telling people they could stay or they had to go, they were in or they were out. What would he say, "Well literally it would be, it would be you, you're out, you're gone, you're gone, you're okay, you can stay." And then do people leave? No, not at all, I mean, and no one argued with him. Brett wrote about the incident on his personal website, Brett News. I may just get to read a little bit of your account of this from your website, you write about who he decided to keep and who he decided to go. Right, these are the last few people before he reaches me. The 50ish woman in the business suit and thick glasses is some merrily dismissed. The homie in the baggy shorts in Chicago Bulls Jersey makes the cut. The young immigrant mother, who seems not to grasp the import at this moment, has given the okay. Oh, versus you who's grasping just how important this is right. The bookish man in the maroon, cardigan sweater with balding head and red face has cut loose with particular relish. There is something about the judgment of strangers. When the clerk in the record store seems unimpressed by your choice of CDs, when the one cute person on the bus gives you a look like, "Out of my way." It is as if by their status as strangers, they have some special instantaneous insight into who we are. Our vision isn't crowded by our feeble attempts to charm our friends and the people we work with. The guy got closer to Brett. And I'm starting to feel a little nervous and aware of the fact, aware of the fact. I make the cut. It sounds so silly. I mean, we all like to think that we're evolved enough or mature enough, but when push comes to shove and a guy's going down the line rating, I found that you can't help but kind of hope that he gives you the thumbs up when your turn comes. But Brett, he's not choosing you for anything. No, he's not. And he didn't even look like anyone I particularly wanted to hang with, you know? I mean, as much as one can tell from someone's appearance. You didn't really feel any need to impress this guy. No. No. I mean, to me, it's like, I think you're right, because this is the purest case I've ever heard of.
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