The joke's on me: On taxi cab drivers wearing red t-shirts
I think I have developed an aversion to riding taxicabs driven by men in red t-shirts.
A day after election day, K and I rode a cab to school. Our ride with Cab driver #1 started out pleasantly until our conversation slowly turned into his tirade against existing ills in Philippine society, e.g. unfair taxation. Still feeling very tired after our stint as PPCRV volunteers the previous day, we just didn't have the energy to deal with his negative vibes. So the remaining 10 minutes of our ride seemed sooooo long!
In the afternoon, we hailed a cab to go to PGH. Again, it was driven by a red-shirted man wearing a baller by the winning presidential candidate. We had not been in the vehicle one minute when Cab driver #2 decides he doesn't want to bring us to Manila. He said he didn't know where PGH was and where Taft Ave. was. Even if I gave him directions, he said he didn't want us as passengers. He reasoned that he doesn't even go to Quiapo. Oh my! I didn't want to argue with a creature who could be either one of the following:
a. so inept as a taxi driver that he didn't even know where an important national institution and main street were located, or
b. a big liar who could have just told us he didn't want to go to that location (I wouldn't have minded if he told us before we had moved a few meters away from where we had gotten in the cab.)
so K and I got off after lamely telling him "Dapat hindi ka namimili ng destinasyon!". Only after he had left that I remembered to call him an A_hole!
The following day, I met Cab driver #3 who was wearing red! Warning bells sounded in my head but since taxicabs were few and far between at that time, I said I would take the chance. It turned out he was the poster child of rude and arrogant behavior, something that I rarely encountered in the many years I have taking cabs. He bristled when I gave suggestions on alternate routes (Mukha ba akong hold-upper?) and drove recklessly after I had called his attention about a wrong turn. The air in the cab was so thick with tension that I couldn't wait to reach my destination! When I got there, I decided to get back at him by paying him exactly P10 less from the amount in the taxi meter. No tip for you! Huh! (I know, I know how lame that was!)
Reflecting on my unpleasant experiences with these drivers, I wondered whether these were just coincidences. Or were these men's behavior typical of those who supported that candidate? Or was this a reflection on how these men were feeling empowered enough to use their voices to air their thoughts. If it were the latter, then it would have been acceptable if they did not model the uncouth behavior of their winning candidate.
Having been semi-traumatized by these events, I decided that I will avoid taxi cabs for a while and instead take Uber for my trips. So when the vehicle arrived at our doorstep, I felt faint for a second when I saw it was a RED sedan that had a humongous campaign poster for their candidate on its back. Oh nooooooo!
Indeed, Fate was playing a joke on me!
A day after election day, K and I rode a cab to school. Our ride with Cab driver #1 started out pleasantly until our conversation slowly turned into his tirade against existing ills in Philippine society, e.g. unfair taxation. Still feeling very tired after our stint as PPCRV volunteers the previous day, we just didn't have the energy to deal with his negative vibes. So the remaining 10 minutes of our ride seemed sooooo long!
In the afternoon, we hailed a cab to go to PGH. Again, it was driven by a red-shirted man wearing a baller by the winning presidential candidate. We had not been in the vehicle one minute when Cab driver #2 decides he doesn't want to bring us to Manila. He said he didn't know where PGH was and where Taft Ave. was. Even if I gave him directions, he said he didn't want us as passengers. He reasoned that he doesn't even go to Quiapo. Oh my! I didn't want to argue with a creature who could be either one of the following:
a. so inept as a taxi driver that he didn't even know where an important national institution and main street were located, or
b. a big liar who could have just told us he didn't want to go to that location (I wouldn't have minded if he told us before we had moved a few meters away from where we had gotten in the cab.)
so K and I got off after lamely telling him "Dapat hindi ka namimili ng destinasyon!". Only after he had left that I remembered to call him an A_hole!
The following day, I met Cab driver #3 who was wearing red! Warning bells sounded in my head but since taxicabs were few and far between at that time, I said I would take the chance. It turned out he was the poster child of rude and arrogant behavior, something that I rarely encountered in the many years I have taking cabs. He bristled when I gave suggestions on alternate routes (Mukha ba akong hold-upper?) and drove recklessly after I had called his attention about a wrong turn. The air in the cab was so thick with tension that I couldn't wait to reach my destination! When I got there, I decided to get back at him by paying him exactly P10 less from the amount in the taxi meter. No tip for you! Huh! (I know, I know how lame that was!)
Reflecting on my unpleasant experiences with these drivers, I wondered whether these were just coincidences. Or were these men's behavior typical of those who supported that candidate? Or was this a reflection on how these men were feeling empowered enough to use their voices to air their thoughts. If it were the latter, then it would have been acceptable if they did not model the uncouth behavior of their winning candidate.
Having been semi-traumatized by these events, I decided that I will avoid taxi cabs for a while and instead take Uber for my trips. So when the vehicle arrived at our doorstep, I felt faint for a second when I saw it was a RED sedan that had a humongous campaign poster for their candidate on its back. Oh nooooooo!
Indeed, Fate was playing a joke on me!
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