RE: Greeting on the Streets: An Actual Nightmare
- Jul 22, 2025
- 5 min read
A simple hello can and will ruin your day... if you let it
Tell me if you've heard this, "In a synthetically taxing world, it’s easy to overlook the power of greeting someone." (The Inside Inverse Blog, 2025) If you have, nice to see you're wading through this blog. If you haven't, I would love to know how you ended up here. No, really. Is this a link being shared without context? Here is the context you need.
I wrote Greeting on the Streets: Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Goodnight as a guide to help steer real-world dwellers to learn how to operate in what is framed as the "old world". Everything comes back into fashion. Fashion is polarizing. God, forbid we educate the mal-educados.
The Fine Line Between Politeness and Genuine Connection
In the words of Mr. Lindner, "Oh no, really. I mean thank you very much, but no thank you" (Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1994. Act 2, Scene 3.) Lindner is a touchstone of politeness in America. A successful businessman we can all aspire to be if God be our money. Member of the New Neighbors Orientation Committee, their mission can only be to stand as an organization for good neighbors and act against the bad presence in their curated community. Let us engage politeness then through Lindner. Be polite. That's all this economy asks you to be. Even that is a step above from what I currently see.
A Step Above Politeness
No identity can mask you well enough to not see another human being in front of you. A streak of purple is made of red and blue. A siren is a half-humanoid, half-fish. A car is a synthetic carriage. Your role, while self-defined, only masks.
A dagger is a dagger is a dagger. Your eyes pierce whether you think you have the ability or not. Assuming your blood is as red as mine, we will not be equals until you acknowledge me. Acknowledge me as such. An equal. I live and believe I am above no one. If we are then not equals, where does that place you?
Intentional Ruptures Create Waves
A couple of weeks ago, I sat on a brick wall near the water. A sidewalk away from the sand that rests next to the lake. Sitting, my body was positioned as an unassuming question mark, looking onto the white sidewalk illuminated by passing headlights, streetlamps, and the moon. "God got you", an older black woman reminded me as I lifted my head to exchange small "pleasantries". It brought me to reality. Rent isn't due until the end of the month. Severed connections to people of my past are a result of growth and time. Life wills itself as long I live it.
A couple days before that, I greeted a young man on 53rd, "Goodnight, bro". His kneejerk reaction, while being on a video call, was to abruptly yell, "What'd you say?". "I said have a 'Goodnight, bro' my fault," I responded. He acknowledged and apologized. Thanked me for my "pleasantry" in a genuine regard and reminded me to be careful. I was. I will continue to be.
"Break Out into Small Groups"
When I worked downtown at an amusement pop-up, I was told to hold the line of guests before they walked into the space. The VIP guests were prioritized as they walked up to the line. A small group meandered to the front of the empty VIP line while the multicultural set of families protested against the underlying policies that ruled this space. I did my best as a human to quell their anxiousness. Out of respect for the GA group, I took initiative and let in two big groups from the General Admission line. The GA families eyed me up and down as I gave them the standard rundown of rules of their photocard. I wasn't about to give them an abridged experience, anyway. Interesting.
While working for another amusement-based pop-up downtown, I looked up at the frozen timer on a screen hidden from public view. A frozen timer was indicative of an unruly customer, enjambment in the amusement space, or miscommunication amongst the higher-ups. After a considerable amount of time, guests were beginning to look at me for answers. I captured the gaze of over forty persons as I was told over my headpiece, "Go ahead and entertain them, it's going to be a while." By my own protocol, it was as easy as continuing conversations I already had with two families. As I spoke into the space, everyone else felt comfortable enough to join without saying a word. Receptive to the space. A few social stragglers are what this game is built off of. (If I worried about the father who has trouble disconnecting from Teams, an app for business and business things, complaining about how this is not part of the experience. Hypothetically speaking, I would interject into the space about how his children were doing cartwheels and pushing into thousands of dollars worth of non-interactive screens. Instead, I got a fruitful conversation about different areas of Chicago and even offered a couple spots from my own personal repertoire.)
'Olas Unden Barcos
No good deed goes unpunished.
Be careful of "culture" propagators that close gates in your face. A "buenos dias" will often be countered by a malicious "buenas TARDES" that supposedly educates. Those of us who teach intuitively know: a sudden correction will cut while a conversation invites constructive critique.
La gente seguirá siendo como es. No se les olvide: en nuestros pueblitos pequeños se esconde un rencor tan grande, en los gestos de Doña Sabe-Cómo y Don Manda-Nada. Estos relictos de nuestra cultura seguirán enojados mientras que el sol ilumine el día.
Man Versus Man
An adage as old as time. Let's give space to the thought that we are all reflections of each other. I have lost count of how many men I have offended by smiling in a space. It's not lost on me how rude it is for me to have a good day while they face the consequences of the energy they give to the world. With age comes a false promise: I am a better man because I am older. Following that logic, I'm surprised older men do not tend and care for gravestones, yet they are too busy shooting me glances full of contempt and longing for time they wasted.
Why Does the Mirror Talk?
As I offer myself more to the world, I am faced with all sorts of negativity and put in pejorative situations. It's easier to make up a lie about a truth than it is to truth out a lie. Ask Jesus Christ. Too much? God, forbid. Write about it.
I share these thoughts to invite you into the world. Not to worry, I have lost the game as I have participated. Your track record will stay clean as long as you don't move a single muscle at the shockwave of the starting gun.
Thief is human
who lives
yet does
Not share
(Dower, Jonathan. Timeless Thieves. 2025)
