Intrepidly dodging prejudices

            When I was 18 years old I was going to community college full-time and working full time. I had a redundant office job that only paid about $9/hr, but I still had a ton of disposable income. You see, I was living at home at the time so I literally had zero bills to pay. Life was pretty easy back then and I felt pretty optimistic about my future. It was because of this comfortable feeling that I had made a decision to buy a new car. Not a brand new car, but at least a considerable upgrade. I didn’t want to get a piece of junk that I would have to worry about becoming a money pit. So, I decided to go to the bank and see if I could get approved for a car loan. I knew that the payments would be easy to make since I had no other bills, and I could probably pay it off rather quickly. I had just established credit recently by getting a credit card, and I had been doing really well at making my payments on time to avoid interest.

            Anyways, I went to the bank and immediately got approved for a $10,000 car loan. I knew that I didn’t want to pay that much for a car, but it was nice to know that I could if I wanted to. I made sure to take my time in my car buying process; I wanted to make sure that I got something that I really liked.

            I had always been a fan of the body style of the dodge intrepid, I don’t know why. But I knew that I wanted a white one with some chrome rims. I had seen them around town and I just liked the way they looked. As the months passed I began looking for one, but with no luck. I really wanted to test drive one to make sure that they drove as smoothly as they looked.

            About a year earlier, my mom had gotten a new car and gave me her old one. It was an older model Buick Century, but I had never had any problems with it. The only reason I wanted a newer car was because I was working hard, I could afford it, and I wanted to look good. I guess I felt like I deserved it, and I knew that paying off a car loan would be great for my credit.

            During my search for my ideal Dodge Intrepid, I had totaled the Buick. How it happened and the events the led up to it are a whole other story. But the fact of the matter was that I was now without a vehicle. Therefore, my car search had intensified. I needed to have a car to get to school and work, and I needed one quickly. I assumed that I would probably have to settle for something other than the Intrepid. But luckily I was approved for the $10,000 loan, so finding a nice car that I liked shouldn’t be difficult.

            It was right around this time when I just so happened to find the exact car that I wanted. It almost seemed like fate. I had found it at a used car dealership on the corner of Carhart Ave and Main St. in Binghamton. I couldn’t believe my luck, and it had a price tag on it for $6,999. When I first seen it I was riding with a friend and made him stop his car immediately. I ran over to it and checked it out, the body was spotless! It didn’t have too many miles on it either, this car was perfect! I probably would have bought it that very second if the dealership hadn’t been closed. Also, it was a Saturday and the store hours indicated that they were closed on Sundays.

            On another good note, the dealership was only about a mile from my house. So I had made a plan to go there Monday to test drive the car. I was so excited the next day that I had brought some friends to see the car and show it off.

            Anyways, I woke up that Monday in a great mood! I ran all the way to the dealership and began checking out my new car. Knowing how aggressive used car salesmen can be, I thought somebody would come right out to assist me. But after checking out my car for about 10 minutes I decided to just go into the office. As soon as I walked in I encountered a decently built man who was probably pushing 30 with very blonde hair.

Me: Hi, how are you?

Him: Good, whats up?

Me: I want to test drive that white intrepid right there!

Him: Ok……. where is your car?

Me: Mine? I didn’t drive here I walked from my house, I live close by.

Him: Sorry, I can’t help you.

Me: What do you mean?

Him: We don’t let people test drive cars that walked here.

Me: What? Why not?

Him: Well, we have had too many instances with people taking cars for joy rides.

Me: Ok, well, that’s not the case with me. I am serious about buying it.

Him: Sorry, I can’t help you.

Me: Look, you idiot. The reason I walked here is because I do not have a car, I need one. And you sell them, right?

Him: Sorry, I cant help you.

Me: So you only sell cars to people who already have cars? Duh. That makes no sense.

Him: Sorry

Me: You are a fucking idiot. I just got approved for a $10,000 loan and would have bought that car this second. Now I don’t want to do any business with you and I’m going to tell everybody I know not to either.

            I stormed out of the dealership extremely angry. I had taken the day off classes today just so I could go and buy that car. But instead, I got judged by some asshole who completely ruined my day. As I was walking back home enraged, for some reason I remembered something that had happened a few months prior.

           

            My brother and I were on our way into a subway restaurant when I seen the guy making sandwiches through the window. The man was white with dreadlocks and just looked dirty. He kind of looked like sideshow Bob from “The Simpsons”. Right before we entered I made a comment to my brother; “Great, I really want this guy to make my sandwich”.

            Anyways, he turned out to be a really, really nice guy. We had a great conversation and he was hilarious. On our way to the car my brother mocked me; “Yea, I really want this guy to make my sandwich”; he said jokingly. Then he goes; “That guy was awesome”. And he was right, the guy was awesome. I felt like such a piece of crap for judging him. My brother goes; “Book by its cover man”. Then he started laughing but I just couldn’t shake the feeling of shame.

           

            Anyways, while I was walking home from that dealership I felt like I may have been simply getting slapped in the face by karma. The car dealer obviously judged me because I was just a kid. He just assumed I wasn’t a serious buyer and it almost certainly cost him a sale.

            We almost always judge people we meet within the first 2 seconds of meeting them. Sometimes we do it consciously and sometimes subconsciously. A lot of us claim that we do not do it, but we still do. However, the truth remains that nobody will ever be any better than anybody else, just like they will never be any worse. Everybody has problems; some just hide them better than others. 

            We are all the same genetic material wandering aimlessly, searching for ways to individualize ourselves. But why? Does it make us feel better about our own lives to devalue others? The same way that we like to compare ourselves to those we admire? I once heard a quote: “The only way to measure the significance of our own lives is by valuing the lives of others”. I believe this quote holds considerable weight, and maybe it works both ways.

            In my personal opinion, the only way to truly progress as a species is to see ourselves in others. Not to just teach the golden rule, but to somehow engrain it into our genes. I can envision what that world would be like, however, I cannot envision how we could ever get there. My eyes are pessimistically blinded by the regression which is reality.