Thursday, August 13, 2009
Construction Workers of Norfolk Beware: Here Comes Mira
Words Mira Boykin
Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 11:42 am
The guy on the right read Mira's column. The guy on the left is Gino.
I have a thing against construction workers. I do. I used to live in New York City. There are, on any random street or avenue, at least 20-30 projects underway, overhung with some dripping awning and a subterfuge of a walkway, leading to god knows where, beneath. In addition? There are, oh, about 100 Spanish-speaking, immigrant construction workers shouting, “Mira! Mira!” (Look! in Spanish) at all the women that will, indubitably, go traipsing by on their way to work, the gym, drinks, the bank, who cares?
In any event, my name’s Mira. And I felt assaulted, forever, by this constant wailing, this constant hawking, gawking, greedy garble. They wanted me and they wanted me to look. I just wanted to get to my fucking destination. No. I will not throw you a bone, you slobbering dog.
I live in downtown Norfolk. In fact, I live right smack in the middle of the light rail construction and development. I’m front and center-in the middle of an upheaval. What’s getting thrown up and around, you ask? Well, the peace and quiet and sanctity of our formerly soothing, cobblestone streets and, uh, yea, my sanity. Four hundred construction workers have descended on my Norfolk city living-life. I went for a walk this morning, ready to clear my head, my throat, my disposition. After the fourth hard-hat had whistled, stared and made an attempt to draw my attention, I made a decision:
I am putting a stop to this anger I am carrying. I am going to, in the next several months, I’m certain, kick a construction worker’s ass. I have to.
Really. It’s been on my mind for a while. Once, when I was 20, I flicked off a newspaper delivery man who, while dropping The Village Voice at 1 am in the morning, thought it appropriate to holler at young Me, on my way home from a waittressing shift, “Hell yea, babygirl!” After I flicked him off, I turned toward him and said, in reply, “Fuck you, you fucking mongrel!” He turned toward me and smiled. I swear to you, if I had a bat in my hands, I would have charged him. Now, I’m telling myself that I’m more peaceful, but I’m not sure that’s true. Not really.
I’m so happy that the city and the state have finally recognized the ridiculousness of our current public transportation scenario. I commit to you, today. When the light rail is complete, I’m going to be riding that sucker every chance I get. But before we get there, while we’re working on the parking garage, the tracks and the 7 zillionth condominium/apartment building to be built in the past five years, I’m going to throw down on a Neanderthal man with a penchant for harassing women who need to get somewhere. Somehow.
I’m just writing to tell you. If you wear a hard hat and you’re working in my neighborhood and you see me, don’t say a word. Don’t even look at me. I’m wild with my way, right now, and I’ve crossed some kind of line. Make your way toward completion, please and thank you-I support you, I really, really do. But don’t slink back into your dirty jeans, address your friend Harry and smack Johnny’s arm and point my way as I’m approaching.
Don’t ask, “How are you, baby?” because, in fact, I’m a grown woman, and I haven’t been a baby for, oh, I don’t know, Gino, about 28 years.
Do this. Don’t think of me. Think about the great thing you’re doing that is loud, irritating and inconvenient, yet entirely relevant and necessary and doesn’t require the use of language like: “Hey Mommie!,” “Yea baby!” or, my favorite, “Are you a model?” You are building a mode of transportation that I want to use to better the quality of my life in the town that I love. And I salute you for that. Just watch your words, buster. Just watch your way. You think you’re watching me, when I’m walking. But I’m watching you.
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I always thought cat-calling construction workers were an antiquated notion from a time long past. Thanks for the heads up!
mira, i think you have a lot right in this article. i dont know how many times i’ve been walking to the grocery store and wanted to go throw my coffee over the face some guy yelling “heyyy honey how youuu doin?” at me. i must say tho, the racial stereotyping, while a relevant punctuator here (especially with your name being mira!), is a bit of a line-crosser in my opinion. whats sad is the fact that we have to hire so many hispanic workers at low wages because lets be real- white folks are just too lazy. still the fact is that no matter the color, construction workers are low-paid DUDES (mainly) who sometimes dont have the best manners.
im not saying that makes it ok to harass any female passer-by. i AM saying its hard to say how WE’d behave in hard hats, working in norfolk heat bangin buildings up all day long and only makin enough to buy your family of 5 a few happymeals from Mickey D’s. just puttin that on the table.
yeah, skye’s right.
public harassment sucks, but the attitudes here seem to only exacerbate a class conflict that makes it possible to objectify those on the other side, either as objects of lust or objects of derision.
well thanks, george.
My so liberal you sound conservative friends,
I think you’re both off base, and essentially giving construction workers an out for being unabashedly sexist, demeaning, and quite often plain aggressive. It goes a long way past manners or heat crankiness.
I’m pretty sure that neither of you, myself, or Mira would act that way in a similar situation. I was a dishwasher in California for a summer. It didn’t lead me to sexually harass anyone, or even to kick a dog. You’re okay with this because the guys are dudes and are blue collar? That’s crazy and just contrary for the sake of it.
jesse-i already said…im NOT OK WITH HARRASSMENT. nor am i making an excuse for dudes being sexist or demeaning. i was just trying to highlight the fact that the mentioning of hispanic workers multiple times in the article deserves some additional attention all its own.
Allow me to jump in.
I was not, in any way, attempting to exacerbate or perpetuate any racial stereotypes. Nor was I trying to jack with a class system that even a smartass like me cannot begin to touch down on. I merely meant to point out that 1)My name, a commonly used verb in Spanish-speaking culture, has been used, in excess, in soliciting my attention, at impractical moments and 2)That has sucked.
I think Harry, Johnny and Gino would tell you, if they were here, that they are from varying different backgrounds and, with regard to race, let me be clear:
I am an equal opportunity hater on wack-ass douche bags who holler and harass me because they feel invisible and I look either unsuspecting or, possibly, physically less brawny. Be you Irish, Italian, Spanish, Phillipino, White, Anglo-Saxon, Black, Native American, it really doesn’t make a difference to me. Nobody gets an excuse, no one gets a get out of jail free card . I don’t want to be picked on, especially when I’m trotting one block away from my only sacred space of rest. More importantly, allow me to thank you, Skye, George and everyone else reading and playing along, today:
I am really happy you read the piece and it fired you up. It’s nice to see us all getting thoughtful and choosing to talk about these issues. Even if it only made you think that I’m a bitch who hates on latinos and the working class, everyman. I’m glad we’re here, right now. If I offended, please allow me to apologize and tell you that, from time to time, I think all people, everywhere, can be major assholes. I also think, we’re kind of glorious. Especially when we’re sticking up for what we believe in.
Carry on.
Mira, i really appreciate your standing up for yourself. and i meant that from my original comment. i am so with you. i think i’m just still aggravated at smithfield from watching food inc. a couple weeks ago, so hispanic commentary of anykind has made me think about the horrible things i saw in the film about their evil treatment of workers. i think you just pushed a button for me. and thats a good thing.
i do like your fire! dont put it out. and let me know when the ass-kicking is goin down. if its pre-meditated, that is…i wanna watch from afar as you give’em a real schooling.
oh, and i think i saw you at harris teeter last week.
Intense! I just want to say that I am totally against any type of heckling or shouting from construction workers of ANY race. When I am walking and I see it happen it makes my stomach turn, so I can only imagine how the females feel when they are the ones being shouted at.
O yea, KICKASS!