Trailer Park Trash

I shared this story in linkshell yesterday before the Odin run, so most of you have probably already read some variation of it. Just for content and memory's sake though, I figure I would post it here.

Yesterday, as I was heading to Elizabethtown yet again, I pulled off at a Shell station to fill up my car. It's a rather poorly designed gas station that doesn't have enough room between the side of the store itself and the gas pumps to fit 2 cars. Means if the only pump open is blocked by someone else, you're going to have to back into the open pump.

This was the case yesterday when I pulled into the station. So I position my car and start to back in to get my gas. As I'm doing so, I notice this Toyota truck, probably late 90s, all beat to hell pulling away. Whoever is driving is obviously trying to do something else as they're zig zagging a bit, but they inevitably go around the back of the building.

I finish backing up and get out of the car. As I'm pulling my credit card out of my wallet, I see a black scion pull into the pump on the other side. Only reason this caught my attention was the fact that there was a little dog yapping from it.

A few seconds later, after I've swiped my card and had the pump tell me to start fueling, the Toyota that I had seen zigzagging away comes back and backs up almost to the point of touching the Scion across from me. Out of the truck steps what I can only describe as trailer trash. All the stereotypical signs were there. Greasy, matted hair. Tank top with inappropriate adjective across the chest like "Bootylicious" or "Take a picture". Dirt stained, frayed shorts and mismatching flip-flops.

Within a couple seconds, she's at the driver's side window of the Scion knocking on it. The little old lady in the car had yet to get out to start pumping her gas. She rolls down the window and the next thing I hear is:

"NUH-UH I DONE PREPAID FOR GAS AT THIS PUMP AND YOU'RE GONNA STEAL IT"

At this point, I'm not sure what the old lady did, but it was something that was interpreted as laughing to Trailer Trash. This sets Trailer Trash off on a bit of a tirade, most of which I couldn't understand due to her apparent lack of English speaking skills.

A few seconds of this goes by and, again, Old Lady says something. Whatever she said caused Trailer Trash to start throwing ethnic slurs at her. Things I picked up:

(Note: I have no way of typing out the way she sounded in saying these things, just assume there's a thick southern drawl butchering these words.)

"Ya'll wetbacks shouldn't even be in this country!"
"Need to elect the Arizona Gov. to be the president!"
"My taxes go to pay for your lazy asses."

Now even I'm a little irritated. To her credit, Old Lady just rolled up the window and went to a different pump.

Credit didn't last too long though...

While Old Lady is pulling into the next pump, Trailer Trash is mumbling to herself and looking around almost like she's talked smack and trying to make eye contact with anyone that approves of what she said to bolster her show. When Old Lady parks, she gets out of the car, looks over at Trailer Trash, opens her arms wide and proceeds to say twice:

"THIS FREE COUNTRY! GOD BLESS AMERICA" in an accent that didn't really sound Spanish or Mexican to me...

I knew what type of firestorm that was going to set off. For those of you inexperienced with the Trailer Trash mentality, you don't have to look any further than a lot of the people they find for Reality TV shows. Uneducated Trailer Trash with heaping doses of attitude are exactly the type of people they look for to film. The Trailer Trash that Old Lady had just provoked had all of this in spades.

Now to set this scene up, here's what you need to know:

Old Lady is about 4'10".
Trailer Trash is about 5'5".

(That would be my mom and my sister's height respectively...)

Our 3 cars are currently in an L shape. My car is at the angle of the L. Trailer Trash is on the opposite side of the pump I'm at and Old Lady has parked at the pump adjacent to mine.

Within about 5 seconds, Trailer Trash has made her way over to Old Lady and got right in her face. I watched with a bit of a sense of dread because I knew something really dumb was going to happen if I didn't step in. Trailer Trash's back is to me and she's just yammering away inviting the Old Lady to fight her. Within about 3 seconds...

...Trailer Trash goes from staring down at someone half a foot shorter than her to staring up at someone half a foot taller and about 100lbs heavier. I had positioned myself directly between them.

Trailer Trash seemed a little stunned at my appearance, but in typical Trailer Trash fashion, she overcame that pretty quickly and started jawing at me.

TT: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT THIS AIN'T NONE OF YO GODDAMN BUSINESS

(Bad breath...holy shit...bad breath...)

Q: Your idiocy is hurting my ears and my brain. That makes it my business.

TT: ARE YOU CALLIN' ME A IDIOT

(yes, she said 'a idiot', not 'an idiot' before you grammar nazis out there correct me)

Q: Caught on quick didn't you...

TT: THIS AIN'T NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS

Q: Are you really trying to fight someone twice your age over your own moronic mistake?

TT: OH NO I KNOW YOU DIDN'T JUST CALL ME A MORON

She starts to get up in my face and I took a step back not wanting to take another blast of that breath she was wielding...

Q: Do yourself a favor. Just go back to your truck, finish fueling and leave.

TT: DUMB BITCH DONE TRIED TO STEAL MY GAS

Q: No, she pulled up to a pump that looked vacated because you were a moron. Who the hell pays for gas at a pump they're not currently parked at then needs to drive around the entire building before pumping their gas.

TT: I PREPAID AT THI---

Q: Yeah yeah, I get it. You prepaid. Go finish your gas and leave.

TT: I AIN'T NO MORON

Q: Whatever you want to believe lady. You were about to do something dumb before I stepped in and you haven't exactly made yourself look like anything more than a fucking bitch.

TT: FUCKING BITCH?!?!?! YOU CALLIN' ME A FUCKING BITCH?!?!?!

Then she ranted for about 2 minutes...

A few years ago, I probably would have tried to out-stupid her or out-shout her, but I let her rant. Mostly because it was entertaining watching her stamp around spouting stuff that my 3.5 year old niece could out-wit. Finally dawned on her that her words were having no effect on me...

TT: WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY

Q: You really have no clue how dumb and entertaining you are do you?

Then Trailer Trash burst into tears and this was my chance to go "Q" and really pour salt in the wounds.

Q: See, this is what happens when the bully gets bullied. The bully goes home crying. Here's one of my business cards. Please take it to your crack smoking boyfriend and beg him to come kick my ass. I won't mind getting my ass kicked one bit if it means you get removed from society for a couple years. As a matter of fact, I'll give you a free shot right now. You want to fight so badly? Go ahead, punch me in the face, the balls, wherever you want. Spout more of your reality TV educated filth at me while you do it.

Trailer Trash then proceeded to tear my business card up right there and go back to her truck. During the argument, her gas pump had clicked off (mine as well), so she just yanked the pump out, threw it back in it's stand and sped off. I watched her to make sure she wasn't going to just do a loop around the building then come ram us or something. As she's pulling out onto the main highway, Old Lady puts her hand on my shoulder and says...

"She watch much TV. Needs read book or two."

I looked at my cell phone afterward to see how much time had passed. Seven minutes. All that bullshit took place in 7 minutes. Then I looked around to see if we had attracted a crowd. The car that was on the opposite side of Old Lady's pump had left at some point and I guess no one in the store heard or saw Trailer Trash's mannerisms (or didn't care enough) to come out to check on things.

I asked Old Lady if she was all right. She just simply says "Yes. Idiots not new to me." So I told her to have a better day and went on my merry trip.

I still haven't figured out what nationality she was. She clearly wasn't asian and the accent didn't sound like one from someone who spoke Spanish primarily. The part that surprised me the most out of the whole 7 minute event was that I didn't even get mad or nervous about it. Normally I hate physical confrontation of any sort and it's not uncommon for the heart rate to jump up high and for part of my face to twitch when I feel like I'm getting ready to have to throw fisticuffs.

After sharing the story with Girlfriend and a couple other friends on my way to E-town, I reflected on it a bit more and questioned whether I would have done the same thing if it had been Male Trailer Trash hurling slurs like that and threatening physical confrontation with an Old Lady. I like to think that I would, but until I'm in that situation (and history doesn't suggest that I wouldn't), I won't know for sure.

It just drives me bonkers hearing hate spewed like that because of someone's race or nationality. Joking about it is one thing. Most people understand the stereotypes associated with their race or nationality and can appreciate some good jokes at their expense from time to time. When someone just spouts them because they don't know any better, as much as people just want to say call the cops, it really just comes down to your neighbor helping your neighbor. Neighbors have to teach tolerance. Threats of calling police just build walls. Not saying my approach in that situation was correct, but Trailer Trash is likely not going to be doing idiot stuff like that for at least a little while. Maybe after she gets herself embarrassed a couple more times, it'll sink in...