2004-08-07 11:41:07檸檬蛋糕
A Man Standing in the Rain
I see this familiar stranger at least ten times a week. Whenever I see him, he stands at the same position in the same outfit, wearing the same expression and doing the same thing.
The man hired by Khana Peena to help advertise. He stands in front of the Starbucks facing the West Gate. He wears two big signs, with one in front and the other one at the back. Lunch and Dinner Buffet at $x.xx, the signs, which are almost as tall as he, say. Sometimes, he also hands out flyers. I do not usually find him smiling. However, strangely enough, I do see him being surrounded by a sense of tranquility that is hardly noticed if I have not seen him enough.
I only saw him occasionally when I was still living on the north side. I first knew of his existence on a hot, sunny day. How can a store use a man in such a way, I thought as I was wiping the sweat off my forehead. I regarded it as an inefficient use of labor, and to some extent I still do, even though I have not yet found a valid argument to support my view.
It is hard to forget that scene. I did not bring an umbrella on a rainy day. While I was rushing back from the Berkeley Public Library to home, I saw this man standing in the rain. He stood at the same position in the same outfit, wearing the same expression and doing the same thing.
I was speechless. I was in awe. I was not sure how long he had been standing there, or maybe the manager told him to go back into the store to avoid the rain in the second after I had left. I did not know. However, at that moment, I was angry, even though I probably had overreacted when the word "injustice" ran across my head. Because of the rain, the pedestrians were walking faster than usual, and I wondered how many people had paid attention to the advertisement.
This is the world, governed by supply and demand. On what ground could I possibly say that it was unfair? The restaurant needs someone to do such a task, and the man is willing to take it. Fair enough. Maybe I was too naive. But still. I try not to offer this man any sympathy, because I believe that he probably prefers the green papers in my wallet to my sentimental reactions.
The food at this restaurant probably is good, because there are quite some customers. However, I have grown such an antagonistic feeling towards this restaurant that I still have not tried the food there. I do not want this place to make profit off me because it mistreats its employees, I thought. Wait a second, I later thought, won't this employee be treated even worse if the restaurant is not gaining as much?
I got confused as to whether I should eat at this place more or less often. However, I figure that someday I will have my meal over there, not because I have finally solved this "moral" dilemma as to which action is the best. I probably will be attracted because of the food, or because my friends want to go there, or because of other more personal, "selfish" reasons. I feel sad when all these ethical and grand thoughts on seeking justice and fairness for other individuals may ultimately be gone when it comes to personal benefits.
I have already seen this man twice today, on the way to and from school. He is still standing at the same position in the same outfit, wearing the same expression and doing the same thing. Everything still remains the same. But at least today is a cool, cloudy day.
The man hired by Khana Peena to help advertise. He stands in front of the Starbucks facing the West Gate. He wears two big signs, with one in front and the other one at the back. Lunch and Dinner Buffet at $x.xx, the signs, which are almost as tall as he, say. Sometimes, he also hands out flyers. I do not usually find him smiling. However, strangely enough, I do see him being surrounded by a sense of tranquility that is hardly noticed if I have not seen him enough.
I only saw him occasionally when I was still living on the north side. I first knew of his existence on a hot, sunny day. How can a store use a man in such a way, I thought as I was wiping the sweat off my forehead. I regarded it as an inefficient use of labor, and to some extent I still do, even though I have not yet found a valid argument to support my view.
It is hard to forget that scene. I did not bring an umbrella on a rainy day. While I was rushing back from the Berkeley Public Library to home, I saw this man standing in the rain. He stood at the same position in the same outfit, wearing the same expression and doing the same thing.
I was speechless. I was in awe. I was not sure how long he had been standing there, or maybe the manager told him to go back into the store to avoid the rain in the second after I had left. I did not know. However, at that moment, I was angry, even though I probably had overreacted when the word "injustice" ran across my head. Because of the rain, the pedestrians were walking faster than usual, and I wondered how many people had paid attention to the advertisement.
This is the world, governed by supply and demand. On what ground could I possibly say that it was unfair? The restaurant needs someone to do such a task, and the man is willing to take it. Fair enough. Maybe I was too naive. But still. I try not to offer this man any sympathy, because I believe that he probably prefers the green papers in my wallet to my sentimental reactions.
The food at this restaurant probably is good, because there are quite some customers. However, I have grown such an antagonistic feeling towards this restaurant that I still have not tried the food there. I do not want this place to make profit off me because it mistreats its employees, I thought. Wait a second, I later thought, won't this employee be treated even worse if the restaurant is not gaining as much?
I got confused as to whether I should eat at this place more or less often. However, I figure that someday I will have my meal over there, not because I have finally solved this "moral" dilemma as to which action is the best. I probably will be attracted because of the food, or because my friends want to go there, or because of other more personal, "selfish" reasons. I feel sad when all these ethical and grand thoughts on seeking justice and fairness for other individuals may ultimately be gone when it comes to personal benefits.
I have already seen this man twice today, on the way to and from school. He is still standing at the same position in the same outfit, wearing the same expression and doing the same thing. Everything still remains the same. But at least today is a cool, cloudy day.