This morning on Wise Avenue I spotted a young woman in a black burka, a bit of a surprise in our homogeneous yellow-cake of a city. But it's an eclectic neighborhood so a new flavor of citizen icing isn't totally out of the realm of possibility. "Wow" I thought, "it must be interesting to live in Roanoke as a very conservative Muslim." and then, "She's going to get in hot in that today."
As I neared the person I realized it wasn't a burka or a girl. It was a young man in what is a some iteration of "goth": large wide-legged, drag-the-floor black pants resembling a flowing skirt and a black sweatshirt hoodie, pulled way below his eyes. "How juvenile" I thought. Followed by "He's going to get hot in that today."
So I ask myself, if the look is the same - and either would end up uncomfortable in today's heat -- how can I assume they are different people inside. One I almost pity for what I assume would be a difficult life thrust upon here; the other I feel aggravation at for setting himself up for trouble by resisting conformity.
How can I know whether the look of the person standing at the bus stop is a measures of how he or she stands in his or her heart? Burka, scarf, cross, Star of David, big hair, funny hat. There is little I can truly know about a person until I actually KNOW the person. Except that "It's going to be hot today."
-30-
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