This is a picture of a maintenance crew shoveling snow off of the roof of the gym. This past week, I saw them outside of South, moving along the sidewalk as a group, slowly chipping away at the ice and shoveling it from the path. It gave me an odd feeling, reminding me of the workers in The Other Side of the Island who never spoke but went about their tasks like drones. From what I've seen, the crew is composed of short people in bright blue or yellow vests, and they emerge from the woodwork whenever duty calls. Maybe it's bad of me to think that's sort of creepy, but it makes me so uneasy to realize the extent of the "Us-Them" mentality that exists here. Students walk by without a nod to their existence. No one stops to say hello or thank them. They are Others, here to do the menial jobs that make our days safer and more pleasant, and yet we completely take for granted the shoveled walkways and de-iced steps that are the results of their hard work. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking this.
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