Teen Idle

|86| - "Dear Woman On the Train..."

Dear Woman on the Train,

I wonder how it is like to be in your shoes; to have the same mindset and thoughts you were having that day you saw my dad.

Can you live with yourself after what you did? Can you sleep at night thinking, "Oh, what I did was for the benefit of the people!"? 

Just because my father looks South Asian and speaks a foreign language, doesn't mean you can call him a terrorist. It doesn't mean you can twist my native tongue and get the word "bomb" out of it.

You had no right to accuse my father of having a bomb. You had no right to look through my father's luggage to search for a bomb. You had no right to say, "Oh, I'm just really nervous, that's why I did it."

You are so fucking lucky that my dad didn't slap you. You are so fucking lucky that my dad was calm and collected when dealing with your bitchass. He let you look through his stuff and faced the embarrassment just so you can find - what? - NOTHING. 

I don't care if you have issues at home. Nor do I care that you are anxious. You did not have the authority to do that. My father came home calm, claiming that he was fine, but I could see it in his eyes that he was deeply saddened for what you have done to him.

My father doesn't hate you. He believes your fears are justified. He also believes that you should've called the police on the train rather than handling the situation yourself. He understands how Muslims and other innocent Arabs feel when they are targeted by random strangers. He understands how it feels to have their bags checked only to find no threat. He understands that. And, while I am extremely upset with you, I'd like to thank you for that. 

Thank you for opening my father's eyes on the struggles refugees face every day in the goddamn country and anywhere for the matter. Thank you for proving that people who accuse innocent people aren't heros. Because of you, I will be very careful what I do in public. I will make sure not to carry large pieces of luggage and talk in my native tongue around godforsaken dumbasses like you. 

 Do me a favor and go get some fucking mental help, asshole. 

Fuck you,

That man's daughter