Getting An Earful In The Sunshine State

Isn't it New Yorkers who have the reputation of being brash and opinionated?  I was somewhat taken aback by a small sample of Floridians who seem to fit the bill as well.

 

Momma Cuan and I recently spent nineteen days in Florida, a place where some strangers aren't bashful about sharing their societal and political philosophies, even while making first impressions.  Three such encounters stand out.

 

We saved over $700 by renting a car at a remote Hertz location in Tampa, rather than at TPA.  This required a $20 cab ride to pick up our vehicle.  The white cabbie was a talker, whether we wished to engage him or not.  What was to be our first Florida conversation started like this.

 

"Where you guys from?"

 

"Minneapolis."

 

"Oh, boy, you'd better be careful up there.  That's where a lot of the Somali terrorists live."

 

Momma Cuan: "I teach Somali adults on my volunteer job.  I find them to be very nice."

 

"Yeah, well, I suppose there are a few exceptions.  You should be glad you're not from Dearborn, Michigan.  That place is crawling with them."

 

The next day, after attending a spring training game in Lakeland and spending the night there, we headed south to our rented condo in Fort Myers.  About half-way en route, just outside of Cleveland, Florida, we stopped for lunch at an inviting roadside diner called Peace River Seafood & Crab Shack.  Outdoor seating, in short supply, was provided at picnic tables, where another, younger couple joined us shortly after we sat down.

 

Momma Cuan and I were discussing how some people are prone to excusing themselves from doing certain things, such as family functions, because they are "too busy" or they "have a job."

 

Me: "I am always puzzled when people use having a job as an excuse.  After all, most people work five days a week and have just two days off."

 

At this point, the woman sitting to my left, who we thought was having her own conversation with her companion sitting to Momma Cuan's right, chimed in:

 

"I think most people have seven days off, especially since 2009.  You know what they say about Obama: He likes poor people so much he decided to make more of them."

 

Momma Cuan and I silently read each other's minds: Who said anything about Obama?

 

We didn't complete the trifecta until our final day when we were in another cab, this one taking us from the rental car drop off location back to the Tampa airport for our return flight.  As we were caught in rush hour traffic, the conversation turned to road construction and how many huge projects never seem to get done.  I commented that in Minnesota, one hurdle we encounter is the plethora of government layers (city, county, metro, state), all of which need to be in synch for public works.  The immediate reply, out of the blue, from our Hispanic driver was, "Obama has managed to accomplish one thing.  He has made it almost impossible for another black man to become president for the next twenty-five years."  That was the first (and only) time the president's name had come up.  I quickly turned the topic to something more neutral, like the weather.  (I have to save my energy for those times I discuss presidential politics with Michael T.)

 

I was surprised that people with strong opinions are apparently chomping at the bit to share them without prompting, especially in the case of the two cabbies.  I would think someone whose income relied to a large extent on customer tips would be a little more measured in expressing themselves.

 

When I wrote my introductory post to this blog on December 6, 2011, I referred to the title of David Brinkley's best seller, Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion.  Apparently the three Floridians I described herein subscribe to that theory as well.