Lessons Learned About the White Man in Harlem

I was raised to believe that the white man was important, and that you should wait for the white man before making your move. One of the first things I learned on the streets of Harlem is that people in New York don't always pay attention to the white man. They cross the street whenever the cars aren't coming, whether the sign has a white man or a red hand.

Wait, what did you think I was talking about?

New Yorkers really have something here I think. Society slowed down a bit the day that "stop, look, and listen" became "Stop, wait for the light to change so that any cars that may or may not be there will not run you down, and wait some more because the stupid light won't change." What's the concern if cars aren't coming? Invisible cars? Come on, even the James Bond franchise realized it went to far when it went down that road.

And what's the downside here? As someone with two legs and zero cars, it seems like the only downside is having to listen to cars honk their horns more often. But the fine city of New York has an answer for that too: honking the horn is illegal. That's right, in the city of New York (or maybe only certain parts of it) it is a crime punishable by a $350 fine to honk your horn except in emergencies. I sense another Law & Order spin off coming already.

So here's the deal: look for cars, and cross. Something tells me if you can't figure it out, well... let's just say there may be something to this whole "survival of the fittest" thing.