December
11, 2003
Today is the day to rock the suburbs.
Guest Diarist: Steve Delahoyde
Midwest Ninjas
So it's gotten cold here in Iowa, as I'm sure it's getting or
gotten elsewhere in the Midwest. I've been bundled up in my big, blue coat
that makes me look thirty pounds heavier, my new green cap, and my little
blue mittens, which make me ever so cute.
I was walking across campus the other day, minding my own business, taking
the occasional sip of the coffee in my mug I carry most everywhere, when all
of the sudden I was startled, almost to the point of stopping in my tracks.
What had happened was that I saw a young lady ahead of me who turned the corner
and was approaching my direction. She was wearing dark clothing, maybe all
black, and had a ski mask on that covered her whole face, all but her eyes
and mouth. In my head, when I first saw her, I actually thought to myself,
"Uh oh! It's a ninja!" and for a split second, I was taken aback.
It was the same sensation one has when you see a bee, a large spider, or a
scary looking gentleman standing in an alley. Sort of that, "Do I continue
on, or should I wait to see if the threat departs?"
As soon as all of the right parts of my brain began firing, telling me, "No
that isn't a ninja, that's just a girl in a ski mask", I was able to
laugh at myself. But at the time, it was a very real, very serious anti-ninja
reaction. Had it been stronger, I may have perhaps ran in the opposite direction,
or tried to have hidden somewhere (as I do when I see a bee that's too close
to my personal space).
Why I had this reaction, which was very ninja-specific, I don't know. Have
I had ninjas on my mind? Not that I remember. Did I have a bad experience
once with a ninja, but I've suppressed it extremely well? I suppose it's possible.
Or is it that we Americans have reached the completely unfair generalizations
that all ninjas are inherently evil things? If that's the case, well then,
I'm ashamed of myself, and I'm ashamed of everyone else too. Personally, I
think I'm going to confront what I don't know about this group of super deadly
assassins by attending a ANA meeting (Americans for Ninja Awareness) later
this month. It's the least I can do after this bout of fear.