I'm generally regarded by others as a tranquil and
self-possessed person, and I am most of the time. However, I am no weakling and
I will act with force under some circumstances. Those who underestimate me
always end up regretting it. A few months ago I discovered a new trigger.
Predictably it is connected to one of my greatest passions; the Hospital
Portering Service. I sometimes take lunch breaks from work in a small cafe near
my main area of employment. On those days I sit for three quarters of an hour
or so reading and sipping coffee. However, the other month when I was there a man
walked in wearing a hospital porter's uniform, at least he had on the familiar light
blue polo shirt with the word "PORTER" and the OxRad motif on it. I
think his trousers were his own, unless the issue has changed since my
departure. I had seen this man a few times before in the cafe and never before
wondered if he were a hospital porter. I always boast that I can spot a
hospital porter from ten paces. The fact that this man had, apparently, been one
and I never noticed didn't bother me; I just assumed that my por-dar had become
a little rusty over the years. I went up to him and began a conversation,
introducing myself as a former John Radcliffe porter. He shrugged and said:
"I'm not a porter, mate. I'm just wearing this. My cousin is a porter and I
borrowed it off him." Something inside me snapped. A lot of emotion that
had been frozen inside me suddenly thawed and boiled to steam. The following is
not a verbatim transcript of our conversation; I recall swearing an awful lot
more. I replied: "How can you wear that if you're not a porter!? Don't you
know what that uniform means!? It's not just a piece of clothing! It's a symbol
for what porters do!"
He recoiled from me and shrugged: "Come on, mate. It's no big deal."
"It is a big deal!" I retorted. "The men who wear that uniform dedicate their lives to keeping you safe and healthy! Keeping you secure knowing there's an ambulance and a hospital with the best care in the world one phone-call away! You are insulting them and disrespecting their mission! You're a disgrace! We porters have earned the right to wear that! YOU HAVE NOT!"
He tried to protest. "That's a bit over the top, mate; ain't it?" he chuckled.
But I carried on: "Porters dedicate their lives to what they do and sometimes lose their lives!" Today I think specifically of Elbert and Oscar, two OxRad porters who passed away from Covid 19, see: http://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2020/04/ive-lost-two-brothers.html. In fact even without the coronavirus, the life expectancy of hospital porters is worryingly low. No formal statistical or causal research has been carried out, in fact probably nobody cares except us; but I have attended many a funeral over the years of porters who died in middle age. We also take these risks and commit to our service with a miniscule financial reward and very little public appreciation, see: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2015/10/an-open-letter-to-richard-dawkins.html. I shouted at the man: "I have lost friends who wore that uniform on the day they died!" I commanded him to take it off. He had nothing else to wear so I was being pretty unrealistic, but I was too angry to think straight. He refused. I shouted: "Take it off now or we'll step outside and I'll take it off for you!"
At this point the cafe servers intervened and warned me to calm down. I realized that I had gone too far so I stormed out into the street and walked away. I have not been back to that cafe since then and I assume I'm barred.
Did I do the right thing? I'll leave that for the reader to decide. It was actually not a question that has crossed my mind because I was acting purely on instinct, not logic. It is possible that on another occasion I would have engaged in the exact same situation and reacted differently. I would have most certainly been angry no matter what, but I would perhaps have expressed my ire in a more controlled manner. On reflection I feel a sense of calm following the emotional storm that swept through me. I have no regrets and if I see that man again I will definitely not apologize. He owes me an apology actually, and all hospital porters as well, for insulting our uniform and all those who wear it. If he had his own trousers on then he wasn't even wearing it properly! Hopefully the next time our paths cross he will be differently attired.
He recoiled from me and shrugged: "Come on, mate. It's no big deal."
"It is a big deal!" I retorted. "The men who wear that uniform dedicate their lives to keeping you safe and healthy! Keeping you secure knowing there's an ambulance and a hospital with the best care in the world one phone-call away! You are insulting them and disrespecting their mission! You're a disgrace! We porters have earned the right to wear that! YOU HAVE NOT!"
He tried to protest. "That's a bit over the top, mate; ain't it?" he chuckled.
But I carried on: "Porters dedicate their lives to what they do and sometimes lose their lives!" Today I think specifically of Elbert and Oscar, two OxRad porters who passed away from Covid 19, see: http://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2020/04/ive-lost-two-brothers.html. In fact even without the coronavirus, the life expectancy of hospital porters is worryingly low. No formal statistical or causal research has been carried out, in fact probably nobody cares except us; but I have attended many a funeral over the years of porters who died in middle age. We also take these risks and commit to our service with a miniscule financial reward and very little public appreciation, see: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2015/10/an-open-letter-to-richard-dawkins.html. I shouted at the man: "I have lost friends who wore that uniform on the day they died!" I commanded him to take it off. He had nothing else to wear so I was being pretty unrealistic, but I was too angry to think straight. He refused. I shouted: "Take it off now or we'll step outside and I'll take it off for you!"
At this point the cafe servers intervened and warned me to calm down. I realized that I had gone too far so I stormed out into the street and walked away. I have not been back to that cafe since then and I assume I'm barred.
Did I do the right thing? I'll leave that for the reader to decide. It was actually not a question that has crossed my mind because I was acting purely on instinct, not logic. It is possible that on another occasion I would have engaged in the exact same situation and reacted differently. I would have most certainly been angry no matter what, but I would perhaps have expressed my ire in a more controlled manner. On reflection I feel a sense of calm following the emotional storm that swept through me. I have no regrets and if I see that man again I will definitely not apologize. He owes me an apology actually, and all hospital porters as well, for insulting our uniform and all those who wear it. If he had his own trousers on then he wasn't even wearing it properly! Hopefully the next time our paths cross he will be differently attired.
