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If you read Stuart Steers' piece about taxi drivers the other day in the Rocky Mountain News – "African newcomers have filled Denver cab companies'ranks" (March 26) –you might think you were watching a Geico insurance commercial.
According to Steers and the Rocky,"For the immigrants, driving a cab is an occupation that doesn't require perfect English or an education."
"Some jobs want experience and a diploma, but you don't need that pushing metal" was a quote from one driver.
If you were a lawyer or any other professional who worked your way through school as a cab driver, would you be offended by these sentiments? I certainly am. It portrays cab drivers - as in the Geico commercials – as modern-day cavemen who can't do anything else. Indeed, the piece implies that all a cab driver does is get into a vehicle, turn on the ignition and pick up and drop off
people. That's all we do.
You don't have to know the city, the best restaurants, what events are happening in our city and other things that gives us credence in our community. You don't have to worry about giving change or about cheating people. You don't need to get a Department of Transportation clearance, aColorado Bureau of Investigation clearance, an FBI clearance or city and county of Denver taxi license. And don't worry about such trivial things as insurance.
You don't have to pass a test on how well you know city streets. You don't have to worry about going any and every which way to the customer's destination. So what if you sit at the airport for hours? It's healthy to be outside in the clean air of Denver International Airport. If a fare gets into your cab and you notice the outline of a gun in his pocket, don't worry – cavemen don't worry about such minor annoyances.
Of course we never want to study our map books, that might give the impression that we have brains. And let's not cheat while doing research on Denver's history and landmarks, because the Rocky Mountain Newsmight get the wrong idea about us. We wouldn't want that to happen, would we?
So, why do we drive a taxicab? It obviously isn't because we can make a living at it, learn and have fun in our work. No, it's because we are all masochists or enjoy being slaves, as one driver in a related story described his situation. (Although, ironically, the paper also indicated "he likes the freedom that comes with driving a cab.")
According to the Rockyand its quoted experts, it looks like yours truly has been living a brutish, hand-to-mouth existence as a cab driver for the past 38 years. Since it seems to have some expertise about the profession, perhaps the Rockycould teach us a little something and maybe even help us cabbies get out of our rut as cavemen and move on to a shanty or even a real house. Anything is better than our current existence – or is it?
The Rocky doesn'twant both sides of an issue, or so it seems after talking for more than an hour to Steers who was doing some research before the piece was written. The Rockyhas an agenda: Controversy sells papers.
The whole point of the Geico commericals is to poke fun at all the "victim" groups who complain about how they've been "insulted" or otherwise offended by society and in the mainstream media.
You're the perfect example of why those commercials are so popular -- because they are based on the truth.
Even you have to admit that cab driving is not rocket science. Bascially, it's a good job for people who don't have college degrees or other marketable skills.
I've met cabbies who are pursuing PhDs, and I've met cabbies who are dumber than a box of rocks. Stereotypes are never universally true. That's why they call them stereotypes -- and that's why so many people get offended by them.
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