In bullfighting, Matadors use a red cape to taunt a bull. The movement of the cape aggravates the bull and it charges.
A flurry. Misdirection. A step and a slide. The Matador evades the charging bull. Hopefully.
Ironically, bulls are color blind.
The color of the cape, the elegant dance, even the Matador’s richly made costume is more for the crowd, less for the bull.
Headphones have nothing to do with bullfighting, except that on a subliminal level my headphones also aggravate people around me, like the cape taunting the bull.
It must irritate them that I stand apart from their society for not long after I put them on, they charge.
They charge at me, horns leading, and ask me a question or make a comment born out of the nervous air of silence I personally enjoy.
“What was that?” I respond. I make a show of manifesting the headphones in my hands like a bullfighter’s cape.
“I was just wondering if….” The question is irrelevant.
I failed to evade.
The bull has won.
Is it my fault? Did I expect a difference result? No
A member of society is subject to its norms.
But, you can’t fault a guy for trying.
Note to reader: I have had several friends confide in me that they dislike it when they are interrupted while they are wearing headphones. I’m personally guilty of wearing headphones often as I am constantly listening to audio books and podcasts. I don’t fault a loved one or friend who needs my attention for any reason. However, I just had too much fun comparing social interactions with bullfighting and the post wrote itself. Thanks for reading!
