I’m a mall walker. Yep, I’m one of those gracefully-aging folks that put on their track shoes and rack up some low-impact mileage inside. Last weekend, on a very-dreary Sunday morning, I got to the mall about 9:00 a.m. — a comfortable two hours before opening time. As I was on my second lap, and coming up on the newly-installed Christmas tree at center court, much to my surprise and disgust, I almost stepped into a rather large pile of, well, shit. It was ugly and god-awful smelly. I was aware that there were at least a couple dogs accompanying their owners on this particular morning, so I was contemplating how to talk about this with the next canine handler I saw. 

A few minutes later, near the tables by the coffee shop, I spotted one. At first I walked on by, but then I circled back to have a conversation. To the guy holding the leash, I made the observation about my recent fecal encounter and asked what, if anything, he might know about it. I wasn’t surprised when he said he knew nothing — but then he did, sympathetically, express great dismay. He asked directions so he could check out the situation himself.

I continued on with my walk and by the time I had made my way around to the trouble-spot again, the offending heap was being cleaned up by the housekeeping folks. Bless their hearts. 

Then, a couple minutes later I came upon the same guy. He was talking to yet another dog owner, so I was curious about the conversation. As I walked up, he recognized me immediately, and let me know what he had found out: security folks, he reported, had determined that it was not dog shit. 

Yes, you got that right; it was assessed, by whatever means I am unsure, to be human in origin. (Or was it Bigfoot? — I was unclear.) 

What. The. Fuck.

Well now, what motivates me to report this experience? I guess it got me thinking about how other humans in our culture are behaving disgustingly — and shitting on institutions much more sacred than mall floors. It would seem shit-piles are becoming the norm.

So, what am I thinking of?

Well, for one: former-President Trump’s attempt at overthrowing American democracy as we know it on January 6, 2021. A result of “the big lie,” his coup attempt was beyond-words distressing. He totally shit on the norms of the rule-of-law in general, and the peaceful-transfer-of-power in particular.

Then, of course, how can we forget the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe. Six of the nine, black-robed, all-powerful, lifetime-appointees blatantly shit on fifty years of precedent regarding women’s reproductive rights.

Additionally, I’m thinking of how this also reaches down to street level; whenever a local school board acts to ban books, it directly shits on the first amendment. How crazy is that?

Well, I am sure you get the idea. The heaping pile of crap encountered during my walk took my mind to other places. This is quite the extrapolation, I know. Still: shit is shit. And it’s everywhere.

Soundtrack Suggestion

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

 (“Blowin' In The Wind” – Bob Dylan)