Member-only story
Learning How to Dismantle the Matriarchy on the LA Bus
The day weird misogyny sat next to me.
Los Angeles is a vast landscape dotted with pockets of civilization connected by miles of freeways. In this interminable urban sprawl, you can be stuck in your car on the 10 for hours while attempting a simple nine-mile trip. It’s the reason I’d often take the bus, and the bus is the reason I met Dr. Passion and his revolutionary gospel of the men’s rights movement.
Most of my LA life revolved around the beach near my Santa Monica apartment, but on Fridays I had to commute to my downtown office. The commute could be brutal, and I learned the best way to do it was the Big Blue Bus. On the bus, I could sit in the very back with my big, noise-canceling ‘don’t talk to me’ headphones and either read or work on my laptop. It’s important to appear unapproachable on public transportation to ward off strangers trying to convert you to their incel ideology.
Three days before my fateful bus ride, I was walking back to my apartment, and I passed a stack of books on the sidewalk with a sign reading Free Books. I looked over the titles and one caught my eye, The Master and Margarita. I’d heard of the book but knew nothing about it. I took it home and started reading it that night in bed.
