I took on a side gig driving uber. I wanted to be around people and assumed I’d be driving nurses to and from hospitals. It would be my way of pitching in.

Nope. I became a mobile therapist. I became the whipping boy for other people’s anger. I had to educate people on both sides of the aisle about masks/blm/Trump/Biden. I became the DJ who gave chill vibes to all socioeconomic backgrounds. People cried in my car, argued with eachother in my car, screamed on the phone in my car, took off their masks and coughed in my car... and often I felt invisible.

I took the radiologists through the drive through to get her fast food on the way to her jobs. I took hospital admins from their job to their “small gathering of 6 friends.” I took a surgeon from her aunts house to a quinceanera. I took doctors from their hookup to work. They’re the heros in the eyes of CNN yet the Uber driver is the zero.

I saw how poorly Uber/lyft drivers were treated. “All hail the hospital staff!” And “stay at home!” But also “hurry up! I need to get to my friends house and am running late!” And “dude, I don’t need a mask. I was tested two weeks ago. Besides I’m black and black people don’t get Covid. Tsk, just drive man.” And “yeah we are going to a rave because I already got it last January and I’m immune.”

I maintained an impressively high 4.99 rating (I was given a 1 star by an angry older woman, and I have no clue who gave me the 2 star) yet I was treated with contempt by many.

People don’t respect their true frontline workers. They care about nurses but not all the men and women who shuttle them around.