bus driving Archives - Steve Salaita

The Architecture of Surveillance in Northern Virginia

The unfreedom we often fear is real, and it’s visible everywhere

Back in November, I had to drop off my bus at one of the county garages for a minor repair. On the way, I radioed dispatch and said I’d need a ride back to the lot where my car was parked. I dallied outside the garage office, on the clock, until my ride ambled along and scooped me up.

The driver was inquisitive and after learning that I was relatively new asked if I enjoy my work. Not wanting to reveal too much about myself—I hate mixing politics with chitchat—I started joke-complaining about how goddamn hard it is to find the garage. The gambit worked. My new friend told me a funny story about his first year on the job.

The Big Picture

Settling into life as an ex-academic also means fighting off the aftereffects of academe.

When I was learning to be a school bus driver, our instructors talked often of the big picture. It was especially common during on-the-road training. An instructor would lean across the aisle and point to the windshield. “Remember the big picture.” Something abnormal or noteworthy was ahead.

The big picture was meant to sharpen perception of roadway unpredictability: low-hanging branches, potholes, lane mergers, road construction, accidents, broken stoplights, standing water, fallen wires, erratic drivers. We were being trained to avoid problems through early detection.