Why Is John Wideman The Seat Not Taken

Documented Essay on Wideman’s “The Seat Not taken”
John Edgar Wideman’s essay “The Seat Not Taken” describes his sociological experiment during the trips he took on the train to work and back home. He does this to determine the cause and effects of other passengers invariably not sit next to him, someone of color when the seat next to him is vacant. Wideman concluded that the seat beside him is always empty, and it appears that way due to the subtle racism shown by citizens in the presence of his skin color. Racism is a big part of Wideman’s essay when it comes to others picking the seat next to him on the train. His statement “I’m a man of color” amplifies the main reason why people avoid the seat next to him. Wideman expresses loneliness and sadness about the seat next him. “The emptiness of the seat is something quite sad.” (Wideman)
In the 21st century, racism is still apparent in today’s society and part of everybody’s life depending on the circumstances. Even if it’s not expressed explicitly, racism is still subconsciously there in our minds. There have been cases of racist
As mentioned in the article, the term “gook” was used because the Australian woman shouted her racist comments at an Asian woman. Wideman explains that 9 out of 10 times people will shun the free seat next to him, especially when the train is nearly full because of his skin color (para. 4). This case has some of the same characteristics with the Australian woman’s story in terms of racial profiling (Asian and African American), and these happened during busy hours on the train. Under unfortunate circumstances, racism can come in different forms but have some similarities that aren’t displayed by the act. Two of the examples I used in terms of similarity were the subtlety of Wideman’s experience on the train and the foul-mouth outburst in the Australian woman’s