The wisdom of discretion for a cab driver
A discreet cab driver could win the trust, and the business, of his community, Harris says.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with John Harris, September 5, 2002. Interview R-0185. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- KIERAN TAYLOR:
-
I'd imagine just driving a taxi that you kind of, I mean you
must've known everybody's business just I mean you
must've really sort of had your finger on the pulse of this
street.
- JOHN HARRIS:
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Well, that's, I guess that's part of what goes
with the territory of driving a cab. And you're right. You
know certain things. Now if you, you could develop a reputation. If you
were a talking cab driver, you didn't get, everybody knew it.
So they never, anybody that was going to use a cab on a regular basis,
they're not going to call you because you talk too much. So
if you were able, if you could build a reputation of not being of seeing
and not seeing and seeing and not talking, you became respected for
that.
- KIERAN TAYLOR:
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So in a sense you're a priest, an attorney—
- JOHN HARRIS:
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That's exactly it. That's exactly it. Because
people get in your cab and they'll tell you things that just
like is what they would tell their priest. You could either, you could
either accept it and just say well, or you could discuss it. If
you're smart you don't discuss other
folk's business.
- KIERAN TAYLOR:
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What about even with your wife or family. Would you ever bring stories
home?
- JOHN HARRIS:
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No. No. Well, sometimes you would, but most people, you don't
talk about the misfortunes or fortunes of people. Well, everybody likes
to talk about the fortunes of people, but sometimes you sort of just
learn to not to discuss the misfortunes of people.