“You shouldn’t be here,” a red-haired woman in shorts says to her friend in a suit. “You work for Arthur Andersen.”
There are graying couples, determinedly alternative teens, activists selling newspapers and passing out flyers, and die-hard fans of Michael Moore, the host of the leftish newsmagazine. The rain streaks the letters of one guy’s homemade sandwich board, which reads “Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken–Jr.” Some women wave sticks attached to paper plates on which they’ve scrawled “Crackers #1” in fluorescents. A couple of people are sweating in costumes–a bloodhound and a Woodsy the Owl waving a “Dow = Dioxin” T-shirt.
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A guy with lank yellow hair and a beard waves a small American flag and echoes the words on his sign: “Save us, Crackers!”
A woman goes into a tirade about the complexities of Ameritech’s voice-mail fees. A guy complains that the import company where he worked never gave him his last paycheck. Another guy waves one of Jewel’s “preferred customer” discount cards and says, “Jewel keeps track of everything you buy. It’s horrible because they sell these lists around the country!” He starts shouting desperately, “It’s evil! Evil!”
“What about the price we have to pay for beer at ballparks and Navy Pier?”
