But why is that people on public transport that listen to music at ear splitting volume always have crap taste in music? Have a bit of Motown going on so everyone can do a Supremes impression. A bit of rock from a band that everyone knows at least one song by - a bit of Guns N' Roses, Queen or Bon Jovi so everyone can have a bit of a mosh; or something poppy like Gaga, P!nk or Bruno Mars; a bit of Cascada or Swedish House Mafia to get everyone feeling a bit more energised in the morning. But an entire hour of drum and bass or thrash metal at 100 decibels when you literally had to drag your sorry arse out of bed five minutes before you need to be at the bus stop - Gah!
I have a pretty broad taste in music, but it kind of makes me want to start reciting Gregorian chant so they back away from me quickly and thus I won't have to listen to their crappy music. My music collection is pretty varied and I appreciate that not everyone may like my eclectic playlist, but I don't inflict in on the whole bus or train.
On a random side note, I do have one memory that has stayed with me over the years relating to music. I was on a train on my way back to Birmingham during a really cold winter. For reasons I can't remember, we ended up getting diverted to Didcot Parkway station for several hours and I couldn't get my then my boyfriend to come and pick me up. Obviously, everyone had banked on the journey being a certain length of time and people were cold, bored, and getting hungry & thirsty. Tempers were starting to fray, which was being exacerbated by the fact that the train was really over crowded.
An awesome guy who happened to be stood in between carriages decided that we all needed a bit of cheering up, and without any ceremony, set up a steel drum and proceeded to play some reggae classics as well as some festive tunes. Within a short period of time, you could feel the tension start to diffuse just enough for people to start (God forbid!) chatting to their fellow passengers, offering the use of their mobiles to their neighbour so that they could call home with a vague idea of arrival time (as it was before everyone and their dog had a phone). News spread, and people started coming down from different carriages to listen and make requests. It was a small gesture that gave the train and station staff a break from being glared at (when the delay wasn't their fault), and brought a bit of happiness to lots of travellers that were cold, frustrated, tired and hungry.
And man-spreading! Gah! Yes, it's a thing, people!
Miriam Webster definition of man spreading:
"The
act or practice by a man of sitting with the legs spread wide apart (as
in a public seating area) in a way that intrudes on the space of other."
There have been various campaigns around the world against the scourge of inconsiderate seating practices on public transport. In 2014 New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority ran a campaign to "encourage courteous behaviour on the subway"; China had a Change.Org campaign to address the issue; Madrid's Municipal Transportation Company (EMT) banned man spreading on public transport.
The amount of times I have got on a crowded bus with loads of people standing, to see that there are some empty seats, but they're being taken up by man-spreading. And oh! the looks on their faces when you ask them if you can sit down! You'd think I'd just ask them to sell me their first born child.
And before y'all get on your high horses, yes, women are guilty of taking up seats with handbags etc., but they are usually way less aggressive if you ask them to move their stuff to sit down.
So what have we learned today kiddi-winks? To quote the folks at The Last Leg: Don't be a dick!
