Several years ago my sister and I went to NYC for a weekend.
She drove from PA to my home and the following morning we left the train station for Manhattan. There were no seats on the quiet car so we had to endure all the crazies on their cell phones and all that entails. It's amazing that at 6a so many people are talking on their phones. I would have no one to talk to if I called them at 6am!
On the way back home we got a seat on the quiet car. Being in the quiet car does not mean you can't talk it just means to keep it down. A low conversation or what I call a normal conversation in public. No phones are allowed in the quiet car which is the main reason people want to sit there. It's also the main reason it is hard to get a seat there.
My sister and I were facing one another with a table in between us when my sister showed me a photo in a magazine she was reading and she said, "Doesn't this look like Aunt So-and-so?" That made me laugh out loud. Which of course made the conductor, who was walking by right then, come over to me and whisper - "You are in the quiet car ma'am. If you can't be quiet then you must go to another car." I apologized and he walked away. My sister is having a fit of giggles and writes on a piece of paper and slides it over to me. I don't even remember what it was. Something along the lines of going to detention for being a bad girl - who knows. But it made me start giggling too. This was like a scene in church when you know you shouldn't laugh and that makes you giggle all the more. Nothing was even funny. But were are now laughing and couldn't stop. We couldn't look at one another because we were stifling giggles like we were 10 year old little girls.
The conductor came by again and asked if we had a problem. I couldn't open my mouth to answer for fear of a huge laugh coming out. I just kept shaking my head no all the while biting my lip. I could not look at my sister.
Thankfully the next stop came and two people got on and they next to us. I still did not look at my sister for a very long time. I kept my eyes on the table or on the book in front of me. I did not want to be hauled to another car like I was going to the principals office. To this day this story will make us erupt into laughter. Nothing is even funny about it but it's one of those things.
This all came flooding back to me this morning when I saw on the news that a woman got escorted off the train by the police.
Apparently this woman was going from California to Oregon. I am not sure whether she was in a quiet car or not they didn't say which lead me to think she was not.
She apparently talked very loudly for 16 hours straight on her cell phone.
Surrounding passengers complained.....numerous times.
But she refused to put down her cell phone
(how many minutes does this woman have, 16 hours?)
It got so bad that passengers were yelling at her now and she got into a "loud" verbal altercation with other passengers (all the while never stopping her cell phone conversation). The conductor finally stopped the train in Salem Oregon and the police came aboard and escorted her off for disorderly conduct.
What I find most funny about all this is the woman on the cell phone made the comment that this incident made her feel "disrespected"
Really? How about respecting everyone else's space here? Why don't people understand that you’re only thinking of yourself? That behaving this way you are only aware of what you need and what you are doing and you are a less than considerate person.
How don't people understand that this is common social etiquette?
I remember a gal sitting on the bottom shelf in the bedding aisle in Target one afternoon.
She was going into explicit details of her date the night before.
She was talking way too loudly.
She was talking about things that were extremely sexual and personal.
Who she would tell these things to is beyond me let alone telling us all in 3 aisles of Target who could hear her. Finally a woman with a 4 yr old sitting in her cart went over to her and asked her (nicely no less) to take her dirty conversation outside.
The young gal said Fuck You to her. IN FRONT OF A 4 YR OLD.
Then a Target employee came over and asked that she get off the phone or go outside and she walked away all the while on her phone now complaining about the 'bitch' who told on her.
I'd ask what is wrong with people but there is such a long list we don't have enough time.
18 comments:
i truly hate cell phones and have started thinking that they are really at the root of a lot of society's civility problems. for some reason people feel as if they are invisible when talking on their cell phone.
Tammie - I am beginning to hate most of my technology these days. But seriously talking for 16 hrs? I wonder if it was one person? So many questions. :-) While I hate texting at least it is quiet and unintrusive to others unless you are driving while doing it.
I commuted to the city buy train for 2 and a half VERY long years. You have no idea how awful and rude some people can be. The stories I could tell would horrify you! Seriously.
People have no manners anymore. People screaming on cell phones was a daily occurance. It was awful. I'm so glad I don't have to take the train anymore! lol
Carolyn - I too took the train from DC to NYC for 5 years so i get it. Still prefer the train to the airport though. only difference is more people = more rude :-)
This is why I hope they NEVER allow phones on planes. I have enough trouble flying already.
Rude people are everywhere. People just don't know how to be polite anymore.
My friend calls me on the way to work a lot. It's a nice time to catch up on what's going on and makes the drive more enjoyable (with an ear piece to talk on of course)
Don't EVEN get me started on this one, I don't have the energy. And I can't tell you how many near wrecks we've barely escaped, because some jackass was on a cellphone!
Totally agree with you on the cell phone usage. I have a group of freinds that I get together with once a month. We had to make a rule that no cell phone use is aloud when we are together because one friend would spend the whole time on her phone and then request that we repeat the conversation she missed while on the phone. Drives me nuts! AI have in the past made comments to people who have been on the cell phone and talked in a loud enough voice that I heard their conversation. Usually my comment made it sound like I knew what they were talking about and that I knew them personally. I get many strange looks from the person, but I just smile and walk away...
Chris - from your mouth to god's ear.
Ms. A - texting bothers me as much though. A man ran me off the road a few weeks ago because he was texting.
Mamma - you commenting and them not getting is why i always say, You can't match wits with those that are unarmed. :-)
It's great to hear about somebody getting arrested for bad cell phone use.
Whose cell phone battery lasts for 16 hours? I have unlimited minutes, but my phone would NEVER last that long.
I stopped by because I notice you read so many of the same blogs as me. How is it that I have never been here before? :-)
I hate when people hold their convos in public while on the phone. Especially when it is filled with foul language.
BTW- life is calming down a bit and I hope to call you soon.
Karen- Welcome! Peg is great...you'll love her.
Karen - who wants to talk for 16 hrs. I love my hubby but I don't even want to talk to him that long!
Roc - glad to hear that things are calming down....except that wench at the Y.
BTW Raquel thank you for the kind words. I'll pay ya later.
It's just too bad they stopped the train before putting her off...
Bilbo - now that made me laugh out loud! Thx i needed that this afternoon.
Rude, rude, rude. People on cell phones in public are one of my pet peeves. Right up there with people who drop their cigarette butts on the sidewalk and say it's biodegradable. I have however, overheard some of the most amazing conversations this way. In the right setting it can be entertaining. Gives me something to do when I finish reading my book at the beach but I'm not ready to leave yet. That last lady in Target though, not only rude but completely disrespectful. When I see stuff like that it makes me want to fly over and slap the person upside their head like their momma should have.
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