Baltimore is not exactly well-known for it’s mass transit system; this is mostly because we barely have any. I am fortunate enough to live and work along the Light Rail, so that’s how I get to and from the office every day. It’s convenient, cheaper than driving, and it makes me feel like I’m doing some small part to help the environment.
Now, just because our mass transit system is small, it doesn’t mean it’s immune from the standard array of poor behavior and uncivil actions that inevitably infest such systems.
There is, of course, the loud-talking cell-phone guy. He’s on the train every day, dressed in the same shirt, tie, and pants, clearly ready to get in the office and start making some deals or writing some contracts or whatever the hell it is he does. He’s so eager, he can’t even wait to get all the way to the office! He starts right in on his cell phone, talking at full volume, getting details on deals, or trying to get some banking done, or telling his girlfriend why he won’t be joining her for dinner. I have heard him share enough of his personal information that, if I had bothered to written it down, I could easily take over his life. Perhaps I will start carrying a pad.
Close cousin to cell phone man is really-loud-chatting-middle-aged-women. They only appear as a tag team, ready to cackle madly at each other’s jokes, or just to dish to each other (and everyone else on the train) about how they can’t believe that Cathy wore that.
Then there is the woman with the all-white eyes. At first I thought she was blind, but she’s always playing tetris or something on her cell phone. She’s perfectly fine, unless you make the mistake of sitting next to her. Then, she grabs your hand and tells you a secret. One of your secrets. Something you probably already know, but really don’t want to hear spoken aloud. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched her reduce someone to tears by telling them that their “children disappoint them” or “you know he’s lying to you.”
And please don’t even get me started on the people who are so fat they take up two seats. That will cause me to state some truly uncivil things…
Anyway, my point is, I try to follow good Mass Transit etiquette - I keep my bag in my lap, the volume off on my Nintendo DS, and I only use my cell phone if absolutely necessary. They are simple things to do, and they make life more pleasant for everyone. If we are going to be riding together every day, let’s try and make it nice.
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Tagged cellphone, lightrail, secrets
