For those of you unfamiliar with the Red Line, I'll give you some basics. It's one of only two train lines in the city that runs 24 hours, meaning it's generally dirtier than the other lines, and is more frequently inhabited by crazy and/or homeless people and the fragrances of B.O. or urine. That said, these things are rarely more than minor annoyances. As it turns out, the most obnoxious aspect of taking the train (or any type of public transit) is other people and their electronic devices. These days, everyone is an iHole. And this is where shit gets real.
So, it's roughly 1:15 pm: I am tired and cranky (as per usual), and I'm on the train, attempting to read a book. Across from me sit four black boys, ages unknown. I figured there was probably no school for Easter Break or Good Friday or some shit like that, but who knows. The oldest of these boys was maybe 17-18, the others progressively younger. And it was clear that the oldest boy was the leader, because it was he who started the shenanigans.
We're a few stops out from where I got on, but still a long way from my final destination, when Shithead (as I will hence refer to the oldest kid in lieu of knowing his name) takes out his phone and turns on some music. He does not put his headphones in, but instead turns the music up loud enough that I, sitting across the way, can make out distinctly instances of "fuck" and "bitch" over the baseline. After a few minutes, Shithead begins to sing along with the music, and is joined by his friends.
From my seat, I steal glances at him, subtle social cues that indicate "Hey, that thing you're doing is annoying me," the kind of cues that most people would take as a hint that they should stop doing whatever it is they're doing. But no, not this kid. So I look around at the other passengers, who are also glancing up with looks of helpless distress, and I sit there for a few minutes, growing increasingly pissed off, irritated, annoyed, anxious, and PISSED off. The whole time I keep thinking "Will it look racist if I say something to this kid?" And then ask myself if that question itself was racist, and continue to dither...
Until I realized: No, it's not racist, because regardless of color, dude is being a shithead... And no one else is going to say anything, meaning I could be stuck with this bullshit for another 20 minutes. And if I myself said nothing, I'd continue to replay the incident in my head for the rest of the day, thinking of what I should have said and done.
In days past, I might've let it go. I might've just said Self, there's nothing you can do here, just mind your own business. But this time I said Hey, Self. Someone should tell that asshole that he's being an asshole. Let's do this. So, finally, I looked up and said "Hey, I'm sorry, but could you possibly turn your music down?" ....and thus began the following.
Shithead: No.
Me: ...No, you won't turn your music down?
Shithead: No.
Me: Even though you're being incredibly rude and disrespectful to everyone else in the car?
Shithead: People shouldn't ride the fuckin' train if they don't want to hear it.
Me: Uh, no, that's not true.
Shithead: I don't see anyone else sayin' anything.
Me: And no one else is going to. But I'm saying something, because you're being rude.
(Throughout, Shithead is becoming increasingly pissed off, and his friends, increasingly embarrassed, begin trying to tell him to turn the music down. At this point in the conversation, though, nerdy white hipster guy sitting near us all attempts to back me up with a comment about how it would be different if Shithead were wearing headphones...)
Shithead: You just don't like black music. I bet you wouldn't be sayin' nothing if I was white listening to white music.
Me: That's not true.
Shithead: Yeah it is, you wouldn't say nothing to a white kid.
Me: I wouldn't care if you were a white kid playing polka music, I would say something. It's rude, and it's rude to everyone in here.
At this point, Shithead makes a few more ironically racist comments about how I'm being racist, but grudgingly and grumblingly turns down the music a bit. He continues muttering, though, at least until I got off at my stop.
I've ridden the train with a number of Shitheads like that one, none *quite* so flagrantly irritating (who did not also appear batshit crazy), and never said anything. But every time, I wished I had, or that someone else would. This time, I decided, for myself and everyone else in the train car, that it had to be done.
Because, goddammit, I was trying to read.
Until I realized: No, it's not racist, because regardless of color, dude is being a shithead... And no one else is going to say anything, meaning I could be stuck with this bullshit for another 20 minutes. And if I myself said nothing, I'd continue to replay the incident in my head for the rest of the day, thinking of what I should have said and done.
In days past, I might've let it go. I might've just said Self, there's nothing you can do here, just mind your own business. But this time I said Hey, Self. Someone should tell that asshole that he's being an asshole. Let's do this. So, finally, I looked up and said "Hey, I'm sorry, but could you possibly turn your music down?" ....and thus began the following.
Shithead: No.
Me: ...No, you won't turn your music down?
Shithead: No.
Me: Even though you're being incredibly rude and disrespectful to everyone else in the car?
Shithead: People shouldn't ride the fuckin' train if they don't want to hear it.
Me: Uh, no, that's not true.
Shithead: I don't see anyone else sayin' anything.
Me: And no one else is going to. But I'm saying something, because you're being rude.
(Throughout, Shithead is becoming increasingly pissed off, and his friends, increasingly embarrassed, begin trying to tell him to turn the music down. At this point in the conversation, though, nerdy white hipster guy sitting near us all attempts to back me up with a comment about how it would be different if Shithead were wearing headphones...)
Shithead: You just don't like black music. I bet you wouldn't be sayin' nothing if I was white listening to white music.
Me: That's not true.
Shithead: Yeah it is, you wouldn't say nothing to a white kid.
Me: I wouldn't care if you were a white kid playing polka music, I would say something. It's rude, and it's rude to everyone in here.
At this point, Shithead makes a few more ironically racist comments about how I'm being racist, but grudgingly and grumblingly turns down the music a bit. He continues muttering, though, at least until I got off at my stop.
I've ridden the train with a number of Shitheads like that one, none *quite* so flagrantly irritating (who did not also appear batshit crazy), and never said anything. But every time, I wished I had, or that someone else would. This time, I decided, for myself and everyone else in the train car, that it had to be done.
Because, goddammit, I was trying to read.
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