Oh man. I can really see why public transportation doesn’t work. We americans have gotten way to used to our own private cars, and private houses, and private parks, and private roads.
So I was sitting at the bus stop today and there was a transient man hanging out sitting a ways down from the bus stop. Eventually another man came and sat on the far end of the bench from me. Then a little bit later a woman saunters up and sits in between us on the park bench. A few minutes later another transient man comes walking by and starts talking to his friend. He opens up a cigar, drops the wrapper on the group and begins to smoke (The litterers I have a legitimate beef with, but that’s another story). So the woman to my right begins making those fake coughing noises. The ones that just ensure that everyone else who might have been irritated by the smoke is now irritated by the smoke and her coughing noises. And what right does she have to complain? This is public property. He is smoking outdoors at least 30 feet away from the bus stop. Does she get up and move upwind? No. She sits there making loud coughing sounds in my ear. Because apparently that has become her seat on the park bench and moving would just show the smokers they had won, or something.
I suppose I should have moved. But then the woman might have thought I Was moving because I was bothered by the smoke, and probably would have kept up with her ridiculous coughing. Or I could have told her to cool it. But, I prefer not start things. Thinking back I should have just moved. Afterall, it’s pointless to complain. It’s a public space. And they were just doing what made them comfortable while waiting for the bus.

---

Comments

mcoker

2006-09-01T12:46:41.000Z

Poor people. Never learned to share as kids :(

I was at the DMV yesterday and this young mother with her child was telling her kid to put his shoes on, and this crotchety old man came up and started arguing with the mom about the lack of overall meaning and importance of shoes in our society, and told the kid not to listen to his mom and walk around barefoot all the time. You could tell the mom just wanted the dude to shutup, let her take care of her kid and get the *#&$ out of the DMV waiting room. Turns out, I was next (#6) and she wasn’t for a while (#10). So they called my #, and I told her to go ahead, swapped #‘s with her, sat down next to the old man and gave him a very clear “hi. talk to me about my shoes… I double-dog dare you!” look.

Tim

2006-09-01T14:49:16.000Z

I wish I was able to be a bit more confrontational in life.