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Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

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Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#91

Post by chis »

raldi wrote: post #31
BucketSort wrote: post #23

I started a subreddit a week ago on a similar premise. I like how simple these interviews are and how they paint a human picture. We hardly know each other, and I feel like that causes a lot of issues. I also liked playing the game of trying to read their backstory by the picture, then seeing if I was affirmed by the blurb. I got the methadone guy because his gruff look, nails, and torn bag. I was disappointed by the…

This is what I wanted http://windowshots.reddit.com to be, but despite everything I could think of to try to shape the community, it mostly turned into a competition for prettiest vista.

This is a great idea. Got me imagining living all these other people's lives.

https://www.reddit.com/r/windowshots/comments/2v53wb/1_am_th...

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#92

Post by brailsafe »

alexasmyths wrote: post #54
ordinaryperson wrote: post #45

Two years ago I got on the NYC subway, the 3 train, headed to work near Columbus Circle, and after a few recent arguments (people stepping on my feet, accidentally dumping water on me) I'd resolved to be more zen during the crowded morning rush hour. I'd just read this article ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2960791/Commuter-swe... ) that morning about a guy who said FU to a commuter, only to be interviewed…

Anyone who would do that has some mental health problems. That's really weird, best to just avoid and not engage. EDIT: to anyone who thinks that by 'engaging you're going to help' I suggest you're probably wrong. Someone randomly punching others, staring at them and shouting profanities is not going to be 'convinced' of anything, especially in that state. Also I'll double down and say that anyone that does that has…

Having now spent some time in a proper city, I'm pretty well in agreement with this. Though I often find it's more of a shocking display less often than it's actually violent. It's a tough thing to pinpoint in people though. Is this person going to be violent or are they just dealing with a voice in their head? More often than not, when I've spoken with these people it's been an amicable interaction and they're just dealing with their situation. This would likely be different if I weren't trying to treat them as an equal—which they are—and instead attempting to give them "advice" or confronting them.

For those who think otherwise, try putting yourself in someone else's place. What would it be like if heroin was the only thing silencing the voice in your head telling you to kill yourself or others? What if the system that aids you alternative ways of dealing with that condition was non-existent? What if all those things are true, but also your family is dead or has abandoned you?

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#94

Post by sdoering »

perseusprime11 wrote: post #85
alexasmyths wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone who would do that has some mental health problems. That's really weird, best to just avoid and not engage. EDIT: to anyone who thinks that by 'engaging you're going to help' I suggest you're probably wrong. Someone randomly punching others, staring at them and shouting profanities is not going to be 'convinced' of anything, especially in that state. Also I'll double down and say that anyone that does that has…

I once tried to engage in a ‘Deepak Chopra’ way and asked if the person (15-17 year kid) needed any help, and started offering unsolicited advice about staying calm and being friendly to people. The situation escalated pretty quickly to the point he went crazy on the entire subway car and started using profanity against anyone who even looked at him. Note to myself: don’t engage. World is not the same as what you see…

I am generally on your side of the argument. Non the less. There is this voice inside my head that asks, if by not countering such antisocial behaviour we send the signal that this behaviour actually is ok.

When people learn that they get what they want by acting as assholes, why should they change?

In Germany we had a saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child. But these days if you tell a anti-social kid on the train to be more civil the parent tends to scold you.

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#95

Post by twobyfour »

theWatcher37 wrote: post #69
gz5 wrote: post #15

The fact we are all on the subway for the same basic purpose subliminally provides a democratizing, unifying and human environment. The person next to you is different than you but is also the same as you. The person is real - not a media concocted persona based on how the person may look, what groups he may belong to or how the media interprets and communicates her assumed motivations. Digital is great but there are…

Except from an individual experience a train is one of the least efficient methods of travel. Long waits at each stop, and tons of stops in between me and my destination, never reaching top speed for Long... Meanwhile when it does stop I still need a car or bus to get to my destination. This is true in European cities as well, where the stop count gets absurd.

With all the stops it's still way faster than driving through midtown at rush hour. And I don't know where you're going in NY or whether you're capable of walking, but pretty much any destination in Manhattan and large swaths of the outer boroughs are within a 10 minute walk of the subway. I would not count that as needing a car or bus to get to your destination.

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#96

Post by PhasmaFelis »

Eyas wrote: post #62
crazygringo wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a response to the children comments who don't believe this... I also love the (NYC) subway when it's not completely packed. I very rarely interact with someone on the subway, but the people-watching is fascinating -- I can't think of anywhere else in the world where you can see such a cross-section of humanity, of so many races, cultures, clothing styles, income levels, and everything else. And I feel the same way…

And once in a while, you do interact-- often out of the blue, and briefly, but those conversations can be much more real than anything you'd expect. I'm not approachable by any means, but I've had interactions where people told me about losing a significant other, how uncertain they feel having just moved to the city, dealing with illness, etc. My impression is that many areas where the culture is social/polite, brie…

> My impression is that many areas where the culture is social/polite, brief interactions with strangers are usually pleasantries and small-talk.

We have pleasantries and small-talk as well as the occasional deeper interaction. It doesn't have to be either/or.

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#97

Post by steinuil »

Theodores wrote: post #72
ordinaryperson wrote: post #45

Two years ago I got on the NYC subway, the 3 train, headed to work near Columbus Circle, and after a few recent arguments (people stepping on my feet, accidentally dumping water on me) I'd resolved to be more zen during the crowded morning rush hour. I'd just read this article ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2960791/Commuter-swe... ) that morning about a guy who said FU to a commuter, only to be interviewed…

Another reason to go Zen is that it does not get you there quickly if you go all confrontational on someone. As a cyclist I never get into altercations but others do. I wonder how it will work out for them the next day when the road has to be shared again.

I've heard from a few cyclists about people they cycled with who got into pretty violent fist fights with some people, some even had to call an ambulance after that.

My suggestion is to always apologize even if you're not in the wrong, because getting into fights, or even angry, for silly things like that is not worth it.

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#98

Post by kchoudhu »

jakevoytko wrote: post #77
colmvp wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's been years since I've lived in NYC. Is G still the ugly sibling of every other line?

Its service is better than its reputation. The trains are still short, and they still don't run often enough, but it seems to roughly follows its schedule. Data seems to back up my anecdotal experience: https://www.metro.us/news/local-news/new-york/nyc-subway-bes...

The G train saves lives.

https://twitter.com/kchoudhu/status/909648674958872576

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#99

Post by mcny »

dionidium wrote: post #90
khedoros1 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is too bad. Using Japanese trains was wonderful (we specifically avoided traveling during the height of rush hour, though). It what I picture when I'm trying to think positively about using public transit.

You're focusing on the trains , but it's really the culture that's different, and that extends to all kinds of things. The trains are just one example. But that's why there's no usable information here. We don't have the Japanese culture, so we're not going to get their trains.

Can you imagine the lawsuits if we were to have staff push people here? https://youtu.be/E7kor5nHtZQ

By the way, as bad as things are in New York MTA, I find it much better than the stupidity of the path train (panynj). We have like four routes to manage and we can't do that properly.

Re: Who’s Sitting Next to You on the Subway? An R Train in September

#100

Post by notl4wy3r »

Theodores wrote: post #72
ordinaryperson wrote: post #45

Two years ago I got on the NYC subway, the 3 train, headed to work near Columbus Circle, and after a few recent arguments (people stepping on my feet, accidentally dumping water on me) I'd resolved to be more zen during the crowded morning rush hour. I'd just read this article ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2960791/Commuter-swe... ) that morning about a guy who said FU to a commuter, only to be interviewed…

Another reason to go Zen is that it does not get you there quickly if you go all confrontational on someone. As a cyclist I never get into altercations but others do. I wonder how it will work out for them the next day when the road has to be shared again.

One time I was biking behind a man who flipped off a pickup truck after it did something inconsiderate on the road. Then driver of the truck tried to ram him and almost succeeded. That really brought home to me that there are contexts where expressing your anger can be really counter productive, no matter how justified it is.
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