The gall of commuters

Since my little umbrella rant last fall, I've tried to be nice and upbeat in my blog. But I have to say... I can't believe how some commuters act on the train!

There are two no-nos that I think should be absolute. The first is cell phones. They're really irritating on the train. People talk loudly on the cell phones, and particularly at the end of the day, virtually all of the other passengers just want to unwind, nap or read. And really... why do people think I care about their business dealings or what fountain they're putting on the lawn? If I had it my way, each train car would have a little mail slot, through which offending phones could be slid out and on to the tracks.

The thing that really appalls me, though, are the people who throw their garbage on the floor of the train. I've watched older men in nicely tailored suits unwrap and eat twenty Werther's Originals in a row, throwing each wrapper on the floor under their seat. I've seen people leave apple cores or banana peels on their seats when they get up at their stop. Newspapers are standard, despite the enormous recycling bins on every platform in every station. Beverage containers roll under your feet nearly every ride. And one time when I was pregnant, I actually sat next to one guy who spit dip spit into a little cup the entire way from Grand Central to Stamford, and left the cup on the floor when he got up. Talk about gross. If only I'd had nausea and could have vomited on his pants.

I guess it goes to show that when people have no accountability other than to their own conscious, they'll act in whatever way is natural to them. For the most part, this means being courteous to others and cleaning up their own messes. But for a surprisingly large minority, it simply results in rudeness.