Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars

Why oh Why….

I use public transport to travel to and from work during the week and also travel out with my wife and kids at weekends. It never ceases to amaze me how there is a certain group of individuals that always seem to find their way on at the same time as I am who seem hellbent to make my journey as uncomfortable as possible:-

Group 1 - a.k.a The Music Man

a.k.a the person with their MP3/CD player turned up so loud that half the bus can hear the song lyrics word for word. This group amaze me as, not only are they not totally deaf from having the equivalent of an Iron Maiden concert smashing against their eardrums but also because their musical taste SUCKS!!!

Group 2 - a.k.a The Ignorant Music Man

I have a colleague who is a member of this group, they are of course the people who own mobile phones that double as an MP3 player. This is of course the same group that pays out £100-£150 on a top of the line phone but of course forgot to purchase earphones, so they decide that, as well as them listening to some bang-crash-wallop load of c**p, they make everyone else listen to it as well. This is of course made worse by the fact that, if you ask them to turn it down, you get either a tirade of abuse or threats of violence which, in the current climate sometimes leads to people getting seriously hurt. The only time this group seems to turn down their music is when they become part of…..

…Group 3 - a.k.a SHOUT, SHOUT, Let It All Out

The third, and in my opinion worst group. These are the people who hold conversations, either on their phone or sitting next to another person, who believe that they should do so AT THE TOP OF THEIR VOICES!!!! Forgive me, but, if you were sitting next to your partner/lover/parent in your own home, would you shout across at them or talk in a normal voice?

If the answer to the last question is you’d talk in a normal voice, please try and do this while travelling. I personally don’t want to know what you did at the weekend, what you’re having for dinner or, as heard on the 217 on Friday Night, which one of your girlfriends has Chlamydia. Please try and have some consideration for fellow passengers, after all, none of us really want to be there but some of us don’t have a choice.

I am not claiming that I am perfect, I do indeed sometimes listen to my MP3 player on the long journey home from work, but I do keep the volume down low enough that I can hear the bell on the bus, or the recorded announcement on the train. It doesn’t ruin my listening experience and I still have eardrums. If you fit one of the above groups, PLEASE!! Have some consideration for others.

——-RANT ENDS!!! ——-