Tube Etiquette
Speaking of Arabs, I see in the TLS that that bloody idiot Martin Amis is now saying that we shouldn't use Arabic numerals because they were invented by Muslims. But he's not racist, oh no.
Here's a point of tube etiquette: the other day, a young woman was reading a free newspaper on the tube. After a while she finished and was sitting with the paper folded up in her hand. The man sitting opposite leans over and asks, Are you reading that? She looks startled and says, Not right now. He says, Well, can I read it then? She is obviously annoyed but hands it over.
Was he crossing the line? I would say, yes. If she had finished with it, she would have put it down in the accepted place for leaving reading material (the top of the seat behind your head). If she hasn't done that, then she still wants it, and he has no business asking her for it, any more than he would asking me for my Guardian, just because I'm not reading it right at that moment, the personal-space-invading piss-ant.
Here's a point of tube etiquette: the other day, a young woman was reading a free newspaper on the tube. After a while she finished and was sitting with the paper folded up in her hand. The man sitting opposite leans over and asks, Are you reading that? She looks startled and says, Not right now. He says, Well, can I read it then? She is obviously annoyed but hands it over.
Was he crossing the line? I would say, yes. If she had finished with it, she would have put it down in the accepted place for leaving reading material (the top of the seat behind your head). If she hasn't done that, then she still wants it, and he has no business asking her for it, any more than he would asking me for my Guardian, just because I'm not reading it right at that moment, the personal-space-invading piss-ant.
posted by FBT at 10:34 pm
14 Comments:
Was he German by any chance?
I've been getting pissy about the opposite-of-racist people lately - the most recent a nitwit who is suggesting anti-anti-looks legislation. Apparently funny-looking people need protection under the law, too. I mean really, what's the point of being born rich or beautiful anymore? Is there anything left to aspire to? That can't be legislated?
Your rude paper-nabber definitely wasn't Canadian. If he were and she *had* put it in the accepted leaving place, he'd have jumped up and reminded her not to forget her paper! Anyway, I hope you glared at him. I'd imagine you'd have an excellent glare.
you're quite right, dg, the phiz's glare has been known to cause discomfort at 100 paces and severly disable at 50
Quite right. The done thing is to pick up a free paper, or any paper, once it has been a) left on the window ledge, or, b) put in a vacant seat and clearly abandoned. It is not the done thing to pick up burger and sandwich wrappers and coffee cups depositied on the ledge and I wish there was some etiquette about people eating a-go-go. I saw some half wit the other lunchtime smearing, while standing up, what appeared to be half a tin of cat food onto some French bread and biting chunks out of same. In fact, on any given day, there's enough "action" just on the Jubilee Line to fuel multi-national conferences on psychiatry and OCD.
It was probably a management or sales (same thing) excercise. Start off on free newspapers and when you feel comfortable with that you can progress to their bank accounts.
Soon rejection will be meaningless and you can ask for anything knowing that all they can say is no - or maybe no fuck off.
(terribly sorry about the swearing but Ive noticed you do seem to tolerate it here)
I would ban The Metro and force people to spend their hard earned cash on a proper read. It's published by the Daily Mail for chrissake!
Oh dear
Hong kong I understand has decided that people cant even publish pictures of other people having their intelectual property rights played with.
Free press or free paper
oh dear
Hey Phiz - you've got to blog about the earthquake!
What earthquake?
Small earthquake centred on the Lincolnshire town of Market Rasen, famed for its racecourse, grammar school and the surrounding pig and duck farms. A chimney fell on a man, breaking his pelvis, but, for most of Britain, the earth didn't move. Again. The London Evening Standard tried to report that it had struck London. We all slept through it.
So I guess What earthquake?, indeed?
5.2 is really not much to write home about. Unless you're having a slow news day. Then again, England is the home of the brick house, not a good thing if the earth is going to take to rockin'.
Oh. The Beeb said 'earthquake felt over much of UK' so I was hoping there'd be some juicy posts about it. No such luck.
yeah, sorry, my blog would have to say - Newsflash! Family sleeps through small earthquake!
Oh well, it's not as exciting as a post about mayhem and narrow escapes but then that type of excitement often comes at a jolly steep price. So all's well that ends well and all that.
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