Chad and I love the concept of the subway. Because of the subway, we don’t have to own cars in Manhattan. It is a three minute walk to the subway from our apartment. We have the pleasure of having one of the only above ground stops and the tracks pass right by our apartment window so we hear them passing by about every five minutes (less at night). We even have to pause the computer if we are watching something because it is too noisy. Oh, but it’s a great reminder of how urban our living really is. We love the lifestyle and are pleased to contribute less pollution to Manhattan, and the world, because of our complete reliance on public transportation. And not only do we rely on it but thousands, even millions, of others do as well. This is where reality collides with our idealistic notion of how great the subway really is. All those people on a skinny little underground train translates to being regularly squished in to another person way beyond any proximity that one would normally have with a complete stranger. I’m talking being sandwiched in between these strangers and having to rely on them to be a bumper so that you can catch yourself when the train lurches.
So people get angry in these conditions. There is not a week that goes by that I do not witness an altercation. New Yorkers really are an angry lot. That bit is true. My theory–and it is not a profound one, but rather obvious–is that a New Yorker has a lot less control over details than a suburbanite and, because of this, a lot more little things can grate a person and get them worked up to an annoyed, ready-to-lash-out state. Take the commute to work, for example. A suburbanite has the luxury of doing the commute to school in a car with ample personal space. They do not have to wait for their car to arrive like a New Yorker has to wait for the subway to arrive. Then the subway might arrive late but there is no room for you to get on it, so you have to wait for the next one. Or, you can choose to squeeze yourself in and a scenario similar to this one will ensue:
You will get lots of sighs from the others or, worse, get yelled at for getting in when there is no room. In this instance, someone may stick up for you and criticize the standers for not aptly utilizing all the space in the middle of the car. This can turn in to a back-and-forth exchange with expletives inevitably thrown in. At the same time of the argument, the subway conductor may come over the loudspeaker and he or she is irate. People were holding the doors open. People were trying to get in and there is a train right behind this one! So now you’re getting what feels like a lecture from the conductor and the tone they use is threatening. But there’s no real threat from the subway conductor who is not physically present and people will inevitably snicker, make eye contact with another passenger and laugh, about how angry the subway conductor is. It’s a bit like the reaction that teenagers have in a classroom with a huffy old teacher. They’re not taken seriously and become the object of ridicule. But really, you have to feel for the subway conductor because it’s not an easy job streaming through the sewers of NYC all day long with no fresh air to claim. Did I mention that a lot of subway stations resemble sewers and, if I can conjecture, may have once been a sewer?
It’s worth mentioning that I have never been the object of someone’s wrath on the subway nor have I ever scolded anyone else for their behavior. Which is not to say I haven’t been annoyed: loud teenagers annoy me most and the way they talk with that bad language and inapproriate content always sends me into a state of pontification about the wrong direction that society is headed. My head will fill with dozens of “my child will never….” statements.
Gratefully, I have kept my distance in these inclement underground scenarios. The only time someone said something to me directly is when I was stuck in the corner at the end of the car and I had to do several “excuse mes” and some gentle shoving to get myself out. A young woman said in a frustrated tone, “why are you back there when you know you’re getting off at the next stop?” I instinctively defended myself and said back to her, “because other people got on at the last stop.” I mean, where else was I supposed to go but back when people were getting on at the last stop and I was not getting off yet? You can’t fight to stay in one position when people are getting on; you have to go with the flow. Not according to her though. But that’s it. My only direct subway verbal brawl and a mild one at that. I, for my part, will try my hardest to keep it that way.
