Yesterday on the 2 train to Brooklyn, there were a lot of people. Right after all the people weaseled themselves out of the train and onto the train at Atlantic Ave., the train announcer came on:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next stop on this train will be Atlantic Ave. Again, this will be running express to Atlantic Ave. The next train will be making all local stops.
Cue PANIC!!! Clearly, train operator man was incorrect, but it was decision time. People without headphones in who looked like they lived in the next two or three areas streamed out, including me. Here’s where it gets “so New York”…aka crazy. Two people – a young professional woman who looked a little tree huggy, and a man about 20 years older than her with one of those permanent scowls – knocked on the conductor window. The girl goes to speak, but the guy interrupts and screams:
You f*cked up you motherf*cker! You have a lot of confused people on the train…don’t you f*cking know where we are?!
Train operator man is having a hard time processing, because he’s being screamed at, so again, he announces:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next stop on this train will be Atlantic Ave. Again, this will be running express to Atlantic Ave. The next train will be making all local stops.
The woman is now upset, bangs on the window, and train operator man reluctantly pushes down the window. With patient irritation, she explains (over yelling from the man in the background):
We’re at Atlantic Ave RIGHT NOW. That means the next stop is not Atlantic Ave. Please fix it.
Ah, he understands. He nods and corrects his mistake – the next stop on that train would be Franklin Ave. Problem solved, right?
No. Train allows time for people to decide what they want to do (note: most people figured all of this out on their own, because there was very little jumping in/out of the train cars), then pulls out from the station. Guy and Girl begin crazy fight, because he’s still loudly cursing:
Hey Man. What’s your deal?! He made a mistake. He fixed it. It happens.
Well he had a lot of f*ckin confused people at the end of a long f*cking day, that piece of sh*t.
Chill out. Haven’t you ever made a mistake?!
Not one as stupid and f*cked up at that. Look, I don’t know what kind of job you do, but some of us know better than to make a mistake on the job.
Ok first of all, it’s not like anyone died. This was just an annoying mistake that was corrected and nobody was even hurt. And WHOA. Listen to yourself. Are you saying what I do isn’t important?
How the f*ck am I supposed to know…maybe not!
You don’t even know me! And what, you think you know this train guy?! what about if it’s the first mistake he made on the job; you’re going to hate him for it?! I respectfully disagree with you, sir.
Well I don’t respectfully disagree with you, ma’am.
And it continued until the next train came and they went in separate cars. It was rough. Some followup observations though, if you’re still with me:
- there was no need to perpetuate this argument on either side, but they both did.
- train operator man did what happens all the time…doesn’t make it right, but if you’re at stations all day long, it makes sense that there might be some confusion every now and again, even if it says where you are right in front of you.
- we have no idea what happened in each of man, woman, and train operator man’s days, but this somehow probably evolved from those events.
- no onlookers (many. probably 30ish) ever jumped in or did anything. most kept headphones in but were clearly listening.
- man and woman did not live happily ever after.
Jen Bokoff 