Worlds Collide on BART
Photo by rosebennet
We’ve all been on BART at Civic Center when the train is suddenly overcome with hordes of pushing, squiggling symphony-, ballet-, and opera-goers. Hell, many of us have been the ones dressed to the nines, squeezing our way into crowded BART cars.
Alan over at SF Weekly was on such a BART ride recently, and retells the following story of mounting tension:
Ranters: Retiree clutching a theater program and wearing a denim dress; her gentleman companion; a guy sitting nearby reading Mother Jones.
Location: BART train leaving Civic Center Station
…
The Rant:
[Denim-Dress Woman and her gentleman companion press into a train that’s busier than you would expect at this hour. They look for a place to sit but find nothing.]
Denim-Dress Woman: Not even one person offers a seat. That’s the modern world, I guess.
Gentleman Companion: What about that one?
[He points to the rear of the train, where a young man is sprawled out across two seats.]
Denim-Dress Woman: [Whispering] Isn’t it awful?
Gentleman Companion: [Also whispering] If he’s okay, it’s awful.
Denim-Dress Woman: He is okay, right?
Gentleman Companion: If he is, he should scoot over.
Denim-Dress Woman: He’s fine. Some of them just do that, that’s all. It shows the world they’re important. [The doors open. More people pack in.] Someone really should offer a seat, though.
Yeah, us too. Click over to SF Weekly to read the conclusion to this gripping story.
Agreed about the people who take up two seats, but why did they expect someone to offer one? Were they senior age?
The link takes you to the whole story, at the top it does mention that the women is a retiree.
When I was a kid I would have people ask me for my seat when I was NOT in the front of the bus. Often these people were older but did not look like a senior citizen. I would give in but be irritated that this person was picking on me because I was a kid. I do hate it when I see people give their kid (lets say 5 and under) their own seat while sitting at the front of the bus. WHY NOT PUT THE KID ON YOUR LAP?