25 September 2009

Ring ring... stab stab


You'd assume that when a train company introduces "Quiet Zone" carriages on their trains it would of course be in response to a demand from their customers. I mean from the train company's point of view there is no discernable profit in such a decision, therefore it can only be a move to enhance the quality of the service for their patrons.


Then there are those people (perhaps you're one of them) so self absorbed, so selfish, so inconsiderate of others (great personality traits btw) that they don't care that their personal stereo is too loud or that their one sided phone conversations are irritating to those around them... I mean who gives a crap right?


And for the most part they (or you) may be right. You see most people and when I say "most" I mean most of those that welcomed the introduction of quiet zone carriages, most of those people when confronted with someone who flagrantly and selfishly ignores the fact that they are in a place designated and put aside for those who prefer a quiet life, most of those people will do nothing... zip, nada. They will simply sit there in their discomfort, a victim of the noise makers, they will say nothing, they will do nothing, and sometimes in their desperation to avoid the half conversation or tinny headphone chitter they may even resort to making the situation worse for others by donning their own headphones and listening to their own music, rather than be subjected to that of the noise makers themselves.


However there is another breed. There are people (like myself), who under normal circumstances may seem like perfectly reasonable types... under normal circumstances. But when circumstances are not normal, when someone pushes the wrong buttons, or yanks the wrong chains their decency evaporates in blazing fury of rage... when presented with such a situation as can be found in almost every "quiet zone" carriage in the land, they tend to go a bit off the rails... they tend to get a bit tetchy, maybe even a bit homicidal.


There was a case recently of a man murdered on a greyhound bus in America, his assailant so enraged by the "victim's" personal stereo that he removed a large hunting knife he carried on his person and then proceeded to sever the head of the headphone wearing man (no doubt cutting the headphone wires in the process), much to the disgust and surprise of other passengers but much to the delight of me. Well done dude... good job... nice one. If I'd been there I would have given the man a round of applause. "Headphone man is defeated let us continue our journey in peace" (I might have said).


Alas the hunting knife wielding man (a man with no previous convictions for violent behaviour) was finally gunned down by police.


And so back to my point (I knew I had one)... let me put it this way. What you may not realise when you decide "hey fuck it, who gives a crap if I take or make this call" or "who gives a shit if I listen to my stereo in the quiet zone", just remember the man with the hunting knife... just remember someone just like him could be sitting right next to you.... right now.


Someone just like him... someone just like me.