Unusual things can happen on the subway, but if people behave with respect for others, it can work out fine. Years ago, I was on a train in Greenwich Village and I noticed a guy near me had a large snake on his lap. It was asleep and wasn't bothering anyone, and I don't think there was any complaint.
Speaking from Paris......
As someone who rides the Metro (Subway) everyday I am completely fed up with people who come into my car and offer their services....singing; playing an instrument; dancing; singing along to your speaker.....it is all noise pollution.
I pay to get from A to B. Everything else is noise and visual pollution.
Sorry for my rant but this story touched a nerve. Inconsiderate people!!!
As someone who rides the Metro (Subway) everyday I am completely fed up with people who come into my car and offer their services....singing; playing an instrument; dancing; singing along to your speaker.....it is all noise pollution.
I pay to get from A to B. Everything else is noise and visual pollution.
Sorry for my rant but this story touched a nerve. Inconsiderate people!!!
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Of course the Shaman went to Hampshire College! Makes perfect sense to this Hampshire grad!
This morning a bare-foot panhandler who looked like a biblical shepherd got on the A train at Chambers Street and announced to the car that he couldn't wear shoes because he had "diarrhea of the feet."
3
Pranks make no sense. They are acts of pointless cruelty. They are not funny. Why on earth should society consider pranks acceptable?
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Partly, one wants to say that this is just what makes living in New York more interesting than, say, living in Podunk, Ohio. Chaos and creativity often go hand-in-hand. A similar article might follow about panhandlers on the subway trains, a polyglot group that should be surveyed for adequacy of NYC's services to the impoverished.
The unworkable emergency brake on NYC trains is, on the other hand, but one reminder of the many MTA inadequacies that riders must endure, not the least of which, during the heat of summer, is lack of airconditioning -without warning - in some train cars. Allowing that the transit system is out-sized and complicated, much remains for the MTA to do to meet the needs of a civilized metropolitan city.
The unworkable emergency brake on NYC trains is, on the other hand, but one reminder of the many MTA inadequacies that riders must endure, not the least of which, during the heat of summer, is lack of airconditioning -without warning - in some train cars. Allowing that the transit system is out-sized and complicated, much remains for the MTA to do to meet the needs of a civilized metropolitan city.
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I am petrified of snakes and probably would have had a heart attack on the spot. Would the snake guy find that funny?
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I was in the subway car where the woman did her performance piece. There were people trying to help her. I thought they were saints. Maybe they were just part of the hoax. If they weren't part of the hoax, I wonder how they feel to have been used that way, and I wonder if they will help the next person in crisis. I also think about the person who has to clean up her urine, and the mother I was standing next to who had to hold her baby in the very hot, very crowded subway for half an hour while we were stopped on the bridge.
All this uproar for what? One big long selfie, something to post online to get attention. Supposedly there was a moral to her performance, but I can't imagine what it was. Even before we found out it was a hoax, did this woman teach us anything about homelessness that we didn't already know from living in New York? Did she change anyone's perception of homelessness? Probably not. But she got her 15 minutes of fame.
All this uproar for what? One big long selfie, something to post online to get attention. Supposedly there was a moral to her performance, but I can't imagine what it was. Even before we found out it was a hoax, did this woman teach us anything about homelessness that we didn't already know from living in New York? Did she change anyone's perception of homelessness? Probably not. But she got her 15 minutes of fame.
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I don't know. this all sounds better than having a homeless person defecating and urinating in his clothing or the morning two guys decided to 69 for us.
Lighten up.
Lighten up.
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There can be no other reason for the snakes then attention seeking.
Many of us enjoy characters, who see the world a tad differently than we do, and can be interesting to meet and to speak with. But staged events, foisting creatures on folks who may be uncomfortable with them, is not spontaneous or enjoyable.
PS--I thought that the pizza rat became a famous New Yorker for munching on a slice that was folded in half? That pic had a rat eating an unfolded slice, much as if consuming a floor tile. Perhaps this rat is a tourist rat?
Many of us enjoy characters, who see the world a tad differently than we do, and can be interesting to meet and to speak with. But staged events, foisting creatures on folks who may be uncomfortable with them, is not spontaneous or enjoyable.
PS--I thought that the pizza rat became a famous New Yorker for munching on a slice that was folded in half? That pic had a rat eating an unfolded slice, much as if consuming a floor tile. Perhaps this rat is a tourist rat?
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Many people have a visceral fear of snakes; it's really quite widespread. It's irresponsible in the extreme for that man to bring those snakes on board and actually drape them over people "Unless you really protested."
The same goes for crickets and worms; these stunts are intended to cause distress to passengers. They're cruel.
The same goes for crickets and worms; these stunts are intended to cause distress to passengers. They're cruel.
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Please don't give the crazies any ideas by writing about this.
Subways are commuter trains. Not off-Broadway shows. Or a place to conduct experiments.
Subways are commuter trains. Not off-Broadway shows. Or a place to conduct experiments.
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This story touches on something that makes me really, really angry. That is people who think it is funny to bring snakes into public places and thrust them in front of unsuspecting people. These people are always extremely immature attention-seekers. Just because they think their snakes are harmless doesn't mean they aren't causing harm to people who become distraught. I think these people should be arrested and prosecuted and their snakes confiscated.
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As the real encounters show, I've always thought that you only need to step out the door for an unusual experience in NYC - so it's a shame some people feel the need to pull the wool over our eyes
3
I am gonna sound snobbish, but I don't care. The Subway is for getting from point A to point B. It's not a performance venue, it's not a food truck or a mobile pet shop or whatever. I don't care for showtime, sleepytime and most certainly not food time.
These are the reasons we can't have nice things. I don't blame MTA for looking like they are not giving a hoot about the trains (which they actually do) when the people who ride them don't have any respect for the system that effectively and affordably get people moving in this city.
These are the reasons we can't have nice things. I don't blame MTA for looking like they are not giving a hoot about the trains (which they actually do) when the people who ride them don't have any respect for the system that effectively and affordably get people moving in this city.
60
That woman's prank was not 'performance art'. Please. I love performance art, but this it was not. Nor did anything she did remotely do anything to show the plight of the homeless. If you watch the entire video, it's patently clear the woman is either mentally ill or, upon realizing her prank had gone horribly wrong and veered off in an irretractably wrong direction, she went 'temporarily' crazy upon realizing the extreme level of embarrassment she was bringing onto herself and her sorry excuse for a 'prank'
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