Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Being Wierd in Public Places

This afternoon the platform at the Wall Street station is extremely crowded by the time the train finally rolls in. I go into auto mode as I push my way onto the train. I don’t know if it is my newly developed aggressive instincts or simply inattention but I only vaguely notice that I cut off another woman trying to get on.

She grunts at me in an extremely serious tone.
Stop being such a weirdo!

This catches my attention and sticks with me as I shuffle into the back of the car. Whether you have ever really thought about it or not, isn’t it everyone’s worse fear to be thought as of a “weirdo” in a public place? Try to go with the flow, fit in, be anonymous- I feel that this is most people's true nature. To actually be called out on public weirdness shakes me slightly.

On another note, it does seem like quite a surprising choice of insult to someone stepping in front of you on the subway platform.

2 comments:

Errant Gosling said...

She actually used the word weirdo? What a weirdo...

AnonymousNewYork said...

I know huh- who says that!