Running Out of Patience
‘We’ll have one more seat if you take her out,’ shouted one passenger from the rear. This might sound bad now but it’s only going to get a whole lot worse! The entitled woman yelled that this was her personal space. It was evident that everyone’s patience was dwindling.
Train Manners
Large numbers pile into public transportation and there are both official and unspoken laws that come with using this mode of transport. When one lady didn’t want to follow these rules, everyone on the train decided it was time to teach her a valuable lesson.
Rush Hour
Jessica Huit was making her way home from work after a pretty chaotic day. She was well-acquainted with the New York City streets and had seen almost everything on these trains, or so she thought. It was rush hour and she was ready to hop on the next train.
Uncomfortable Experiences
Particularly during rush hour, being a passenger on a crowded train can be extremely uncomfortable. In some instances, you struggle to find a seat. Additionally, it’s common knowledge to only take up one seat to allow for someone else to also sit.
Searching for a Seat
Jessica was drained by the time she boarded her train home. She gathered that there would be some overcrowding because it was rush hour. However, she intended to find a seat for her one-and-a-half-hour ride. She came across one after pacing through the carriages in vain.
A Vacant Seat
In the last carriage, there was a vacant seat next to a young woman. She glanced over to everyone who was still. Standing and wondered why nobody had taken the seat. Besides the bag that was on the seat, it seemed in good condition.
Ill-Mannered
Individuals can be seen engaging in anti-social behavior when trapped in a small space with many other people. In some instances, the pressure of being on a crowded train can bring the worst out in people. This was especially the case for this lady.
No Rules
Jessica asked the woman respectfully if she could sit there while pointing to the vacant seat. The lady decided to place her Louis Vuitton bag on an
A Conflict
The woman completely ignored Jessica with her gaze locked on her cell and her earphones in her ears. She pretended that she wasn’t aware of Jessica’s presence. At this point, the train had stopped and security had entered the carriage.
The Officers
It was then that Jessica realized she wasn’t the first person to request this seat and be dismissed by the woman. That was why these officers had come into the carriage. Jessica decided to take a step back and observe what was about to happen.
Getting off the Train
The officer was quick to notice the lady and her purse. He instructed her to put it in the overhead trunk. However, she swatted his hand away and screamed for him not to touch her stuff. She was about to be taken off the train.
Remaining Calm
The officer decided to extend his hand to assist her in moving the purse. She decided to take out her earphones. At this time, the officer asked if someone could sit next to her, but she didn’t want that and said that there were more seats available.
Delaying Everyone
The man seated two seats away was getting annoyed and stated that it was already a late train and that she’s stopping everyone. However, this didn’t stop the woman. She was adamant in her standoff against the officer. The other passengers had had enough.
An Uproar
People on the train were getting undeniably frustrated. It seemed as though everyone began shouting that there wasn’t any space, which was true. There was only standing space. It was clear that the officer was losing his patience.
Consequences
The police officer knew that he needed to be stern now. He told her that she needed to take the bag off of the available seat or he was going to remove her from the train. The other passengers were getting angry.
The Audacity
It was at this point that the woman looked up at the crowd of commuters and said that they weren’t disabled or pregnant. She also stated that she didn’t like bed bugs and wasn’t interested in their odor and found everyone revolting.
Her Space
The entitled woman went on to state that this was her personal space. However, another passenger quickly fired back that it wasn’t her space at all. The officer’s composure had drastically worn down and he had finally met his breaking point.
Getting Her Off
The police officer had had enough and yelled to get her off the train. The young lady was stunned that someone was telling her what to do. He went on to state that if she liked her personal space so much, she can get it outside.
No Backing Down
The woman looked at the cop and couldn’t believe that someone would call her out about her disrespectful actions. However, she was determined to put up a strong flight. Even though she had already postponed the train by 25 minutes, she declined to cooperate.
The Walk of Shame
The woman remained hesitant and didn’t move from her seat until the other officers started making strides towards her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stood up with her bag. The lady walked off the train with the officers following behind her.
Going Viral
As many interactions these days go, the whole encounter was filmed by someone’s phone. The footage quickly made the rounds online, and people were also very quick to to respond. They couldn’t believe the woman’s selfishness. How could she expect that anyone would sympathize with her behavior?
The Crowd’s Reaction
Many commenters were quick to criticize the woman. One YouTube commenter said they hoped this would teach her a lesson. Meanwhile, other commenters pointed out that some people have invisible disabilities that outsiders cannot immediately identify, making it even worse that she was taking up an entire seat for nothing.
New Jersey Transit Steps In
Due to this woman’s selfish actions going viral, the New Jersey Transit actually had a spokeswoman give a statement that urged passengers to make sure that their bags or luggage do not take up extra seats and that that’s what the overhead luggage racks are for.
Getting Her Seat
Once the woman was removed from the train, Jessica was motioned to take her seat by another commuter. The officer had given the all-clear to resume the train’s travel. Jessica was moved by the stranger’s kind act of giving her the seat.
When the woman was finally removed from the train, a kind stranger signaled to Jessica that she could have her seat. Jessica was extremely moved by the passenger’s kind gesture, especially after what she had just witnessed. After the whole ordeal, the officer had given the all-clear to resume with the train’s travel.
Living in the City
Although Jessica has been living in New York City for years, nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She knew that this was not the norm and hoped that she wouldn’t have to deal with another difficult passenger like that again. She chalked it up to part of the New York City living experience.
Negative Experiences
We’ve all experienced some form of negative experience while traveling in public transits. In some instances, these unpleasant experiences are because of people who can’t be reasoned with, like in this instance involving a very disrespectful kid.
Teaching Him a Lesson
Taking the subway is not always the most pleasant experience, but when another passenger acts out of line, it can make things a whole lot worse. This young boy didn’t get the memo that he was taking up three subway seats.
Inconsiderate Passengers
The fact of the matter is, many people cannot afford a car, so they must rely on public transportation. Many others live in large cities where owning a car doesn’t make any sense, and they too use public transport often. Most of the time people are commuting to and from work, which makes it even more frustrating when another passenger is being rude or inconsiderate, like the woman who refused to move her bag or this little boy.
Dog-Eat-Dog World
It’s unfortunate, but the reality is that commuting on public transport has become a dog eat dog world. Anyone who allows other passengers to mistreat them is going to be repeatedly mistreated. Still, it does not excuse rude passengers from acting the way they do. It’s important to let insolent passengers know when they are being inconsiderate.
Rudeness 101
It might just be human nature that when there is scarcity, our hunter-gatherer instincts kick in. How many times have you faced a packed bus or train and you’ve girded yourself for the battle of getting a seat? Perhaps this is why people immediately become aggressive while riding public transportation instead of acting rationally.
Being Disrespectful
There might be times where a passenger refuses to give up their seat to someone who is in the priority seating category like the elderly, pregnant, or disabled. These cases are even more baffling because it is so clear that people in the priority group should be given their deserved seat.
Selfish Passengers
The thing is, people who are selfish also take public transportation. These passengers have a sense of entitlement that allows them to act in a selfish way and leads them to taking up way more space than they even need. Many of these people also refuse to move when asked politely, which is even worse.
Remaining Peaceful
People can react to such situations in numerous ways. Some people try to reach an agreement in the most peaceful way possible. Otherwise, some people are just as rude by constantly arguing until they get their seats. Everyone reacts differently, and often things escalate quickly even when they don’t need to.
Looking for Trouble
In the worst case scenario, people who feel wronged will resort to violence. Unfortunately, this happens all too often on public transportation, and it is an uncomfortable situation for all involved. What everyone needs to stop and realize is that a seat on a bus is not a reason to get violent.
A Viral Tweet
So what happened with the little boy who took up too much space? After a commuter witnessed this situation, they were quick to share it on social media. From there, it went viral with more than 130,000 likes, 47,000 retweets, and thousands of comments. This boy had no idea he would be learning quite the lesson that day.
Restoring Faith in Humanity
There were many comments on the Twitter post that praised the person who took a stand against the young boy’s entitled actions. Many claimed that their faith in humanity was restored because of this man who intervened and put the boy in his place.
Capturing Unforgettable Moments
Three people could have easily sat in the space that was being occupied by one young boy. During rush hour, this can cause might frustration and the number of available seats is almost always limited or even non-existent. That’s when one man decided to right this wrong.
Ignoring People’s Requests
It looked as though the young boy was in his own world and wasn’t paying attention to anyone’s requests for him to move his feet and allow other commuters to sit. This only caused more frustration, which led to a man taking action.
Unsung Hero
Without any hesitation, the man seat on the boy’s legs. It’s important to note that this was after the boy ignored his polite request of moving his feet. Luckily, he didn’t cause any harm and gave the boy a wake-up call. After all, it wasn’t the boy’s seat in the first place.
Subway Etiquette
Although the man’s actions were questioned by some, it got the result everyone was looking for. If the person doesn’t want to reason, you need to take a new approach. Hopefully, the boy can now understand the value of following subway etiquette and grow into a more considerate adult.