Trouble on the bus

[pulse2]

Was on the bus today, guy walks in, typical chav (for those who don't know what a chav looks like, allow me to demonstrate: http://withfriendship.com/images/b/8042/chav-180110.jpg ), he was playing LOUD music with guns shots blarring and cussing and swearing at every point. Not sure why the bus driver didn't kick him off, but anyway. A lady was covering her daughter's ears and eventually she had had enough so decided to approach the guy and tell him to turn it down or turn it off, he told her to "Fuck off" as well as reffering to her in a very sexist and derogatory manner, upon her retaliation, he spat in her face. She took it no further, this of course lead to quite a rowdy bus of passengers telling him to get off, to which he simply swore at everyone and threatened them.

The conclusion is that he did get off the bus because the bus driver woke up and decided to stop the bus and wait for him to get off.

Now, I'm not sure where these species of human beings came from and their total lack of respect for anyone else, but it annoys me.

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Anywho, lets say you were in this situation or similar, how would you have dealt with it?

Second question, lets say you see someone else getting bullied, but you have a child or elderly person with you, would you get involved?

 

[staika]

Question 1: I'd basically ask him nicely to turn his music down if that didn't work then........ I don't actually know what I'd do after that it depends on who the guy was and how big of a dick he was and how many people were on my side.

Question 2: This actually did happen to me once, I was with my grandpa and a kid was being mean to another kid and my grandpa basically put the fear of death into the kid who was being mean. Yeah my grandpa's a badass.

 

[Fwee]

Step 1: Asking if they would mind turning down their music while riding with other people.
Assuming the response this woman got:
Step 2: Take the guy's shit and throw it off the bus.

 

[Scabadus]

Have you ever heard of the "Monkeysphere"? It would take me a long time to explain the specifics, but there a Cracked.com article on it that's fairly accurate and the gist of it is that these idiots don't see the people on the bus as actual people.

It's the same effect as you caring more if one of your parents died than if somebody's parent in the middle east was killed, to you the person halfway across the world isn't actually a real person, they're just a name in the paper, a statistic.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

With regard to the first question... I wouldn't have. I would have sat back and waited until the bus got to my stop, then I would have gotten off the bus. I'm not saying this because I'm the non-confrontational sort, I'm saying it because I acknowledge that swears are just words. We're the ones that give meaning to them. I'm not easily offended by profanity, so I wouldn't have cared much. Is this person's behavior disrespectful? Sure. But offensive? Not really, unless you let yourself be offended by it.

With regard to the second question... if I see someone actually being physically bullied I would at least try to break it up. If I had a child or elderly person with me I would seek out the nearest authority to break it up (or call the police if the situation were serious enough to warrant it). That said, if the person were only getting verbally bullied, then no, I would not get involved. Words only cause harm to you if you *let* them, and if you *let* them, you have bigger personal problems than the bully.

 

[Dense_Electric]

I maintain that diplomacy is always the best option, but sometimes diplomacy fails. When this happens, I have no moral qualms whatsoever about drilling someone in the solar plexus. (Not to mention I can't stand wigger gangsta wannabes, which I'm guessing is the chav's equivalent here in the States).

With regard to the first question... I wouldn't have. I would have sat back and waited until the bus got to my stop, then I would have gotten off the bus. I'm not saying this because I'm the non-confrontational sort, I'm saying it because I acknowledge that swears are just words. We're the ones that give meaning to them. I'm not easily offended by profanity, so I wouldn't have cared much. Is this person's behavior disrespectful? Sure. But offensive? Not really, unless you let yourself be offended by it.

With regard to the second question... if I see someone actually being physically bullied I would at least try to break it up. If I had a child or elderly person with me I would seek out the nearest authority to break it up (or call the police if the situation were serious enough to warrant it). That said, if the person were only getting verbally bullied, then no, I would not get involved. Words only cause harm to you if you *let* them, and if you *let* them, you have bigger personal problems than the bully.

I agree with you completely about profanity, but words (any words, not just "bad" ones as society deems them for some utterly arbitrary reason) can certainly be used in a disrespectful manner, as you say. Normally I'd just say "cool story bro" and mosey off, but when someone is blasting some god-awful crap (or even good music if I'm not in the mood), it becomes my problem simply by virtue of the fact that I'm being made to put up with it.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

In that situation? I'm not sure what I'd do beyond asking him to turn it down, but it did remind me of this scene from Star Trek IV.


The title is unrelated -- Spock owns a punk, not a libertarian.

 

[EHKOS]

I got punched in the nose by a rowdy passenger. It was a chick so I couldn't retaliate but I she did go to court for it. On my recomendation they sent her to anger managment too. She was verbally attacking this guy so I stuck up for him.

 

[Doclector]

Grab him and start beating him until he says sorry. Repeated failure to say sorry will result in biting.

Sorry, but these people don't seem to understand words. They deserve no better, in fact, I'm being really merciful, and if he didn't thank me for it when asked, the beatings would probably continue.

And if I see anyone bullying anyone, god help them. Because it's fully out of my hands what I do to them next. Bullies make me too angry to see reason, or mercy.

 

[LoFr3Eq]

In that situation? I'm not sure what I'd do beyond asking him to turn it down, but it did remind me of this scene from Star Trek IV.


The title is unrelated -- Spock owns a punk, not a libertarian.

Star Trek IV is the best, Sometimes only the Vulcan neck bench will do.

 

[Best of the 3]

Question 2: This actually did happen to me once, I was with my grandpa and a kid was being mean to another kid and my grandpa basically put the fear of death into the kid who was being mean. Yeah my grandpa's a badass.

I'm interested in this. I love bad assed grandpa stories. How did he do it?

OT: Been in it once, someone just asked to turn it down nicely and he did. Probably wasn't a true chav. Glad a nasty situation was avoided in the end.

 

[DEAD34345]

Not all Chavs are jerks... some are just people with extremely poor taste. Of course this one was a jerk, and I would have been happier if someone had fought him off the bus once he spat at that woman. The kind of person that does this is just disgusting, almost sub-human. He clearly did not have any sense of empathy for the people around him.

People like that need to learn to change, or they just need to be jailed for the rest of their lives so they can't bother others.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I agree with you completely about profanity, but words (any words, not just "bad" ones as society deems them for some utterly arbitrary reason) can certainly be used in a disrespectful manner, as you say. Normally I'd just say "cool story bro" and mosey off, but when someone is blasting some god-awful crap (or even good music if I'm not in the mood), it becomes my problem simply by virtue of the fact that I'm being made to put up with it.

I'm a fairly laid back individual, so the likelyhood of it getting to this point is pretty slim... but anyway...

Yeah, if it got to the point where I felt like I was being made to put up with something, I'd confront the person about it. Nothing particularly aggressive or anything, just politely and respectfully asking them to (in this particular example) turn the music down. If the person turns the music down, no matter how begrudgingly, I thank the person and go back to my business. If the person doesn't turn the music down, I go back to my seat, and I reflect on how glad I am that I'm not walking in that person's shoes.

 

[Adam28]

This has happened to me so many times, I have learnt to ignore them. Sometimes they are in gangs so it is best to stay a way from them, and of course in the worst case scenario, they could be armed.

I just usually tend to keep my head down in such situations especially since in my area, I come across a lot of them and may see the same people multiple times.

The dark side in me is saying kill them.... it would just benefit the human race so much...kidding kidding...

 

[BlueberryMUNCH]

Well, if he did that to a woman I'd teach him a lesson.
Sure, I'd get beaten up, but he'd come off in a rough shape too.

That's so disgusting. Poor woman:/.

 

[Caveworm]

Buses are evil. I had to get two each day for work.

It is a very tricky situation, because as Adam28 said, they tend to be in gangs or armed. Worst case scenario 'back in the day' would be that you might get punched or set upon. Now it could be stabbed or actually kicked to death.

Also, if you try and step in or take it further, you could be the one charged for assault.


(wonders what it is about chavs and their need to play their music on loudspeaker on mobiles)

 

[Frost27]

Grab him and start beating him until he says sorry. Repeated failure to say sorry will result in biting.

Sorry, but these people don't seem to understand words. They deserve no better, in fact, I'm being really merciful, and if he didn't thank me for it when asked, the beatings would probably continue.

And if I see anyone bullying anyone, god help them. Because it's fully out of my hands what I do to them next. Bullies make me too angry to see reason, or mercy.

Exactly.

Did he get off the bus and have a Lifetime TV movie moment of introspection, thinking maybe he should have behaved differently? Did he re evaluate his treatment of his fellow passengers and feel remorseful for his behavior toward the woman who approached him? Hell no. He got off the bus angry at everyone on board and spent the next couple of hours convincing himself that they had treated him wrong and that he was the victim.

I would have minded my own business until he spit in the woman's face, then I would have beaten him until he couldn't stand up and dragged both he and his ghetto music box off the bus. I likely would have then received an applause, much like Spock did.

Now, I can applaud those who look for a nonviolent solution in the right situation but consider the following:

A) Voicing displeasure and requesting he turn his music down or off and then remaining passively silent until your stop only negatively reinforces his hostile behavior by proving to him it gets results. It also proves (in his mind) that the more of a dick he is, the more he gets results.

B) That incident on the bus when the little girl saw her mother get spit on and back down in front of her is going to taint that little girl's perception of not only her mother but herself and her ability to stand up for herself forever. The guy had to go, right then.

C) Seeing John Q Public stand up for himself would have stuck with everyone else on that bus and the next time, maybe their tolerance would have been a lot less. Over time, less tolerance for their crap may cause the "Chav" and his like to rethink how he behaves around the rest of society rather than his overblown sense of entitlement and self worth making him think it is the rest of society that should cater to him.

 

[AssassinJoe]

Never had any chavs (or whatever their american equivalent is) when I ride the bus. What was he playing his music on that everyone could hear him?
Closest thing I ever had to this was some dumb ***** who had trouble geting off the bus. The vehicle had two sets of doors: One in the front and one half way along the bus. Apparently she was too stupid to comprehend that the bus driver was telling her the back doors were broken. She stood there yelling at the driver thretening to sue the line for disciminating against the disabbled (the back doors were closer to her seat). She only dragged her fat ass out the front doors after everyone else on the bus, including myself were yelling at her that the doors were broken. I don't think she even understood when she got off the bus. Thankfully I never had to put up with her again, as I was taking public transport to school at the time.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

Over time, less tolerance for their crap may cause the "Chav" and his like to rethink how he behaves around the rest of society rather than his overblown sense of entitlement and self worth making him think it is the rest of society that should cater to him.

Not likely. Why?

Did he get off the bus and have a Lifetime TV movie moment of introspection, thinking maybe he should have behaved differently? Did he re evaluate his treatment of his fellow passengers and feel remorseful for his behavior toward the woman who approached him? Hell no. He got off the bus angry at everyone on board and spent the next couple of hours convincing himself that they had treated him wrong and that he was the victim.

That's why. Some people are just assholes. No amount of standing up to them is going to get them to change. If anything, it's only going to make them that much worse until something serious happens.

Would I rather tolerate the bad music, or get the whole bus to gang up on him so that the next time a mom confronts him he stabs her?

 

[staika]

Question 2: This actually did happen to me once, I was with my grandpa and a kid was being mean to another kid and my grandpa basically put the fear of death into the kid who was being mean. Yeah my grandpa's a badass.

I'm interested in this. I love bad assed grandpa stories. How did he do it?

OT: Been in it once, someone just asked to turn it down nicely and he did. Probably wasn't a true chav. Glad a nasty situation was avoided in the end.

He basically went up to the mean kid really fast and acted like he was about to kill something and screamed "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT" and basically gave him the evil eye until the mean kid ran away. Incidentally the kid that was getting picked on also ran away so my grandpa and I got the hell out of there before the cops or the kids parent's came to check us out.