Can You Tell Somebody To Turn Their Headphones Down?
I had an altercation on the always incompetent NJ Transit this morning that absolutely stunned me. I got on my second train for the day, started looking for a seat (usually a lost cause at 9am) and found one next to an old guy on a twofer. As soon as I sit down he gives me a look. The kind of look you get from an old guy who catches you in his backyard retrieving a wiffleball. I've seen it many times. I just decided, fuck it, I'm going to ignore him. Instantly, I get a tap on my shoulder, and he signals to remove my headphones. I do, and he says, "Can you turn that down?"
Excuse me? You want me to turn down my fire jams that are blasting into my ears? I don't have a speaker, I'm not making anyone listen against their will, I have my own headphones. There's a tween doing hard drugs behind us and a middle aged man fingering his girlfriend in front of us, and the muffled sounds of pop punk is what you have an issue with?
So I just said "No" and put my headphones back in. Unless we're in the quiet car, if you can hear my music, it's a you problem. If you're taking public transit, you should prepare for noise and bring your own headphones. That's my take. What's yours?