Sex
OK, it's not about sex. That was just to get everyone's attention. I realize that with the economy sputtering, 9/11 anniversary about to happen, war in Afghanistan a question mark, my little pet peeve might not rank up there with the great concerns of the day. But here it is: Men with earphones and backpacks.
First of all, a man of 50 looks ridiculous with his earphones and backpack. As Mayor Bloomberg would say, however, that's his constitutional right. But there is also a passive aggressive aspect to it. Every day I take the train into Manhattan, then switch to subways. And every day I'm confronted with obtuse men whose backpacks are slamming into the faces behind them. Today one of these oafs knocked the glasses off an older woman behind him when he was on the escalator. Worse, they are completely oblivious, because their music is on, so they literally do not hear when people are near them. I'm beginning to think it outranks the loud cellphone conversation menace.
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Jul '10
Re: Sex
Bill, Bill, Bill...you wound me.
I am a middle-aged guy. I hike the trails of Marin county. With a backpack. And an iPod.
As I hike, I listen to Ricochet podcats.
And other hikers, seeing me chortle at Ricochet witticisms, give me a wide berth on the trail.
If listening to Ricochet on the trail is wrong, I don't want to be right.
Edited on Sep 10, 2010 at 9:17amRe: Sex
Bill: I'm shocked and saddened that you would use your Ricochet forum to spout your filth. If you must write about S**, there are plenty of other sites devoted to people of your obviously low moral standing. Shame! Rest assured, I didn't bother to read your salacious ramblings, and I trust others will follow my example.
Jul '10
Re: Sex
Mr. McGurn, I wholeheartedly agree with your opposition to men with backpacks and earphones, and I would like to commend your marketing genius in titling this post.
Sep '10
Re: Sex
That's an interesting observation. If you add khaki shorts and hiking boots, you get a picture of what the rest of the world (especially Asians) perceives as the Ugly Western Traveler - a big, clumsy, lumbering, boorish nincompoop.
Jul '10
Re: Sex
David Parsons
That's an interesting observation. If you add khaki shorts and hiking boots, you get a picture of what the rest of the world (especially Asians) perceives as the Ugly Western Traveler - a big, clumsy, lumbering, boorish nincompoop. · Sep 10 at 9:21am
I prefer spandex biking shorts, actually.
And Crocs.
Re: Sex
Pat, this was definitely too delicate for your eyes. It was really for Peter, who doesn't mind rolling in the mud.
Kenneth, it's not the backpack and the earphones. It's the backpack and the earphones in a crowded urban environment. When you are on a subway platform, it's very crowded, and you have to be able to hear people to know when they are behind you. On an escalator or stairs, those backpacks swing right into the faces of fellow commuters. IF only Bloomberg had banned them instead of cigs.
Humza, you're my kind of dude. Dave, hadn't thought of it that way. I'm thinking of it like the teenage girls that have large cellphone conversations on commuter trains -- not the place for it. (NJ Transit began quiet cars this week.)
Re: Sex
Like I say, every nation is its stereotype. That stereotype didn't come from nowhere. And the cellphone menace remains real and grievous.
Jul '10
Re: Sex
McGurn is such a hypocrite.
I have in my possession, a video of him from the Roller-Disco days, boogying down to Donna Summer on his Walkman in a public park in DC. Wearing skimpy running shorts and a midrifff-baring tank-top.
Bill, do I post it to YouTube?
Or do you and I meet in a public venue for a discrete exchange?
Unmarked 20's will do nicely.
Edited on Sep 10, 2010 at 9:31amRe: Sex
Kenneth, please, have pit: I'm a married man, with *daughters.* .
Sep '10
Re: Sex
Kenneth
David Parsons
That's an interesting observation. If you add khaki shorts and hiking boots, you get a picture of what the rest of the world (especially Asians) perceives as the Ugly Western Traveler - a big, clumsy, lumbering, boorish nincompoop. · Sep 10 at 9:21am
I prefer spandex biking shorts, actually.
And Crocs.
They will love you in Tokyo.
May '10
Re: Sex
Bill, what you failed to realize is that the old woman was in fact an enemy of the state. You had the great fortune of witnessing a superspy at work.
Jul '10
Re: Sex
Listen, buster: in the Internet age, you can't outrun your little "youthful indiscretions".
Pity is for Democrats. We conservatives are entrepreneurs.
Now cough it up or that little video of you going all "Woo, woo!" goes viral.
Jun '10
Re: Sex
Several years ago, when I was driving a taxi, nights, I got paid to listen to the mindless conversations of boring couples sitting behind me. Now I, and everyone else, suffers through it without even getting paid. Not fair.
Jul '10
Re: Sex
David Parsons
Kenneth
David Parsons
That's an interesting observation. If you add khaki shorts and hiking boots, you get a picture of what the rest of the world (especially Asians) perceives as the Ugly Western Traveler - a big, clumsy, lumbering, boorish nincompoop. · Sep 10 at 9:21am
I prefer spandex biking shorts, actually.
And Crocs.
They will love you in Tokyo. · Sep 10 at 9:33am
Mr. Parsons, I completely agree. Young girls will be lining up to take pictures of Kenneth on the street.
By the way, would you happen to currently be in Tokyo?
May '10
Re: Sex
Maybe it's because I'm a woman or maybe the DC metro system is different, but I would never wear an iPod while riding public transit. I keep my head on a swivel for a variety of reasons. And it is also very unwise to wear a backpack as it is very easy for a thief to steal the contents without notice. I always wear a messenger-type bag, so I can keep it in front of me and keep my hands free. That way, I can quickly reach my knife, pepper-spray or cell phone, what ever the situation might call for. I do hope someone came to the woman's aid and recovered her glasses.
Sep '10
Re: Sex
Humza Ahmad
David Parsons
Kenneth
David Parsons
That's an interesting observation. If you add khaki shorts and hiking boots, you get a picture of what the rest of the world (especially Asians) perceives as the Ugly Western Traveler - a big, clumsy, lumbering, boorish nincompoop. · Sep 10 at 9:21am
I prefer spandex biking shorts, actually.
And Crocs.
They will love you in Tokyo. · Sep 10 at 9:33am
Mr. Parsons, I completely agree. Young girls will be lining up to take pictures of Kenneth on the street.
By the way, would you happen to currently be in Tokyo?
I confess that I have never been in Japan, but I have spent the last ten years studying their culture and, especially, reading journals by people who have lived there for a long time. I am, therefore, by no means, an "expert" on Japanese culture, but I have picked up a few insights. For one thing, they really, really, really do not like loud, overbearing gaijin. But of course, they are too polite to say anything to your face.
Re: Sex
Can't hear you, McGurn. I've got my earbuds in. And please try not to sneeze on my waterbottle, which is in that mesh pocket on the outside of my backpack.
Aug '10
Re: Sex
Yes, I was wondering about women and backpacks. Are women wearing backpacks somehow less objectionable, perhaps more considerate of others and less likely to whack them?
Like Karen, I don't feel safe as a woman wearing earphones in urban situations. Unlike Karen, I find that a messenger bag or any other sizable bag that distributes weight unevenly aggravates some problems I have, so I do wear a backpack when I've got to carry stuff. But on crowded public transportation, I take it off and hand-carry it or wear it as a frontpack.
Occasionally, because I'm a klutz, I've whacked someone anyhow, but I practically grovel in apology when that happens.
Edited on Sep 10, 2010 at 10:39amMay '10
Re: Sex
Living in the South, I've been on a train just once per decade. So it's always interesting to hear people talk about their metro adventures.
The last time I experienced public transportation was on a visit to New York after they had just cleaned everything up in preparation for Pope Benedict's visit. I was surprised how impressive Grand Central Station and the adjoining stations were, in comparison with the filthy and thief-riddled stations I'm used to seeing in movies and TV shows.
My experience with public rails before that involved seeing my genteel 4'10" grandmother shoved around as people hastily boarded a train in Dublin.
Re: Sex
Bill, as a fellow straphanger, I couldn't agree more. Especially the bit about "passive aggressive," which is exactly how I regard the ones who play their music so loud that they might as well dispense with the earphones.