20 cigarettes before the bus
With ipod in tow, I sat next to the window, shut my eyes and put trust in the driver to get me to work. A little Tripping Billies from DMB Crash album got me to humming a bit. While I did not realize I was a humming, a sharp bump from the bus, opened my eyes to find the two in front of me and the woman next to me staring at me.
I pulled one ear bud to have the lady next to me, with a snarly, freshly scarred whiskey voice - extol - “Could you please not do that!?” To which I responded “What?” - She said “Humming.” So I responded in similar fashion “Would you please not smoke 20 cigarettes before you get on the bus?”
The two riders in front, still staring, blushed and turned around, my co passenger huffed and - somewhat puffed her way to another seat.
So what is the smoking ettiquette for the bus anyway?
Aug 26th, 2008 at 10:22 am
While you have a point that reeking of cigarettes is rude, so is being noisy on the bus. The fact that the person who asked you to stop was also being rude doesn’t change that.
Aug 26th, 2008 at 10:43 am
No offense, but if you annoyed three seperate people- you were probably being way too loud.
Aug 26th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Telling people what they shouldn’t do BEFORE they get on the bus is out of line. You were being asked — politely — to stop doing something ON the bus that was disturbing other people. So, in turn, you asked someone to refrain from doing something OFF the bus that they’re perfectly entitled to do.
Now if your seatmate had been furtively trying to continue her smoke on the bus, you’d have had a legitimate beef with her … but, even then, her beef with you for humming loudly wouldn’t be diminished. If other people are behaving badly on the bus (and your story doesn’t indicate that they were), that doesn’t somehow give you a free pass to behave badly too.
Aug 26th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
As I noted in the post - she did not ask politely, she was really quite rude. Had she been polite, I would have apologized and stated that I had not realized I was humming so loudly!! - Instead, she was rude, and therefore did not get a polite reply.
If the significant smoking didn’t affect me, I would not have said a thing, but it did affect me and one co-worker asked me if I smoked that day, which I do not, so obviously, her stench was excessive.
If I came on the bus and reaked of cologne, and you were allergic, would you not complain???
Aug 26th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I think the real problem here is that you were listening to the fucking Dave Matthews Band
Aug 26th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Actually, Jay, your post says that she said Please. The only “rude” thing about her request as you reported it was that you didn’t like her breath. That may be unfortunate. Even disgusting. But it’s not a problem with her request.
And, sure, you’re entitled to be offended by her breath. But she’s not obligated to refrain from smoking, or eating garlic pizza, or wearing perfume (etc.) simply because she’s getting on a bus.
I’ve got sympathy for your allergy — though that, too, wasn’t mentioned in your original post — but bus riders of the world aren’t under any moral obligation to refrain from smoking elsewhere simply to keep their clothes/hair/breath from being 100% smoke-free when they board a bus.
You asked about smoking etiquette for the bus. You got three responses that apparently weren’t the answer you wanted. So you got defensive — and started revising your story. Clearly, you don’t *really* want to hear other people’s opinions. You just want affirmation for your feelings. Maybe someone will give it to you. But not me.
Aug 26th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Non-Smoker
Although I understand your points and agree with them as far as peoples behavior outside the bus, I have issue with your misunderstanding of how rude she spoke to me.
Just because a person says please does not mean they are being polite. I could ask you to please shut your gaping pie-hole but that isn’t very polite now is it?
I am not playing Obama and changing my story, I am simply clarifying the point that the way she said it was rude, so you don’t make me out to be some rigid a-hole that is not open to another’s opinion.
Aug 26th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I like how you use someone else’s obnoxious behavior to excuse your own obnoxious behavior.
Aug 26th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Did the humming have that signature Dave Matthew’s perpetual cold/stuffed sinus sound to it? If so, it’s no wonder people were begging for its quick termination.
Aug 27th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Jay: Non-smoker is right and you are not. Sorry. One thing you are right about however: you are not playing Obama. You exhibit nothing in common with him.
Aug 30th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Being a bus driver, it gets really annoying listening to everyones electronic gadgets all day. That is why headphones are required…to make the ride quieter and more pleasant for everyone else on the bus. What I find even more annoying is when people talk LOUDLY on their cell phones. It ranks up there with music so loud you can hear it even with the headphones on. Thank God those chirping walkie talkies are no longer the thing to have…those were the worst.
It’s all about respect and common courtesy. Take a shower, turn your music down, don’t cuss and enjoy the ride!
Sep 1st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
You sir are a twit.1- You listening to a i-pod. 2- you have bad taste in music. 3- Your sharing you bad taste to the poor captive occupants of the bus. 4- You somehow have the audacity to think your in the right.
A punch in the face is what you deserved. What you perceived as ‘rude’ was probably the 10 time a passenger asked you to zip it. And if you couldn’t hear them im sure they those near you could hear that awful noise spilling out from your ears.
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 8:44 am
You all are great! Just to clarify a couple points then I am out..
1. I only hummed a couple notes
2. I have my music turned down enough that I can hear the bus driver when they are speaking, so my music was not too loud
3. Taste in music, yeah it sucks a bit….
Sep 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Jay - thanks for finally getting it. Most folks on the bus are really just trying to get to their destination in one piece. That includes not getting their emotions fragmented by listening to other people’s conversations and/or music. As a whole, we each need to step a little outside ourselves and learn that we are not each entitled to think and behave as though “I am the most important person in the world”. Courtesy makes the world a little nicer for both the courteous and those being shown courtesy. Thanks for reminding all of us.
Sep 3rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Jay,
I understand the annoyances of public transportation. I work for a public transit agency and deal with passenger complaints throughout the day as well as ride to and from work on my own service.
People get crotchety and complain about what others are doing all the time. That’s what makes the IPod such a god-send for Public Transit users. We don’t have to listen to others on their cell phone calls or listen to the snarfling snorer who can’t wait to get home to bed. Smelly folks are another story. I’m annoyed by perfumes and stale cigarette smell and then there are the other odiferous compounds that emanate from people much to everyone else’s consternation!
But the bottom line is that it’s “PUBLIC” transportation and everyone needs to understand that there is a certain level of annoyance they simply have to accept. There are courtesy issues that can be addressed by the agency, but many people cannot tolerate others regardless. Our private car culture has made many us pretty intolerant of others across the board. Those who want all their particular wants and needs catered to should call a limosine service.