tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post416133349212842230..comments2024-03-11T06:22:36.107+00:00Comments on angloyankophile: Can We All Just Be a Little Nicer To Each Other?Angloyankophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-47000830828545781142016-10-18T20:23:54.306+01:002016-10-18T20:23:54.306+01:00Unfortunately as London becomes increasingly overc...Unfortunately as London becomes increasingly overcrowded (and increasingly anonymous, less British or whatever stones you want to throw) the lack of manners goes from being comical to disgusting. My key peeve is when someone doesn't give a pregnant lady a seat. Not a "is she or isn't she" pregnant lady, but one with a badge. London didn't used to be like this.AND-ONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09754585155266011747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-3619294491010169192016-02-21T18:14:40.499+00:002016-02-21T18:14:40.499+00:00So glad that you said something Jaime - we're ...So glad that you said something Jaime - we're all so used to tight-lipped tolerance of one another on public transport, but when someone actually gets shaken up (by rudeness or otherwise) it's nice to see that another commuter cares. I've fainted several times on the tube since I started taking the train to school at 10 and only once or twice has anyone actually checked to see if I'm okay. It's such a tiny act to be considerate, but it really does make such a world of difference. xx<br /><br />Tamsin / <a href="http://acertainadventure.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">A Certain Adventure</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00073756629265166836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-91781968030970344142016-02-20T08:13:12.490+00:002016-02-20T08:13:12.490+00:00Loved this Jaime, we all need reminding to be a li...Loved this Jaime, we all need reminding to be a little more compassionate sometimes (commuter situation or no commuter situation). I don't know what it is about the tube, but it seems to bring out the absolute worst in people and is one thing about London that I definitely do not miss!!<br /><br />Polly xx<br /><a href="http://www.followyoursunshine.me" rel="nofollow">Follow Your Sunshine</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04133039014269153256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-70784130713575241282016-02-18T20:56:23.826+00:002016-02-18T20:56:23.826+00:00I once had a guy get up into my face, trying to as...I once had a guy get up into my face, trying to assert himself on me in an aggressive way while I was on the train with others. Then he shouts at me as we're leaving the train as I was trying to get around him but he wouldn't let me. No one did a thing. He was very threatening and aggressive. I was so shaken that I spoke to the staff at the station the next morning. I saw him on occasion after that but he must have realised he was a twat and got on at another door. This was just after Valentine's Day. I remember thinking he was a twat because he didn't get any. Then, during the mid-late December time of that year, I happened to be on a later train than normal. I had a bit of wine. Suddenly, I heard ruckus a few seats behind. It ended up that this same twat was harassing another dark-haired female. But this time, people were standing up for her. He got off at my station and I also waited around to complain about him. I left a note as the police were taking ages to turn up and the staff asked me to leave a note. I HOPE to this day that they did something about it and didn't think I was just saying it because I was a little bit tipsy (but more tired as my commutes were hellish). Some twats just have anger management issues.jenikyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379433490024692976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-68831119288195030172016-02-17T00:49:01.913+00:002016-02-17T00:49:01.913+00:00Thanks so much Jaime :) Even though that was 5 or ...Thanks so much Jaime :) Even though that was 5 or 6 years ago, funnily enough, that nice comment from you even all these years on actually makes me feel a bit more comforted about that horrible episode! You're right about how these things have a way of sticking with you and I fully agree that that if someone had just spoken to me or the guy being that way, it would have gone a long way! Showing compassion doesn't have to be about big gestures, sometimes the smallest things can mean so much to people.Shikha (whywasteannualleave)http://whywasteannualleave.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-68277110569850074712016-02-16T21:59:28.216+00:002016-02-16T21:59:28.216+00:00It's so nice of you to have asked the other co...It's so nice of you to have asked the other commuter if he was OK. I must admit that when the tube is really crowded I sometimes wait for a few to go by so I can get on a less crowded one even if it means being a few minutes late - people are much more relaxed when they have more personal spaceLuxuryColumnisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05666610068978544386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-58994031359167853232016-02-16T21:23:00.741+00:002016-02-16T21:23:00.741+00:00Awesome.I could definitely stand to be less irrita...Awesome.I could definitely stand to be less irritable in certain situations. This is a great reminder that kindness goes a long way. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05288533010611643097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-87445657676159079392016-02-16T17:04:24.210+00:002016-02-16T17:04:24.210+00:00During a tube strike I once saw two fully grown me...During a tube strike I once saw two fully grown men having a fist fight on a platform after one of them had said the other one 'stank'. I mean, really?! I'm trying so hard to be calmer when commuting as it puts me in a better mood anyway, but it's half term, and children at rush hour should NOT BE ALLOWED!<br />Cx<br /><a href="www.charliedistracted.com" rel="nofollow">charliedistracted.com</a>charlieninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11227587112751201049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-11568677531667279592016-02-16T15:22:39.284+00:002016-02-16T15:22:39.284+00:00BAHAHAHAHA ... we must have been separated at birt...BAHAHAHAHA ... we must have been separated at birth. I can be pretty confrontational! It's the American in me ...Angloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-64838291017984607122016-02-16T15:21:58.694+00:002016-02-16T15:21:58.694+00:00Thank you, Becky! I think commuting can bring out ...Thank you, Becky! I think commuting can bring out the worst in all of us (or maybe it's just London ... I'll never know!). xAngloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-60865774126349355022016-02-16T15:03:00.332+00:002016-02-16T15:03:00.332+00:00Jaime I have so many public transport stories, bec...Jaime I have so many public transport stories, because I have a big mouth and whenever I see people act rude to others I step in, which has resulted in some huge dramatic arguments with complete lunatics, but I can't help myself when I see people be rude. My favourite thing to do anywhere when people don't say 'thank you' if I give them right of way is just to say loudly 'YOU'RE WELCOME!', gets my anger out and reminds them how rude they are ;o)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10759463332503037389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-24628027742046039432016-02-16T14:59:18.383+00:002016-02-16T14:59:18.383+00:00Go Jaime! I think you did exactly the right thing....Go Jaime! I think you did exactly the right thing. People are wankers when it comes to commuting and the rage that comes with it. I bet that guy will remember your kind gesture for a long time to come xBecky | Spirited Puddle Jumperhttp://www.spiritedpuddlejumper.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-80676441914617737952016-02-16T14:11:30.133+00:002016-02-16T14:11:30.133+00:00Thank you, sweet Rebecca!! xThank you, sweet Rebecca!! xAngloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-70468690700369224212016-02-16T14:11:10.103+00:002016-02-16T14:11:10.103+00:00Haha! You're too sweet, Sarah Elizabeth! I lov...Haha! You're too sweet, Sarah Elizabeth! I loved your comment. Thank you for sharing your experiences in Cork! I'll bet it's a friendlier place than London. But what you said is exactly right: people are actually nice deep down inside, we just get caught up in behaving in a certain way because we're following the crowd. And it's hard not to follow the crowd when you're being herded like sheep on the tube, ha! xxAngloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-91387482747839624812016-02-16T14:07:27.979+00:002016-02-16T14:07:27.979+00:00That is f*cking horrible, Kelsey. Those people who...That is f*cking horrible, Kelsey. Those people who just sat there should be ashamed of themselves. Like I said, even if you don't want to intervene (and I get why this can be a difficult decision), then at least check if the person's okay! We're all human. But it feels inhumane to let something like that go. That's what happened with me that day - I just couldn't let it go. I could tell the man was still stinging from this confrontation and it made my heart hurt. Isn't that what we all learn as children? To be kind to others? To help someone up when they're down? Ugh. I really hope you never have an experience like that again. Angloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-62830511806876260222016-02-16T14:03:04.005+00:002016-02-16T14:03:04.005+00:00Oh god, Shikha, that is so horrible. Really terrib...Oh god, Shikha, that is so horrible. Really terrible - and the worst part is that I'll bet you still remember exactly how it felt you were attacked like that. Although we can't prevent those things from happening, I think we can help make them better by comforting those who are being affected when we witness these incidents. I mean, if one person had stood up to him or if anyone had just asked you if you were okay, it would have changed your perspective a tiny bit, right? It still would have been humiliating, it still would have hurt and been traumatic, but maybe just a little less so.<br /><br />I am so sorry that that happened to you! You are such a lovely person that I can't imagine anyone doing that to you!Angloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-54353778844302215062016-02-16T14:00:12.807+00:002016-02-16T14:00:12.807+00:00Hi Ruth! I don't believe that this was the cas...Hi Ruth! I don't believe that this was the case with Angry Commuter, unfortunately. He bumped into the man quite hard, the man said, "Excuse you!" and he responded by shouting and cursing in his face, before physically running into the commuters alongside him just to prove a point. He was, sadly, a man who was in full control of his behavior and had decided to act like a jerk that day. <br /><br />But I think you've raised a very good point, and one that I think people need to also be aware of when they're travelling on the tube. I'm a reader of your blog (when I get a chance to catch up with my blog reading!) and I know that you are doing a really, really excellent job in providing a loving and stable environment to your son and your family. <3Angloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-24513988969354279592016-02-16T13:57:41.211+00:002016-02-16T13:57:41.211+00:00I'm so glad you did what you did. After a real...I'm so glad you did what you did. After a really long, emotional day on the hospital wards a few years ago, I was on a packed tube home when an old drunk guy about twice my size said I was pushing into him and that he would "punch" me if I didn't stop and called me a "bitch". Needless to say, I wasn't pushing anyone but on a tube that packed, it's impossible for people not to have contact with each other when you're all squeezed in like sardines but the most upsetting thing was the fact that although people were obviously surprised by his behaviour, nobody said a thing to him about it and nobody asked me if I was ok. I remember just coming home and bursting into tears and wondering how people can be so uncompassionate. Shikha (whywasteannualleave)http://whywasteannualleave.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-63981525300336676012016-02-16T13:12:55.845+00:002016-02-16T13:12:55.845+00:00A thoughtful post and one I shall be thinking abou...A thoughtful post and one I shall be thinking about this afternoon as I travel with my son from Zone 3 on the Piccadilly line to the West End. While I sympathise with what you witnessed, I wonder whether Angry Commuter had a mental health problem? My son has autism and will often talk to himself out loud (and loudly) and flap and generally display autistic behaviours when we use the Tube. 99% of the time, people ignore him (and me) and even move away from us. Me? I'd just like someone to catch my eye and maybe say I am doing a good job under difficult circumstances. Doesn't ever happen.<br />But then again, maybe Angry Commuter was actually just a f**king a**hole ... Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18032490985687716495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-48191386496517767852016-02-16T13:07:20.334+00:002016-02-16T13:07:20.334+00:00What a brilliant post! You're so right, we are...What a brilliant post! You're so right, we are all so huffy sometimes, thankfully I'm not ever evil like the pushy man, but we've all been on the receiving end of his wrath. So you're right, we should be a LOT nicer to each other! xThe Purley Girlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13849357663952325085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-69148811893017224442016-02-16T12:15:02.345+00:002016-02-16T12:15:02.345+00:00I love this post and it was so me. In fact it was ...I love this post and it was so me. In fact it was one of the reasons I had on my list as to way I left London; I didn't like the commute and how it made me feel and behave. I'll never forget one of my last journeys- I had a drunk man sit fairly close to me and for the next 10mins of my journey I had a barrage of abuse- every swear word under the sun and demeaning comments about how I was dressed/wore my make up. And d'you know what? Not one person looked up (there were 3-4 men sat opposite me) and when I got up to walk further down the carriage, with the man still shouting abuse at me- not one person asked how I was. It was awful. I'm glad you find someone on that bus that day that sympathised and that you did the same- you really would have made a difference to his day.<br /><br />K.Kelseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11317091098854921868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-86481134391337235102016-02-16T10:30:25.810+00:002016-02-16T10:30:25.810+00:00I'm just commenting again because the "no...I'm just commenting again because the "notify me" button didn't show up on my first comment, so if you replied I wouldn't get it! hahaha xAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04458355304939327700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-74165417808558324482016-02-16T10:29:58.495+00:002016-02-16T10:29:58.495+00:00This is perfect. I realized recently that I am the...This is perfect. I realized recently that I am the same way. For example, back in Virginia, everyone smiles at everyone else on the street - we don't do it necessarily because we're being nice, we just do it because if we don't do it then someone else will think we're mean. But here in Cork, no one smiles. In fact, it's the common practice to look down at the exact moment where a smile would be inserted in Virginia and completely ignore the other person. I realized recently that I've become as Cork-like as everyone else (that would be a great pun if you'd ever heard a Cork accent - we put "like" at the end of every sentence) and haven't been smiling at all. So I started smiling. And recently, a LOT of people have started smiling back. I get "hello!"s and "good morning"s all the time, and I've had small chat with so many more people it's insane. People really are nice deep down inside, but we get really caught up in not looking stupid and following the crowd and fear and all the rest that it takes a sincere effort to be nice. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04458355304939327700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-5283158421307710102016-02-16T10:26:49.687+00:002016-02-16T10:26:49.687+00:00Haha - I could totally picture you saying somethin...Haha - I could totally picture you saying something! It's the American in me, but more so down to the fact that something similar had happened to me recently. I think that people find it hard to empathize until they've been in someone else's shoes. And that's understandable. How would you know how something feels, if you've never felt it yourself?Angloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743876470050160495.post-6629433506803571752016-02-16T10:25:47.588+00:002016-02-16T10:25:47.588+00:00I'm always jealous of people who cycle into wo...I'm always jealous of people who cycle into work, but the thought of cycling in Central London makes me fear for my life! (I'm not even stable enough to go around the park on a bike, I don't think!) It's lovely that you always try to be nice; my natural instict is to be defensive/aggressive. Everyone has their claws out at that time of the morning, I feel!Angloyankophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13798135990583648390noreply@blogger.com