Commuter Train Culture: People Are Selfish

Commuter Train Culture: Selfish Behavior

I take the commuter train system to Downtown Los Angeles every weekday. I began observing the behavior of people immediately upon starting this adventure. Some of what I saw surprised me, some didn’t surprise me at all and still more behavior just angered me. Today took the cake.

Today I arrived at the train station ready to go. It is the first stop or the last depending upon the direction you’re going. I have no idea what happened today and can only assume one of the Green Line trains had an issue because usually a train is either waiting to leave or is there within 5 minutes. Today was a 15 minute wait.

As you can imagine, with a 15 minute wait that is normally 5 minutes, there were 3 trains worth of people waiting on the platform. It was getting packed. This is where the stupidity begins.

As I explain what transpired, keep in mind that everyone will be traveling on the same train. We each travel at the same speed. Nobody will arrive before anyone else. With that in mind, can you think of any reason someone would feel the need to jostle for position on the platform or storm on to the train without letting the arriving passengers off first? That is just the tip of the iceberg.

I always hear people complaining about their “personal space” yet these fools congregate in a 4x2 space in front of the door. Today I counted 37 people jammed into the doorway (I dubbed them “The Herd”). Meanwhile the entire aisle is empty. These people prefer to be up on top of each other. Why do I care you ask?

We arrive at the second station and people attempt to board. The Herd refuses to budge. Our new friends at the Lakewood station want to get on the train. That is their right. They paid the fare, the train is here to get them and there is space for them. The Herd won’t budge. The doors cannot close because our new friends are stuck part on the train and part off the train.

“if you would move down the aisle these poor people would be able to board!” I yell out.

The Herd continues to occupy the space in front of the door. Some of the slightly intelligent members of The Herd break from the pack and move into the aisles so our new friends can board and the train can proceed.

We arrive at the third station and, you guessed it, more new friends want to join us. Once again The Herd won’t budge. More people begin yelling at them to move. One has the nerve to respond.

“How we gonna get off if we not near the door?”

Is that really a thing? I’m sitting far from the door and I guarantee you I will be editing the train at my desired stop. The Herd sees it differently. They are all about being selfish.

We get to the main transfer station for the Green Line. People are now trying to exit, but The Herd is not budging. A rather large man with lots of muscles decides to let them know what’s up.

“If y’all don’t move out of the way and let these people off I’m clearing the path on my own and won’t be responsible for where your ass lands!”

The Herd looks in his direction and begins moving away from the door. We slowly exit the train. We can all see the Blue Line connection to Los Angeles is arriving. People begin to act like The Herd. They start pushing people as they walk down the stairs towards the Blue Line platform. I look further down he tracks and see another Blue Line train is about a minute behind the one currently arriving. I take my time.

I watch in amusement as The Herd jumps into action again. They block the doors of the first Blue Line train. Somehow people manage to board. I stare in amusement as that train leaves and the next one arrives. I board in peace and take a seat. At that moment a young woman taps my shoulder. I turn and immediately recognize her as one of the people from the Green Line who was yelling at The Herd. She looks at me and makes the greates comment.

“People are so selfish these days!”