Friday, June 10, 2005
Rite of Passage
I guess American kids think it’s cool to mimic the vulgar behavior seen on MTV or Comedy Central in any social situation. I know they’re “young adults” but I‘ll call them kids until I see them show signs of growing up. I wonder what the European young adults think when they observe the drunkenness, the foul language, and the disrespect for self and others displayed by the Americans. When the Europeans ride my bus they are friendly, polite and respectful. They carry on civil conversations with one another and seem to be having a genuinely good time. I can imagine what they might say when they return home and people ask about America. “The American kids are like a pack of wild animals --- the only difference being, wild animals don’t have money.”
I’m probably being too hard on the majority of the Americans here. The truth is, most of them behave in an acceptable fashion. It’s hard not to focus on the ones who make spectacles of themselves. I had a kid on my bus last night who was totally over the top. I rarely throw anyone off of my bus, but I wanted to get rid of this guy. The trouble was, the bus was packed and he was all the way in the back yelling and screaming. I couldn’t have gotten to him without a great deal of difficulty. He rode for quite a while but eventually he got off. If I had it to do over again, I think I would take the time and trouble to get rid of the guy.
Sometimes I employ the assistance of the passengers in certain situations. The bus has two doors on the side. Naturally, passengers are supposed to board the bus at the front door and pay the fare. But I have occasionally caught kids jumping in the back door when the bus is packed and passengers are exiting the bus by way of the rear door. I just close the back door and announce on the PA that the bus is not moving until that guy who jumped on the back of my bus gets out. Then I open the door and say, “Now will you passengers back there please tell that guy to get off so we can get moving.” The response is usually quick and effective.
What I have found so far is that when I tell someone to “Get off my bus,” they usually do it with no argument whatsoever. I’m starting to think that getting thrown off of the bus is like a badge of honor giving the bearer bragging rights. “Hey man, I got thrown off the bus last night!” “Wow dude, that is so cool.” So, from now on, when they provoke me I will grant them their rite of passage.
It’s Friday night. Lots of traffic rolled into town today. It should be an exciting weekend. I hope to have some upbeat stories to share after these next few night shifts.
I’m probably being too hard on the majority of the Americans here. The truth is, most of them behave in an acceptable fashion. It’s hard not to focus on the ones who make spectacles of themselves. I had a kid on my bus last night who was totally over the top. I rarely throw anyone off of my bus, but I wanted to get rid of this guy. The trouble was, the bus was packed and he was all the way in the back yelling and screaming. I couldn’t have gotten to him without a great deal of difficulty. He rode for quite a while but eventually he got off. If I had it to do over again, I think I would take the time and trouble to get rid of the guy.
Sometimes I employ the assistance of the passengers in certain situations. The bus has two doors on the side. Naturally, passengers are supposed to board the bus at the front door and pay the fare. But I have occasionally caught kids jumping in the back door when the bus is packed and passengers are exiting the bus by way of the rear door. I just close the back door and announce on the PA that the bus is not moving until that guy who jumped on the back of my bus gets out. Then I open the door and say, “Now will you passengers back there please tell that guy to get off so we can get moving.” The response is usually quick and effective.
What I have found so far is that when I tell someone to “Get off my bus,” they usually do it with no argument whatsoever. I’m starting to think that getting thrown off of the bus is like a badge of honor giving the bearer bragging rights. “Hey man, I got thrown off the bus last night!” “Wow dude, that is so cool.” So, from now on, when they provoke me I will grant them their rite of passage.
It’s Friday night. Lots of traffic rolled into town today. It should be an exciting weekend. I hope to have some upbeat stories to share after these next few night shifts.
# posted by Fat Billy @ 8:20 PM 
