One time I saw a guy pissing on the tracks

[Renew Deal]

I've actually seen this more than once. But one time at the 1/9 downtown stop on the corner of 50th and Broadway (across from the Winter Garden Theater where Cats played) I walk down to take the train. There's some guy relieving himself from the platform onto the tracks. This is not the sort of thing that rises to the level of calling the cops. So what did I do? I gave the guy plenty of space and waited for my train.

People joke about NYC being a tough place to live. It's really not. You just have to understand the concepts of space management and going with the flow. There will be days where guys will be practically humping you on the train because it's packed. Things will go wrong. Trains will get packed. Manholes will explode. Snow won't get plowed. Construction accidents will happen. Guys will light blunts on the train. All kinds of stuff goes on EVERY SINGLE DAY!

So what do you do if you want to http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1259&bih=919&q=survive+in+nyc&aq=f&aqi=g-v1g-m1&aql=&oq=">"survive in NYC?"

• STFU
  
• Don't make eye contact.
  
• Walk fast.
  
• Stay out of the way
  
• Mind your own business
  
• You can cross the street whether it says STOP or GO
  
• Only report real crimes. This does not include:
  
  • "Jaywalking"
    
  • Loud music during the day
    
  • smoking in no smoking areas
    
  • ETC.
  
  
• Help people if they need it
  
• If things go wrong, suck it up and adjust.

There's lots of other tips from our fellow NY DUers.

The problem with the lady on the subway is she aggressively engaged a homeless guy in a confined space. If the guy is crazy enough to light a blunt on the train, he's too crazy to confront. She should have known this. That's why people say she's wrong.

The homeless guy was definitely crazy and the aggressor here, but the lady also was - in my opinion, and with hindsight - acting out of hand. It was pretty clear watching this develop that neither of them was going to step down, and that this guy was going to go after her. I can't stand people smoking or being rude on the train, but she definitely needlessly put herself (and others) at risk.

It all happened quickly and I jumped in when the fight broke out, but afterwords I thought that if the guy got to his knife (or worse) more quickly, it could have been a real bad situation.

There are worse things than people smoking on the train, and I walked away a bit later very upset at the lady.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=935756&mesg_id=935940

The person that wrote that understands what it takes to survive in NYC.

[gratuitous]

1. What do we know about the woman who was slashed?

Perhaps she wasn't all there mentally, either. But it's easier to take the side of the dope smoker.

Perhaps she is horribly allergic to smoke, and didn't want to spend the day hacking up her respiratory system. But no, let's all blame her.

Perhaps she simply wanted her usual subway commute sans blunt smoke and didn't want to groove on what the dude was layin' down. But her egregious faux pas in making eye contact, or failing to mind her own business, or not shutting the fuck up overwhelms any other consideration.

And that's all I got to say about that.

[Renew Deal]

4. That's a great post.

And very funny. :rofl:

[damntexdem]

5. Why would anyone take the side of the dopey dope smoker?

Why the continuing dissing of the woman who was standing up for her rights?

Marijuana should be legalized -- but its smoking should be subject to the same restrictions as tobacco smoking. No one has the right to pollute the air others breathe with smoke.

And screw this "it's NYC" crap. A person doesn't lose all rights when entering NYC.

[Renew Deal]

6. "A person doesn't lose all rights when entering NYC. "

That's true. But a person also doesn't need to be here.

[MineralMan]

10. You can call anyone out for doing something like lighting up.

That's your right, and you don't lose it anywhere. But, you need to use some common sense. Not everyone will simply do as you say, and some may react violently. They shouldn't, but they might.

It's sort of like going into a bar full of bikers and taking some guy's stool who just went to the toilet. When he comes back and tells you to get the fuck off his barstool, you have a choice. You can do that, or you can refuse. In most cases, refusing is not going to produce a good result. A person with common sense will say, "Oh, sorry, I didn't know it was taken," and step off.

The guy was way wrong for slashing that woman. No question about it. He's under arrest now, and will problem be not-smoking for a while behind bars. The woman was right, but she now will have a scar on her face. Common sense needs to prevail in any public situation. Before you call someone out, you need to assess the situation and decide whether what you're going to do makes sense.

[Old Troop]

22. I don't think anyone is taking the side of the guy who stabbed the woman.

I think her best course of action would have been to get a Transit Cop or other authority. I saw two Transit cops put a guy in handcuffs and take him away when he refused to stop smoking while waiting for the R train.

[MineralMan]

11. Going to the next car is always another option.

This woman did not use good sense. The man was very wrong in what he did. It's fairly predictable, though. A guy who's lighting up a blunt in the subway is probably not all that concerned with the niceties of subway rules in the first place. That would be my first clue. My second clue would be that I could change cars and get away from the smoke if it was an issue for me.

Not a smart move to start loudly calling the guy out and then try to slap the lighter out of his hand. Not smart at all.

[Donnachaidh]

2. totally agree -- but some self-appointed hall monitors just don't listen

I want that T shirt btw... :evilgrin:

[damntexdem]

7. It's time for some of us to self appoint as those hall monitors and bring down the club on idiots.

Maybe if a few smokers got stabbed they'd realize what THEY have to do to survive in NYC.

Not a good idea? No, it's not. But claiming an NYC exception should go both ways.

No one has a right to smoke in a transit vehicle. No one has a right to smoke next to me in a transit vehicle. If it's too dangerous to make a request of such an idiot smoker, then we need transit cops who will respond vigorously when we call to complain about such idiot smokers.

[Renew Deal]

9. Good luck with that last part

You'll be lucky if they even stop the train, let alone calling the cops. I was on the train one morning and this lady had a seizure just before Times Square right behind me. It took around 30 minutes for an ambulance to show up.

[MineralMan]

12. Ridden on the NY subways, have you?

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do what you're saying you'd do. Not after the first ride.

The rule is: sit down or stand up, shut up, and keep your eyes to yourself. The train will be at the next station shortly.

[eleny]

3. Agreed

I grew up in NYC and took the trains to school from when I was 14. To high school it was 3 trains - the Jamaica Ave el, the A train and the old Franklin Ave shuttle.

You learn the ropes so fast and then you're relatively okay. We could share stories, I'm sure. The one thing you just don't do is become aggressive with someone who is being annoying but not actually touching you.

[Zorra]

8. I wrote a little joke satire in that thread, totally resulting from my experiences

with the "New York State Of Mind".

[closeupready]

13. Lot of items in that list are sheer mythology.

Or else due to the extreme gentrification of the last few years of provincials from flyover country, I am living next to gobs of those who haven't yet learned how to observe these rules:

* STFU
* Don't make eye contact.
* Walk fast.
* Stay out of the way
* Mind your own business

In the bad old 70's, maybe that's how people behaved, because there was a LOT of street crime, but New York is probably the safest big city in the US today, and people don't STFU and mind their own business anymore. Can be good and bad, depending on your mood. :rofl:

[petronius]

24. My wife is a New Yorker, and "stay out of the way" is still the thing that will set her off most

Unfortunately for her, Californians don't really have that rule... :)

[JonLP24]

14. Rec for the t-shirt

[Withywindle]

15. Good post

I think this sentence is especially important:

"If the guy is crazy enough to light a blunt on the train, he's too crazy to confront."


Yup. Everyone who lives in a big city KNOWS that smoking on the train is illegal. Most places have hefty fines. It's been very illegal for long enough that this is pretty deeply ingrained in sane people.

Anyone who's doing it anyway, especially without trying to be furtive in the least, is either (a) not all there mentally, (b) full of very antisocial attitude and is just daring somebody to start something, or (c) both. The response you get on confronting them, politely or otherwise, will NOT be "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was wrong." It just won't. Ever. It's just not a safe thing to do.

[closeupready]

18. I remember when I lived in Chicago, a guy was shot dead by a punk

on the train that heads out to Oak Park - apparently, this kid had pulled a gun and was trying to rob passengers of their valuables. This guy, an attorney who worked downtown and commuted to the suburbs, stood up and attempted to out-talk this kid; unfortunately, he shot the guy and he later died.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

31. I remember that case. The atty thought the gun was fake.

Around the same time, my buddy's wife was robbed on the same train. Took her purse, coat and Christmas gifts. They've since moved to Downer's Grove.

[MineralMan]

20. Bingo. You need to use common sense. That was not done in

this case.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

16. Here in my car, I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors, It's the only way to live... In cars

The first time I took the subway in New York I saw a homeless dude getting (and loudly enjoying) a blowjob from a crackhead chick and then I stepped in shit. The only fault I find with the victim of this assault is they were foolish enough to take the subway in the first place.

People shouldn't be expected to tolerate the behaviour of fucking savages just to go about their business in the city.

[MineralMan]

19. I love the subway. I've never seen anything like what you

describe. Never. So, when did this happen, and on what line, and at what time of day?

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but I've never seen any such thing, and I've ridden many, many hours on the subway, and have been on every line. So give us some more details, if you don't mind.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

21. Summer 1989, middle of the afternoon.

On the red line somewhere north of Fulton Street. I believe that is the #2 train.

[MineralMan]

23. Things have changed in New York since 1989.

That's over 20 years ago. What you described is not typical now.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

26. It is more expensive and Sex Money Murder is probably the name of a hipster band now

I still see plenty of the inherently antisocial east coast mentality in New York, plenty of insane vagrants and the city still smells like urine.

[Renew Deal]

29. It might not be typical, but do you think it could happen today?

Of course it can... http://gawker.com/#!5711601/are-these-people-having-sex-on-the-subway-heroes-or-villains

And that's not in NY.

[Ian David]

17. Like THIS guy...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x809854

[hfojvt]

25. the same is true even in small towns - you've got to know when to hold them

One time I was waiting for the newspapers to be dropped off with a friend and classmate of mine. We were perhaps in the 8th grade. While we waited a high school guy walked by, a mean SOB who always seemed to be in a bad mood. He walks by and gives us the finger and my buddy says "same to you". The guy stops and turns around "what did you say?" and I am thinking to myself to my friend "you idiot, now we are both gonna get the crap beaten out of us". As it turned out my friend only got shoved, but I still think that was a bone-headed move that could have been much worse for us.

[Renew Deal]

27. The other thing to consider is whether you are crazier than the other person.

Because unless you really are crazier than the other person, it's not a good fight to pick.

[Canuckistanian]

28. I'd watch just to see if he hits the third rail

Although the smell would be a little disconcerting.

[Renew Deal]

30. I was wondering about that.

It would have been a shocking event to say the least.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. My daddy taught me to never fight someone who has nothing to lose.

My first boyfriend taught me to never fuck with a Tranny. They've been fucked with enough and they just might cut you. I almost fucked up once and almost ended up with a dueling scar.