LATELY I’ve been paying extra attention to my fellow commuters and have come to the conclusion that the Tube has a special affect on people. It’s almost like a trance.
The Tube ride is where grown adult men turn into children! Yes, just like 10 year old kids they are glued to their Apple device playing the latest super hero game. Some are so into the special effects on their screen that they forget other people are around and start talking out loud — either with a cheer, impressed at their triumph or a few swear words when their character falls off a cliff or gets swooped by the animated over sized bird. It’s actually quite funny to watch.
Another thing I’ve noticed is when there are a group of people having a chat they always seem to pick the noisiest time to do so…
For example: Tube is going at top speed and you can hear the chug chug and the wind whistling through the window (the one and only window that you could open up before you melted!!) Conversation is buzzing! Tube arrives at the platform where it is reasonably quieter and conversation stops. Tube continues on its journey and conversation continues. You will notice this more now.
People do make me laugh. Obviously you enter a Tube station with the intention of getting on the Tube. The amount of people who head down to the gates and wait till the very last minute to pull out their oyster card amazes me. ANTICIPATE PEOPLE! ANTICIPATE! Clearly you didn’t come down here to join some Underground rave or to do the grocery shopping did you?
The Tube air immediately hits them and they’re dazed!
I’m convinced that the people who do this are the same people or are related to the people who will leave it to the last second to grab their five bags that occupy the vacant seat next to them, a seat which is meant for real human beings – human beings that have paid for their ticket and therefore should get the seat.
As you all know I am a Tube lover and not a Tube hater, but as I stand here on the Tube typing away on my very own Apple device, I am finding it hard to hold on to the hand rail, observe those around me and keep small laughs to myself and my own facial expressions from conversations in my head to a minimal.
Is the air really that different down in the Underground? Have you noticed what weird and funny things it makes you do?
Personally I think my shuffling down the platform and dub stepping onto the Tube has nothing to do with the Tube trance. No this is not a Tube warp!