Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

I didn’t think so.  But after my ride home to Brooklyn last night, I’m wondering if the social norms on the subway have changed in the past five years.

Most mornings I pass my 50-minute ride on the F train sipping my can’t-live-without-it morning cup of coffee and eating a piece of fruit.  And I’m not alone.  All around me I see travel mugs- in hands, strapped on bags, resting on a knee.   Fellow travelers munch on bagels or donuts while reading the morning news.

And no one seems bothered.

Last night, desperate for sustenance after a long day without lunch, I stopped at a vendor on 40th Street and grabbed a lamb gyro for the ride home.  But as soon as I stepped on train, I realized this trip would be an uncomfortable one.  People stared, not even trying to be discreet, and sat far away from me and my dinner.  My stomach began to ache, not from a lack a food, but from the distinct feeling that I wasn’t wanted on the train.

When did this happen???  Five years ago when I moved to the city, it was a rare evening ride that didn’t present someone eating chicken wings, pizza or a McDonalds meal.  I came to love the subway for all the things you could do while riding it.  Hadn’t finished grading those exams?  Do it on the train.  Dying to read the last chapter of a great book?  Read it on the train.  Missed breakfast?  Eat it on the train, right??

A few years back the MTA considered banning food and drinks on the trains, but the measure didn’t pass.  Still, it seems that attitudes about food on the train are changing.

I’m curious, do you eat on the subway?  If so, how do people around you react?

A few days ago, a man was arrested in Philadelphia (see here for more) for beating another subway passenger with a hammer. As any transit rider can tell you, there are crazy people out there, and you’re bound to bump into some of them on the subway.

The shocking part is that this happened in a rather populated car, and no one did anything to help the poor guy being hammered. I can just see it now:

Subway rider 1 – reading his paper
Subway rider 2 – spacing out
Subway rider 3 – listening to her iPod
Subway rider 4 – dozing off
Subway rider 5 – spacing out
Train – riding along, comes to a stop

Male with young child gets on. Directs his son to seat (nice, fatherly instinct, no?), pulls hammer from knapsack. Walks over to Subway rider 4 (the dozer) and starts hitting him with it (maybe to wake him up?).

Subway rider 1 – Hmm, maybe I should go help. But I’m up in the middle of this really fascinating article about fashion week . . . Nah, I’ll just finish it first.
Subway rider 2 – This is way better than spacing out – real action! And I have a front row seat! leans back, crosses hands behind heads, and watches expectantly. Bring on the popcorn, people!
Subway rider 3 – Wow, those hammer sounds really go with the beat of my music. Rock on, dude!
Subway rider 4 – Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
Subway rider 5 – Yawn.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t exactly like that. But this isn’t the first time people have acted as bad Samaritans and this isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed the bystander effect in action as humans ignore the plights of – or immediate danger to –those around them. Think Kitty Genovese in 1964. Think Richard Whelan in 2005. Think James Paroline in July of this year.

In 1989, the NY Times asked “About New York; Kitty Genovese: Would New York Still Turn Away?” I’m thinking yes. As would Pennsylvania, and Florida, and London, and probably a host of other cities.

What do you think?