Morality
Ok, so there I was sitting on the bus on Sunday... The 29 bus....
(NB For non-Londoners, I have a little song I sing about the 29 bus. It goes "Every single f**king time, there's a nutter on the 29".
There are many variations after this point, which usually improve in artistic quality, but that is the traditional opening line. It gives you a nice idea of travel on the 29)
Anyway....
Sitting down I was, maxed to my eyeballs on Lemsip, when I notice a woman with her hand in another woman's bag.
"Ahoy", I thought "what's up here then!" The "Thief" was a bit too cautious about it to be a friend and 2 million years of evolution in reading body language were telling me that she was up to no good... but on the other hand?
After a second's rapid thought, I kicked the thief. Not very hard and this was a bit more cunning than it sounds. If someone kicked me on a bus I'd turn around and give them what for, not look at them worriedly and back away. My suspicious confirmed I grabbed the bag woman, who was having a loud conversation on her phone and said "Do you know that woman? She just had her hand your bag?!!" The thief was backing off the bus at this point and much shouting and interest followed, though the phone woman didn't lose anything and was very nice to me and quite upset. I think she was a tourist.
Anyway.....
My point is this. I'm really proud of myself about this because A) I noticed B) I think I handled it well, though I do wish I'd kicked the thief harder. I'm also slightly embarrassed about my proudness because it wasn't exactly difficult and what else could I have done?!
However, I've told several people about this and they've all said that
A) I was brave (????)
B) "People in general" would have kept out of it...
I am puzzled by this. And Given my increasing anxciety at how nasty peole are to each other on the street, more than a little worried! Would anyone really sit there and watch whilst someone else was pickpocketed??
Poll Moral standards
here are some exciting links to the world on the 29. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/press-releases/press-releases-content.asp?prID=74
(NB For non-Londoners, I have a little song I sing about the 29 bus. It goes "Every single f**king time, there's a nutter on the 29".
There are many variations after this point, which usually improve in artistic quality, but that is the traditional opening line. It gives you a nice idea of travel on the 29)
Anyway....
Sitting down I was, maxed to my eyeballs on Lemsip, when I notice a woman with her hand in another woman's bag.
"Ahoy", I thought "what's up here then!" The "Thief" was a bit too cautious about it to be a friend and 2 million years of evolution in reading body language were telling me that she was up to no good... but on the other hand?
After a second's rapid thought, I kicked the thief. Not very hard and this was a bit more cunning than it sounds. If someone kicked me on a bus I'd turn around and give them what for, not look at them worriedly and back away. My suspicious confirmed I grabbed the bag woman, who was having a loud conversation on her phone and said "Do you know that woman? She just had her hand your bag?!!" The thief was backing off the bus at this point and much shouting and interest followed, though the phone woman didn't lose anything and was very nice to me and quite upset. I think she was a tourist.
Anyway.....
My point is this. I'm really proud of myself about this because A) I noticed B) I think I handled it well, though I do wish I'd kicked the thief harder. I'm also slightly embarrassed about my proudness because it wasn't exactly difficult and what else could I have done?!
However, I've told several people about this and they've all said that
A) I was brave (????)
B) "People in general" would have kept out of it...
I am puzzled by this. And Given my increasing anxciety at how nasty peole are to each other on the street, more than a little worried! Would anyone really sit there and watch whilst someone else was pickpocketed??
Poll Moral standards
here are some exciting links to the world on the 29. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/press-releases/press-releases-content.asp?prID=74