Crowding People

[apel]

This morning as I was waiting for the train, a woman came walking to the end of the platform where I was standing. She looked British, slim and was probably in her sixties or late fifties. The platform was not very crowded but she placed herself rather close to where I was standing. That seemed odd to me because British people are usually pretty

Comments

[jlms]

I would have suspected a sociological experiment. But then, I'm very much in the research mindset right now, so it's much more likely that she was just behaving in an atypical way.

[bluealto]

Thats so odd. We keep our distance pretty good here, but I noticed when I was in London that people there do it even more. You should have seen the looks I got from people in the tube station when I offered those in the ticket line my day pass that I no longer had use for. I ended up giving it to someone with an American accent because two others seemed afraid of it...

[apel]

Goodness, you talked to somebody just to offer them something? People will have thought that you're a ticket tout. Selling or buying used tickets is illegal, so they had reason to avoid you.

People never talk to each other on tube platforms. In the train they may ask somebody if they can read the paper lying on the seat next to somebody else but that's about it.

Oops...

[bluealto]

Its illegal? Oops! I didn't know. Even if I was just giving it away? I guess so because then the company loses money...

Oh well. I really had to curb my chattiness there...I'm one of those peole that might make a random comment to someone in a supermarket line, or tell someone as we pass on the street that I love their hair colour. I know thats weird in some places, and try to keep it in mind...

Re: Oops...

[apel]

I'm not sure if it's illegal to give away tickets but people would have expected you to be selling it. Anybody who talks to you on the tube wants something from you. Usually money.

One of the things I really liked in California was that people did chat to perfect strangers. It makes life so much friendlier.