College Times

Media Credit: Photos.com

Do people talk to strangers anymore? That’s something I find myself wondering in the afternoons that I ride the city bus home. In the morning, I’m usually zoned out on the music blasting in my headphones, attempting to reclaim at least five minutes of uneasy sleep that the alarm clock stole a half hour earlier.

When I am awake, though, I am amazed to notice how much effort people put into not interacting with each other. The bus is unique because, unlike a club, classroom, bar or other place designed for socializing, you can choose to ignore fellow bus riders – and most do.

Fear of strangers starts early. If approached by someone we didn’t know, usually a man dressed in a trench coat and fedora a la those neighborhood watch signs, we were taught to be afraid. Depending on the era, said stranger could be a crazy, a killer, a kidnapper or some variation of the three. At the same time, Scruff McGruff was telling us that we could take a bite out crime, which makes me think that it up was up to the Encyclopedia Brown types to act as bait for the police to swoop in and save the day.

Twenty years later and nothing has changed. Granted, a good 20 percent of the bus-riding population is crazy. We live in a city that’s full of angry homeless and meth users, many of which ride with timeliness that I wish I could manage.

But for the rest, who at least appear agreeable, the most you can get out of some people is a salutary nod. At worst, you’ll be forced into an awkward staring match where the loser has to fumble for something like that was their plan all along. Hiding behind headphones, glasses, a book or phone call, people do a pretty good job of keeping their eyes on anything except the other riders.

Interesting enough, I’ve found that smoking cigarettes and missing a bus are the two biggest ice breakers for talking to strangers. Smokers share an unspoken understanding in a world of nonsmoking tyranny, and angrily missing a bus is somewhat of a communal experience. Kind of an “us” versus “them” idea.

While I might be no different – my headphones are designed to create an aural force from which no outside sound can enter – I, at least, am open to the idea of conversation. Unless you stare. In which case, I’m just not listening.

Article Tools