I was on the tube the other day and overheard an exchange that bothered me. The degree of animosity exhibited by one of the commuters caught me by surprise.
The incident occurred on the Jubilee line between a passenger who was seated (passenger A) and another (B) who was standing next to the A. It was a crowded train and people were pushed against each other. A asked B whether he would like a seat. B smiled and said no thanks. A asked whether B was sure, whether he wouldn't like A's seat (while nodding at where B was leaning on the armrest), with some aggression in his tone. B didn't know where to look and eventually got off at, I hope, his stop. It may be that A felt aggrieved at being pushed into by another passenger, and I understand it can feel claustrophobic, but it is a reality of travelling at peak times. There is little reason to make the situation any nastier than it has to be; it is not as if B had anywhere else he could move to.
The incident occurred on the Jubilee line between a passenger who was seated (passenger A) and another (B) who was standing next to the A. It was a crowded train and people were pushed against each other. A asked B whether he would like a seat. B smiled and said no thanks. A asked whether B was sure, whether he wouldn't like A's seat (while nodding at where B was leaning on the armrest), with some aggression in his tone. B didn't know where to look and eventually got off at, I hope, his stop. It may be that A felt aggrieved at being pushed into by another passenger, and I understand it can feel claustrophobic, but it is a reality of travelling at peak times. There is little reason to make the situation any nastier than it has to be; it is not as if B had anywhere else he could move to.
