What would it take to get everyone to smile on the subway? (New York: calculated, living)
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This idea of smiling all the time as if the entire populace were on some sort of drug is a unique American phenomenon. It is also rather insulting to a degree, especially to females.
Women are forever being approached in public and told to "smile" by complete strangers. As if their emotions and or countenance are anyone's else's business.
The French among other Western European cultures find it bizarre that Americans walk around smiling all the time, especially and or including to total strangers. There is even a name for it: the "American Smile"
IMHO anyone walking around giggling at the walls and or smiling all the time is either off their meds or should be on the things. Idiots and substance abusers walk around grinning all the time; neither class of person is one I'd wish to be locked in a subway train.
I guess nobody thinks mediterranean weather would do the trick.
I was going to pick that one but the last one showed your sense of humor best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BugsyPal
This idea of smiling all the time as if the entire populace were on some sort of drug is a unique American phenomenon. It is also rather insulting to a degree, especially to females.
Women are forever being approached in public and told to "smile" by complete strangers. As if their emotions and or countenance are anyone's else's business.
The French among other Western European cultures find it bizarre that Americans walk around smiling all the time, especially and or including to total strangers. There is even a name for it: the "American Smile"
IMHO anyone walking around giggling at the walls and or smiling all the time is either off their meds or should be on the things. Idiots and substance abusers walk around grinning all the time; neither class of person is one I'd wish to be locked in a subway train.
Even two homeless guys on the beach in del Ray told me to smile as I passed by them. Like wtf? So I gave them a big fake cheesy one with big swelling eyes and twisting dimples. It hurt me to do it. My entire body felt swollen from something I ate or my raging hormones or both. I don't really know which, but I definitely wasn't smiling about it that day. The struggle is real.
We're preparing for a trip to Paris within a year and I've been reading about the lack of tip culture in France, which they attribute to our society's fake smiles.
More on that unnecessary slavery system... *coughs*servants*coughs*vs.*coughs*non-servants*coughs*mentality*coughs*
I was going to pick that one but the last one showed your sense of humor best.
Even two homeless guys on the beach in del Ray told me to smile as I passed by them. Like wtf? So I gave them a big fake cheesy one with big swelling eyes and twisting dimples. It hurt me to do it. My entire body felt swollen from something I ate or my raging hormones or both. I don't really know which, but I definitely wasn't smiling about it that day. The struggle is real.
We're preparing for a trip to Paris within a year and I've been reading about the lack of tip culture in France, which they attribute to our society's fake smiles.
More on that unnecessary slavery system... *coughs*servants*coughs*vs.*coughs*non-servants*coughs*mentality*coughs*
/excuse me
Isn't so much that the French do not tip, but in France as many other European countries gratuity fees are built into the check. Thus when you pay for dinner in French restaurant or whatever the tip has already been calculated and included in your bill. For the record New York and other restaurants in USA have begun doing this as well.
Still it always amazed me at how some so called otherwise successful persons cannot figure out how much to tip. It is just fifteen or whatever percent you want to give of the entire bill. Don't people learn how to do sums at school anymore?
The more embarrassing and quite frankly annoying thing IMHO are those who insist on diving up the tip the same why they did the check. Oh, *YOUR* total came to $35, so you should leave "X" amount towards the tip.
Even two homeless guys on the beach in del Ray told me to smile as I passed by them. Like wtf?
Those guys are angling for a handout. It's supposed to make you feel like hey these poor guys find a way to be happy why don't I help them out. The other favorite line is "god bless you and your family" or "get home safely" which always seemed like a threat to me
Those guys are angling for a handout. It's supposed to make you feel like hey these poor guys find a way to be happy why don't I help them out. The other favorite line is "god bless you and your family" or "get home safely" which always seemed like a threat to me
Those last two actually offend me - you don't know if I believe in God or not, so why don't you shut your trap. And as far as getting home safely, how about you worry about you?? I'm doing just fine, but you seem like you can find some improvements in your life.
There's an older gentleman who often comes through the N & W trains in Astoria. He claims to be a coach for youth basketball in the area - yesterday's spiel was that they hadn't given him any funding to purchase a hoop. He asks for donations or a smile. Yesterday, he all but berated the car at large (not addressing any one person in particular) because no one gave him a smile. *********, dude. Why should I smile when some two bit hustler is disrupting my commute home? And sorry, I don't believe his story....if you're on the train begging for money every day, you're a freaking hustler.
I was on the train when a fight almost broke out because one guy smiled at another guy. I think the smile was an accident. But still.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LizfromtheBronx
There's an older gentleman who often comes through the N & W trains in Astoria. He claims to be a coach for youth basketball in the area - yesterday's spiel was that they hadn't given him any funding to purchase a hoop. He asks for donations or a smile. Yesterday, he all but berated the car at large (not addressing any one person in particular) because no one gave him a smile. *********, dude. Why should I smile when some two bit hustler is disrupting my commute home? And sorry, I don't believe his story....if you're on the train begging for money every day, you're a freaking hustler.
What would you do without all the fake hustlers? Might you actually enjoy your trip a little more? Pfft.
The other day I was on the 2/3 train and I had my headphones on so I couldn't hear the entire spiel but I'm sure he told people he was hungry, could anyone just help him out with some money (or food) and some woman hands him one of those healthy fruit bar things and he just takes it and stares at it.
I was on the train when a fight almost broke out because one guy smiled at another guy. I think the smile was an accident. But still.
What would you do without all the fake hustlers? Might you actually enjoy your trip a little more? Pfft.
The other day I was on the 2/3 train and I had my headphones on so I couldn't hear the entire spiel but I'm sure he told people he was hungry, could anyone just help him out with some money (or food) and some woman hands him one of those healthy fruit bar things and he just takes it and stares at it.
These hustlers are exactly like the pigeons & seagulls - the more you feed them, the more that show up and go crap on you and your car
I was on the train when a fight almost broke out because one guy smiled at another guy. I think the smile was an accident. But still.
What would you do without all the fake hustlers? Might you actually enjoy your trip a little more? Pfft.
The other day I was on the 2/3 train and I had my headphones on so I couldn't hear the entire spiel but I'm sure he told people he was hungry, could anyone just help him out with some money (or food) and some woman hands him one of those healthy fruit bar things and he just takes it and stares at it.
LOL - I probably would. I don't like to listen to music on the train, so I don't wear headphones (plus, I have this weird principle that probably only hurts me in that I don't feel like I should HAVE to wear headphones to make an environment tolerable, I don't wear them on the train, I don't wear them at work, etc).
I accept that the commute to work will be miserable. It's the morning and I am not a morning person. I would prefer if my commute home was decompression time, and it would be if every other stop there wasn't some ass disrupting things. Just before we got into Astoria, two young men did a Showtime routine. I don't think I've ever wished so fervently for someone to injure themselves.
I don't believe anyone has the right to insert themselves into someone else's bubble. I may be a grump (ok, there's no may about it), but I mind my own business. I'm perfectly content being grumpy in my own little bubble. When you disrupt my bubble, I resent it very much.
I don't think I've ever wished so fervently for someone to injure themselves.
Seen it plenty of times, both the showtime clown and passengers get injured
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*coughs*servants*coughs*vs.*coughs*non-servants*coughs*mentality*coughs*
