Kids These Days ...

Alright, I get it. It's called public transportation for a reason. I have to share the subway with other people, I have to be tolerant of their annoying behavior, and I have to be considerate and flexible even when other people aren't. But it's now a day and a half after my morning commute yesterday and I'm still annoyed.

It was Monday morning, the day after Thanksgiving weekend. No one wanted to go back to work. I sat on the T, in my regular seat, peacefully reading my magazine, minding my own business. The rest of the train, though it was crowded, was pretty quiet (all things considered). Then, at Warren St., some kids (two guys and three girls) got on and began to talk like the train was half-full. In obnoxious, profanity-laced dialogue spoken in a heavy accent that screamed "townie," they discussed drug use and all the things they'd tried and wouldn't ever try, how a "chick" can have sex with an older "dude" but a dude can't have sex with an older chick because that'd be illegal, and other similar topics. Again, none of this in anything close to a "soft" or moderate volume. Plus, they were standing near the door, and not even moving when people would need to get off. Somewhere around Kenmore, someone broke wind and they spent five minutes talking — out loud, and in pretty gross fashion — about how bad it smelled and who among them was the one who did it. One kid even started to make farting noises and motions (i.e.: lifting up his leg). This was all going on right in front of me. And I was still sitting there, trying unsuccessfully to read my magazine. Counting the stops until I got to Park Street. Of course, they were on the train with me the entire way there.

I'm tempted to say these kids were lower-class, but that would mean they'd have to have some class, and clearly, they kids had none. And I know their ages because they each went around saying how old they were, and the oldest was 17. So I mentally threw up my hands, and in my best "Damn, do I feel old" inner voice asked, What's wrong with these kids today? Don't any of them have any respect or consideration for others around them? (And I know I'm not the only one who has had that reaction; Alicia wrote something simiar on Friday.) So yeah. Most days I like my commute on the T. But yesterday ... I couldn't get to work fast enough.