The day I spoke on a train
Yesterday was the day i spoke on a train. I was on The Metro North Railroad heading up into Westchester from Grand Central Station. I debated whether or not to do it. I had to motivate myself to not wait forever and not hold my tongue and not worry too much about how people would react. I goaded myself until I felt I had no other choice. I waited until the ticket collectors had left the car and then I stood up in the middle of the fourth car of the six-car train and called people to attention.
That was my announcement and it was heard by at least some of the people on the train. The woman sitting beside me when i returned to my seat put away her New Yorker magazine and congratulated me on doing something good. We talked until she got off the train two stops later. She had thought that what i was saying was good, and she believed in "the power of one". So clearly, I was just doing what was natural. She had been dozing off before I got up and started talking at people. She also spoke of manipulating: how i would have to manipulate the media environment to draw people's attention to Environmental causes. We agreed that people are living detrimentally to the environment, but she felt it was best to use conventional means to get my point across.
I disagree, because what I did by standing up was to stand up to the manipulations that abound in our society, the manipulations that caused many of the people on the train to think
1. This person standing up is some nutcase.
2. This person standing up is some kind of hippie.
3. This person standing up is an alarmist or a terrorist.
4. This person is just selling me a bill of goods like all the other hucksters who stand in the subway cars with their hats out looking for a handout.
These reactions help people trust the New Yorker over someone standing in their line of sight talking to them directly, mouth to ear. That may be for the best, but i don't want people to drift through their days thinking that noone actually cares, that no one actually thinks that they can have an impact.
My speech, however brief, had answers to these reactions.
1. I spoke politely but firmly. Briefly and self-consciously. If I were a nutcase, I wouldn't have been so conscious of the intrusion that I was making on these people's lives.
2. Let's face it, I am a hippy. I wear a beard, have a heavy conscience and hug trees. That being said, I spoke to new Yorkers about money matters, and hell, if I am a hippy, at least I am flexible enough to show some understanding of these peoples' reality. After all, the train I was on was passing through Scarsdale, average home price - over $.5 million.
3. I think it might be a relief to a New Yorker to have someone get up in front of them on mass transit and NOT take them hostage. It happens far too often on our TV sets and in our movies and other facets of fake life. Lets draw the line between fake life and real life by showing that I can make a general request, transmitted voice to ear, and then sit down and shut up about it. I asked people to be aware, not to worry or to feel guilty. My statement did not have anything to do with an apocalyptic vision unless that vision was already in the listener's head, which is none of my business anyways.
4. Whatever I gain from this announcement is also gained by all the people who heed it. I am not asking peoipel to give me anything or to buy from any particular company. Of course, I am asking them to think green, which benefits someone like me who intends to work green, but that's far enough down the line that I think its a safe bet.
I still got some avoidance from people who were clearly unsettled or annoyed by my interruption, or just thought I was another voice in the din of opinions. Perhaps, but in this case, they could at least see the person who was talking to them, if they so chose.
Either way, I think that I am going to have to try this again, using a different rhetorical tack. After all, there are over 20 million people in the New york Metro Area and I cross paths with thousands of them over the course of the day.
Have an ecologically sound day.
"ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make a brief announcement. Please be aware of the environmental impact of your purchases. I just really wanted to say that."
That was my announcement and it was heard by at least some of the people on the train. The woman sitting beside me when i returned to my seat put away her New Yorker magazine and congratulated me on doing something good. We talked until she got off the train two stops later. She had thought that what i was saying was good, and she believed in "the power of one". So clearly, I was just doing what was natural. She had been dozing off before I got up and started talking at people. She also spoke of manipulating: how i would have to manipulate the media environment to draw people's attention to Environmental causes. We agreed that people are living detrimentally to the environment, but she felt it was best to use conventional means to get my point across.
I disagree, because what I did by standing up was to stand up to the manipulations that abound in our society, the manipulations that caused many of the people on the train to think
1. This person standing up is some nutcase.
2. This person standing up is some kind of hippie.
3. This person standing up is an alarmist or a terrorist.
4. This person is just selling me a bill of goods like all the other hucksters who stand in the subway cars with their hats out looking for a handout.
These reactions help people trust the New Yorker over someone standing in their line of sight talking to them directly, mouth to ear. That may be for the best, but i don't want people to drift through their days thinking that noone actually cares, that no one actually thinks that they can have an impact.
My speech, however brief, had answers to these reactions.
1. I spoke politely but firmly. Briefly and self-consciously. If I were a nutcase, I wouldn't have been so conscious of the intrusion that I was making on these people's lives.
2. Let's face it, I am a hippy. I wear a beard, have a heavy conscience and hug trees. That being said, I spoke to new Yorkers about money matters, and hell, if I am a hippy, at least I am flexible enough to show some understanding of these peoples' reality. After all, the train I was on was passing through Scarsdale, average home price - over $.5 million.
3. I think it might be a relief to a New Yorker to have someone get up in front of them on mass transit and NOT take them hostage. It happens far too often on our TV sets and in our movies and other facets of fake life. Lets draw the line between fake life and real life by showing that I can make a general request, transmitted voice to ear, and then sit down and shut up about it. I asked people to be aware, not to worry or to feel guilty. My statement did not have anything to do with an apocalyptic vision unless that vision was already in the listener's head, which is none of my business anyways.
4. Whatever I gain from this announcement is also gained by all the people who heed it. I am not asking peoipel to give me anything or to buy from any particular company. Of course, I am asking them to think green, which benefits someone like me who intends to work green, but that's far enough down the line that I think its a safe bet.
I still got some avoidance from people who were clearly unsettled or annoyed by my interruption, or just thought I was another voice in the din of opinions. Perhaps, but in this case, they could at least see the person who was talking to them, if they so chose.
Either way, I think that I am going to have to try this again, using a different rhetorical tack. After all, there are over 20 million people in the New york Metro Area and I cross paths with thousands of them over the course of the day.
Have an ecologically sound day.
posted by J. Benjamin Franklin | 12:32 PM
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