An attempt to stay sane on public transport
A few bus journeys ago I tried to gamify being trapped near someone scrolling through reels without headphones.
The game involved guessing the content of the reels based on sound alone. That’s it.
Here are my findings:
9.15
someone filling a bathtub?
a song…which gave me no insight
two men speaking, an ad?
a strong percussive beat. some kinda challenge?
I quickly determine the game is impossible.
It dawns on me that most reels don’t even need sound as the audio doesn't generally seem to convey much information. My bus friend could turn down the sound and it wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference to him.
He puts his phone away.
I am thankful.
The bus stops at lights.
About 60 seconds later, he begins watching reels again.
car doors, maybe.
an old-timey camera shutter.
His phone goes away.
His phone comes back out.
music
At this point I’m frustrated because he moves from one reel to the next too quickly and I don’t get enough of a chance to play the game.
Another player enters the arena.
I can’t tell where the new sound is coming from but it’s both too far away to make sense of and loud enough to melt my brain.
By 9.45, the bus is considerably more busy and the original scroller alights. He has no idea he has played such a big role in my commute.
That’s the most baffling part of it all. The obliviousness.
On a previous journey I asked one person whose phone was obnoxiously loud if they might think of using headphones. They were incredibly apologetic and then a few minutes later they started scrolling aloud again.
Another new contender emerges.
car horns, car rumbles, alarms. some kinda of gridlock traffic?
a woman speaking to camera.
a Florence and the Machine remix.
comedy. i can’t make out the words but tonally it seems like comedy. the viewer does not laugh.
And we are done.
And we are back.
Just before I get off the bus a woman listens to a voice note real loud.
It’s a 45 minute journey and I probably spend roughly half the time playing the game.
I challenge anyone who finds themselves in this situation to attempt the game or to simply wear headphones yourself.
Or to walk.
