I'm turning into an eccentric old biddy!

[BeautifulBurnout]

So anyway, today I had to go court in a rather unsavory area of South East London - where most of the teenage stabbings have been occurring this year. And I am on a bus back to civilisation and there is this black kid of about 16, hoodie, baseball cap etc. And every time someone older got on the bus he stood up and offered them his seat. And I was sitting thinking " wow, what a nice kid"...

So a while down the road, two ticket inspectors get on the bus, and this kid hasn't swiped his electronic card properly, so the inspector starts questioning him agressively - total assumption that the kid is deliberately trying to avoid paying his fare and thus must be given a penalty fare of £20.

I listen to this going on for a minute or two and the way the kid is being treated is beginning to piss me off, so I tap the inspector on the arm and say "I would like to pay for his fare, please". The inspector looks at me and says: "What?! Why... why would you want to do that? No... " and turns his back again and continues asking the kid for his address, threatening him with the police and blah blah blah. So I get out a £10 note from my purse and tap the inspector on the arm again and say "Look, this will more than cover his fare..." and the inspector is still in the mind-set of "He's committed an offence by not having a valid ticket or swiping his card so I have to give him a penalty fare". So he says to me "Well, if you are prepared to pay his penalty fare of £20..." I didn't have that much cash on me, but I gave him my debit card. "Oh, I can't take cards," he said, and continued bullying the kid.

I offered the kid the £10 note and said "Look, pay your fare out of this and give me the change," but the inspector was having none of it. So he deducted the fare from his electronic card and took his details to send him a fine of £20 through the post with a warning that he had "21 days to pay it otherwise you can sort it out with the courts." He put him off the bus at the next stop, even though he had taken the full fare off his swipe card and his details to send him a fine. When the kid asked him why he did this, he just laughed at him, so the kid's reply was "Fuck you". At which point the inspector turned to me and said "Now do you think it was worth it?" and sneered as he continued down the bus.

Would this have happened if it had been me that had no ticket, in my nice smart work suit and, of course, white? I doubt it very much. I would have said, like the kid said "I'm sorry, I thought my card had swiped properly," and got away with it being swiped again and all would have been cool.

What was also interesting was the smiles I was getting from other passengers - not "silly cow" smiles, but rather "you go, girl!" supportive smiles.

The older I get, the less I am inclined to put up with this sort of shit, frankly.

Fuckn fascists.

[Rog]

too fuckin right jaynee! they're just PIGS i just bastards like that

[Rog]

and you're not turning into a biddy type thing, you are just standing up for what is right and proper go girl.........................!!!!!

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by Rog

and you're not turning into a biddy type thing, you are just standing up for what is right and proper go girl.........................!!!!!

Always knew you were like a fairy-godmother type thing.

[Leon]

Way to go Janie

I hate how people can be so judgemental about other people, without even trying to get to know that person. Some of my friends have a different clothing style (skinny jeans) and some piercings and they are being looked at like they are aliens just landed on earth.
It's the stupidity of people that makes them affraid to form an opinion and just agree with people who think it's "weird" and "different". This is just another example of how blind people can be.

[dubman]

bus drivers are a special lot
they always carry themselves as if they've run the gamut of passenger problems and thus have free license to be incorrigible assholes.
of course, they know they can get away with this because if anyone complains he'll just boot them off the bus.
there was a company representative taking a survey and apparently "milton is an incorrigible asshole" was the clearest picture the guy got out of it.

[Deckard]

Good for you jaynee (and we need a cheering smilie here please!)

The more people pick on any out-group, the harder it becomes for people within that out-group to resist adopting a "fuck it, why should i bother?" attitude, bringing that stereotype closer to reality. The whole self-fulfilling thing.

I'm not saying this guy would have gone away and turned into a criminal or anything simplistic like that... but your actions will have played a valuable part in helping frame his view of that episode.

Most of us know that not everyone's out to get us, but it's still reassuring and sometimes necessary to actually experience the proof of that once in a while.

More eccentric old biddies (and old bastards!) please.

[Dirty0900]

The Daily Mail would never believe you.

[potatobroth]

wow. good for you, BB!

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by potatobroth

wow. good for you, BB!

That's woW, for you.