Early morning express train to Union from Oshawa.
Kid gets on with his bike despite the CSA having looked right at him (no announcement over the speaker with respect to no bikes during rush hour but I can't say for sure the CSA clued into the bike). The kid blocks the entire bench with his bike because, as he pointed out to a man (seen near the door in the first photo) who tells him to move his bike, the sign says this is where he should sit.
Then second, in an act of defiance, he lies down for emphasis and ignores the man who stands and stares at him.
For once, it wasn't only me who was enforcing courtesy and respect. The man won't give in. He tells the kid the bike has to go as the train will fill quickly with people and the kid says he's paid his fare, he's allowed to ride and begins asking the guy how he got to the station. His eyes never leave his phone.
"Did you drive, big guy?" He asks. "Well I rode in. You keep on polluting the planet with your car and you're going to stand there and give me a hard time about my bike?"
Finally I decide to back the man up.
"Hey," I say, getting out of my seat to approach the kid. I said something to the following affect:
I don't care what you do with the bike, but do you want a pillow and a blanket to make your ride more comfortable? You've mucked the seat up with your shoes and just an FYI, you're now lying in your own dirt. People have to sit there. Bikes are generally not allowed during rush hour because they are an inconvenience on trains already operating at passenger capacity. So if you want to prevent me from tossing your bike onto the platform because I don't like your attitude, I suggest you sit up and act like the nice young man that your mother thinks you are.
He stares at me. I tell the man I've got this. He mumbles something at the kid and stalks upstairs.
I stand right in front of the kid. I tell him I will stand there for the whole ride until he sits up and acts like a respectful human being. I remind him he paid one fare which entitles him to one seat.
He gets mad and starts slamming his stuff into his bag and announces he's leaving.
"I thought this was fucking Canada not a dictatorship. Fuck you, lady," he says as he takes his bike off the train. (
Today's youth truly do have a muddled view of what the words "rights" and "freedom" are actually about).
"I didn't ask you to get off," I said. "I asked you to sit properly. You're only leaving because you know you're in the wrong and if you act like you should act, you feel like you're giving in or that I've won something here and you've lost."
He slams his bike onto the ground and climbs on.
"Make sure you get a refund and pedal your way to Toronto! Enjoy the heat!" I yell after him from the doorway as he rides away on the platform, proudly displaying a middle finger above his head.
I turn to go back into the train. I climb upstairs and pass the guy who had spoken to the kid earlier. I give him a recap.
"So he just left?" He asks.
"Yep," I say.
"Did you think I was being unreasonable?" He asks me.
"No," I said, "The problem is, we've bred a whole society of people - young and old - who think they can do whatever they want because we've all grown complacent and tolerant when it comes to bad behaviour. No one wants to say anything because no one wants to be THAT person."
"I guess we're a minority," he says.
"Look, I feel bad the kid felt he had to leave but he did that on his own accord. I never asked him to get off. He truly believed I was the bad guy. So let him think that. I don't care."
He smiled at me and went back to reading his book.
I really don't care anymore about what people think. I'm just fed up with people thinking they can do whatever they want.
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