Smoakville and soggy butts

Special to This Crazy Train
by MM

So Tuesday I missed my early evening connection from GO to local transit. No big problem, the weather was fine, and my next connection was only a twenty minute wait away.

In that twenty minutes I hit the mother lode. Before I stopped counting I saw at least 22 smokers. There might have been even more since I was distracted (more later) and busy getting shots. At 45 bucks a pop GO might have made serious dough. Pro rated for the hour they could clear $2,000 easy.

There were also two bicyclists riding their bikes on the platforms (another infraction).

It was like shooting fish in a barrel, if the fish were gasping and the barrel was filled with soggy butts.

The last pic is of the capping event. I was standing at the bus stop right under the no-smoking sign when this guy pulled up - sucking his butt and blowing away. I could have gotten a better pic, but I was busy reviewing the ones I had so the first few shots I had of him were rushed and out of focus. He was a flamboyant and affected little coffin nail aficionado though, and putting on quite a defiant show of stench spreading - until he saw my camera up.

He passed, turned and asked me if I took his picture.

I said, yes, I had.

He gave me the standard "You need my permission to take my picture..." bit. I mean - do they print this on cards and insert them into cigarette packs? I get this from every smoker I frame under a sign. They seem oblivious to others' needs, but fixated on their own.

I gave him the standard - that picture taking in public is considered public not private, and that HE had not asked ME permission before smoking, and that the signage indicated no smoking - not no picture taking, and when could I expect him to ask ME for permission?

I think the nicotine had constricted the capillaries in his noggin so much that I lost him somewhere around the first sentence there.

So he threatened me.

So I pointed out that I now had video enabled and could he please repeat that?

So he walked away. Which recommends him in a little self-centred, entitled, but not without some sense.

Then my bus arrived and he came back. Walked up to the window beside my seat and pounded on it till I opened it.

He asked me my name. His rationale was that I had taken his picture, so he deserved my name.

The logic of the situation and his lack of understanding of social obligations seemed beyond him. Privacy seemed to be only something that HE was entitled to - over entitled to actually. There was no quid pro quo. I would have posed for a pic if he wanted, but I didn't owe him my name. I waved.

Once again - if guys like this with such a warped sense of behaviour are so prevalent at Smoakville, how can the admin at GO get away with their laughable commitment to rider comfort and safety?