themodelcommuter

There was a page in yesterdays thelondonpaper entitled ‘Calming The Savage Commuter’. A nice sentiment, but a futile task I fear. One of the articles was on Liz Akers, a commuter who is so fed up with people being rude to each other she’s created the idea of passing on tokens to people when they are nice.

The plan is that the tokens will go from nice person to nice person and their progress can be tracked on a website. With only 130 tokens in circulation one does wonder if there will be a high enough density of token bearers to view the few true acts of politeness and kindness that happen on pubic transport. I suspect the threshold of what is deemed to be nice or polite will need to be lowered in order for these tokens not to languish with people for months on end. Still, maybe she might reach some people and help improve the lot for the rest of the commuterate so I wish her luck. She certainly attains the status of a model commuter.

The being nice to each other theme continued with a top ten list of songs that Napster claims will calm you while commuting. Number three on the list is Mike Oldfields Tubular Bells (it also happens to be the only track I recognise by name). Now, I’ve had this on my iPod before, all seventeen and a half hours of it (or however long parts one and two go on for). I’m sorry, but after the first few bars that everyone knows it goes on to be the most pointless boring drivel I’ve ever heard. I can quite honestly say I’d probably end up garrotting someone with my headphone cord if forced to listen to it in its entirety.

Personally I don’t listen to anything while on public transport as I can’t hear anything without turning the volume up and that just inflicts it on others. I do, however, plug myself in while walking to and from the station and regardless of whether its Ferry Corsten telling me everything is beautiful or Gary Numan screaming that he’s going to ‘make me bleed‘ I still generally end my commute in a bad mood. If anything a good bout of industrial metal on my walk into work is just the thing to rid me of the frustration of the train journey in. So listen to what you like, just do it quietly.

~ by The Model Commuter on December 12, 2006.