Check out my pics from the 2010 Mermaid Parade at Coney Island on Flickr.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
PMS and "Roid" Rage
So here is the story of what happened on Saturday on the train ride home from the Mermaid Parade:
By the time we got on the train we were all drained and irritable. The beach was so crowded and you couldn't even walk across the boardwalk, which took it's toll on all of us - also I was still sick, and taking steroids for my asthma. My group included Jackie, Peter, John and Maria, who has braces on her arms and legs and walks with a cane.
The train was there when we got to the top of the stairs, so we jumped into the first car. There weren't a lot of seats, so Maria sat next to this guy with a radio in his lap, which he then turned on. Maria say she didn't want to listen to that, so we moved to the far end of the car where there was another seat. When the train gets moving the guy turns up his radio to full blast. Now my crew was not happy and they all started complaining about his crappy music, so I offered to ask him to turn it down. Jackie said to yes do that, so I did.
I walked over to him and said, "Can you please turn down the radio."
His partner asked me why. I explained that it had been a long day and we were all tired and we just wanted to relax. I also reminded him that we already moved because we didn't want to listen to the music. So his friend took the radio from him and lowered it. I said, "Thank you."
On my way back to my seat I was met with loud applause from my crew. That just pissed off the guy with the radio, so he turned the music all the way back up.
I watched him, as he boldly took a swig from his 40 oz Smirnoff Ice. I imagined taking his radio and throwing out onto the platform when the doors opened. Then I noticed that his radio was just sitting on his knees, hands free. So when the train doors were about to open I walked over to him, grabbed his radio and placed it on the platform. I figured if I threw it he would have a case against me for destruction of property, or maybe it would turn into a nasty fist fight. This way, I figured his drunk ass would just be left at the stop. However, I didn't put the radio far enough out for fear of being left behind myself, so he was able to retrieve it and make it back to push me.
That's when John stepped in without fear to defend me. He grabbed the guy took off the guy's sunglasses so he - John- could look him in the eye. Then yelled at him. I took that opportunity to kick the guy past John, but I don't think I made much of a connection with my flip flops on. So I tried to punch his hand, so he would let go of the railing he was clutching - again it seemed like it didn't take. Then I see Peter's hand come from over my shoulder and he starts punching the guy's hand, but he still didn't let go. Then we all let him go and walked back to our seats.
It didn't end there though. The radio stayed off but then the shit talking started. He was making fun of my hair. There were a couple of hipster girls sitting across from him that had been dancing and a pair of boys, that also took his side. They started arguing and commenting. I responded to the radio guy by reminding him that he was on "a public fucking train" and that "not everybody wants to listen to his shitty music".
The girls at his end responded that they liked it. But I heard another female voice from just past them say, "She did everything right." And the man sitting across from me with his little boy, said that he also thought I did the right thing and wished he could have - that if he didn't have a toddler with him, he would have done the same.
Then Jackie stepped up the trash talk from our end; and it escalated until one of the guys - supporting radio asshole - threw a penny at her. Peter told her not to get up because he didn't want to get into a physical fight. So she dropped it and that group began to sing garbage at the top of their lungs. But eventually more and more people got on the train and they shut up because they lost their nerve. I kept my eye on the guy with the radio the whole time and he couldn't even look in my direction for all his shit talk. And the best he could come up with was, "Kiss My Grits."
For the record the offensive music in question was bad dance rave type techno. The kind of stuff you need hard drugs to enjoy.
By the time we got on the train we were all drained and irritable. The beach was so crowded and you couldn't even walk across the boardwalk, which took it's toll on all of us - also I was still sick, and taking steroids for my asthma. My group included Jackie, Peter, John and Maria, who has braces on her arms and legs and walks with a cane.
The train was there when we got to the top of the stairs, so we jumped into the first car. There weren't a lot of seats, so Maria sat next to this guy with a radio in his lap, which he then turned on. Maria say she didn't want to listen to that, so we moved to the far end of the car where there was another seat. When the train gets moving the guy turns up his radio to full blast. Now my crew was not happy and they all started complaining about his crappy music, so I offered to ask him to turn it down. Jackie said to yes do that, so I did.
I walked over to him and said, "Can you please turn down the radio."
His partner asked me why. I explained that it had been a long day and we were all tired and we just wanted to relax. I also reminded him that we already moved because we didn't want to listen to the music. So his friend took the radio from him and lowered it. I said, "Thank you."
On my way back to my seat I was met with loud applause from my crew. That just pissed off the guy with the radio, so he turned the music all the way back up.
I watched him, as he boldly took a swig from his 40 oz Smirnoff Ice. I imagined taking his radio and throwing out onto the platform when the doors opened. Then I noticed that his radio was just sitting on his knees, hands free. So when the train doors were about to open I walked over to him, grabbed his radio and placed it on the platform. I figured if I threw it he would have a case against me for destruction of property, or maybe it would turn into a nasty fist fight. This way, I figured his drunk ass would just be left at the stop. However, I didn't put the radio far enough out for fear of being left behind myself, so he was able to retrieve it and make it back to push me.
That's when John stepped in without fear to defend me. He grabbed the guy took off the guy's sunglasses so he - John- could look him in the eye. Then yelled at him. I took that opportunity to kick the guy past John, but I don't think I made much of a connection with my flip flops on. So I tried to punch his hand, so he would let go of the railing he was clutching - again it seemed like it didn't take. Then I see Peter's hand come from over my shoulder and he starts punching the guy's hand, but he still didn't let go. Then we all let him go and walked back to our seats.
It didn't end there though. The radio stayed off but then the shit talking started. He was making fun of my hair. There were a couple of hipster girls sitting across from him that had been dancing and a pair of boys, that also took his side. They started arguing and commenting. I responded to the radio guy by reminding him that he was on "a public fucking train" and that "not everybody wants to listen to his shitty music".
The girls at his end responded that they liked it. But I heard another female voice from just past them say, "She did everything right." And the man sitting across from me with his little boy, said that he also thought I did the right thing and wished he could have - that if he didn't have a toddler with him, he would have done the same.
Then Jackie stepped up the trash talk from our end; and it escalated until one of the guys - supporting radio asshole - threw a penny at her. Peter told her not to get up because he didn't want to get into a physical fight. So she dropped it and that group began to sing garbage at the top of their lungs. But eventually more and more people got on the train and they shut up because they lost their nerve. I kept my eye on the guy with the radio the whole time and he couldn't even look in my direction for all his shit talk. And the best he could come up with was, "Kiss My Grits."
For the record the offensive music in question was bad dance rave type techno. The kind of stuff you need hard drugs to enjoy.
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