Rude and insensitive passengers on board

[Ted Bell]

Interesting that SarahZ, rrdude and Shawn Ryu have so little tolerance. I hope you never do anything to offend another passenger. I know I have and probably will again - not intentionally. I don't know if another passenger is having difficulty speaking, trouble walking, or vomiting because they are drinking or if it is due to a medical conditional or another reason. I won't judge them and I am grateful to those who don't judge me.

Several weeks ago I was rude and unkind on this forum. The next day I apologized and another member on this forum forgave and wished me well. That kind of compassion will stay with me for a long time. I will always remember that and try to "pay it forward".

All my best.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I am very tolerant. Train is not a place to get wasted.

I enjoy drinking as much as anyone but I consciously limit my alcohol intake aboard the train. Its not a bar, not everyone enjoys being around drunk or drink for that matter.

I dont think its too much to ask to be respectful. Enjoy the ride, have a drink. Do it responsibly and respectfully.

 

[Ted Bell]

Shawn, I hope you and I can enjoy a drink (or several) on a voyage together someday. I will drink responsibly and respectfully, as I am sure you will also. In the event that either of us consumes more than we should have, we can keep each other in check to make sure the rest of the passengers enjoy their experience.

 

[henryj]

You get these types of passengers when you sell tickets at below Greyhound bus fares.

 

[SarahZ]

Interesting that SarahZ, rrdude and Shawn Ryu have so little tolerance. I hope you never do anything to offend another passenger. I know I have and probably will again - not intentionally. I don't know if another passenger is having difficulty speaking, trouble walking, or vomiting because they are drinking or if it is due to a medical conditional or another reason. I won't judge them and I am grateful to those who don't judge me.

Several weeks ago I was rude and unkind on this forum. The next day I apologized and another member on this forum forgave and wished me well. That kind of compassion will stay with me for a long time. I will always remember that and try to "pay it forward".

All my best.

I have little tolerance for belligerent drunks who knew what they were doing when they drank that second, third, fourth, or fifth drink. I have every right to be annoyed if someone vomits on my shoes or sings a Journey medley at 3:00 in the morning because they don't know when to stop.

I would never judge someone with a medical condition. I never said I would. I was addressing drunks specifically. Did you even read my post? Maybe you should read it again.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Interesting that SarahZ, rrdude and Shawn Ryu have so little tolerance. I hope you never do anything to offend another passenger. I know I have and probably will again - not intentionally. I don't know if another passenger is having difficulty speaking, trouble walking, or vomiting because they are drinking or if it is due to a medical conditional or another reason. I won't judge them and I am grateful to those who don't judge me.

Several weeks ago I was rude and unkind on this forum. The next day I apologized and another member on this forum forgave and wished me well. That kind of compassion will stay with me for a long time. I will always remember that and try to "pay it forward".

All my best.

I have little tolerance for belligerent drunks who knew what they were doing when they drank that second, third, fourth, or fifth drink. I have every right to be annoyed if someone vomits on my shoes or sings a Journey medley at 3:00 in the morning because they don't know when to stop.

I would never judge someone with a medical condition. I never said I would. I was addressing drunks specifically. Did you even read my post? Maybe you should read it again.

Ted, I'm with Sarah on this one. I do feel sorry for alcoholics (up to a point), because having a drinking disorder is no more of a choice than having an eating disorder. These people are missing out on the pleasures of moderation in food and drink, because of a physical syndrome that is not their fault.

What *is* in their control is how they *handle* their disorder. When they decide to have that first (or second, wherever they find the "point of no return") drink, they are intentionally choosing to go beyond the point where they can control the craving. At that point, they've chosen to inflict their smelly, obnoxious, sloppy habit on whoever is within range, and I all I feel is disgust. Yes, I've seen a few drunks on the trains I've been on, and I've kept as far away from them as possible, but sometimes it's not possible to get far enough away. So I hope that if I end up on a train with you, it's one of the trips where you choose to remain sober, and in that case, I'm sure we'll have a great conversation.

 

[Ted Bell]

Well said Ms. Oregon. I also hope we can have a great conversation one day.

As you may already know, I have already offended pretty much everyone today. So I'll comment on your reply. You feel that people who drink too much are intentionally choosing to go beyond the point were they can control the craving. I 100% agree with you. I also believe people who EAT too much are doing the same thing. Why are we so tolerant of fat people, but not of drunk people?

I promise to stay sober on my next trip.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

. I also believe people who EAT too much are doing the same thing. Why are we so tolerant of fat people, but not of drunk people?

*sigh* Because food and alcohol are completely different substances metabolized in incredibly different ways and above all EATING WILL NOT IMPAIR YOUR MOTOR SKILLS AND JUDGEMENT ABILITY.

Because typically a person who struggles with eating doesn't enter into a loud and boisterous scene at a bar or on a train, start fights or scream obscenities when they've had a few too many hamburgers, they go home to the toilet. And when they go home they won't wreck their cars because they're stomach is impairing their vision.

Edit-- Three spelling errors, rare for me.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

And as a FAT man myself who conducts himself in a professional and sober manner when I do consume alcohol, I do hope you'd extend some tolerance towards me. I know my massive size may not appeal to your eyes, and that my over-consumption somehow offends your sensibilities, but seriously. First you make me the moral equivalent of a slave-owner because I love my cats and now you make me the moral equivalent of the town drunkard because I eat too much.

Methinks your moral compass needs fine-tuning.

 

[Ted Bell]

Interesting answer Mr. ALC. Yes, I have been too loud on a train. I know I have offended others.

I have also ridden hundreds of miles next to someone in coach who "overflowed" into my seat. I wasn't comfortable, but I didn't complain.

I've never wrecked my car (or anyone else's). In fact, I don't even drive after drinking. I take public transit or accept and appreciate a ride from a designated driver.

Why is one so bad and the other tolerable?

 

[Ted Bell]

Mr. ALC,

You are probably correct. My moral compass needs more than a small adjustment.

I think I'll go have several drinks. In the meantime I owe everyone (and their pets) an apology. Not my first. And most likely not my last.

I truly appreciate everyone on this site. Wishing you all the best.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Ted, you sound like a delightful person with a great sense of humor.

And I'll just add that eating is necessary for survival. But our Standard American Diet (otherwise known as "SAD") is made up of "food" that is mostly bad for you and encourages weight gain. I once had a sugar dependency, and kicked it only when I discovered healthy, whole-foods eating.

And about alcohol: it is not necessary to survival, but in moderate amounts (NOT enough to reach a state of oblivion or damage your liver, ha, ha!) is known as one of the pleasures of living. However, the more alcohol abuse that I see, the less I wish to partake. I feel sad about that.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Interesting answer Mr. ALC. Yes, I have been too loud on a train. I know I have offended others.

I have also ridden hundreds of miles next to someone in coach who "overflowed" into my seat. I wasn't comfortable, but I didn't complain.

I've never wrecked my car (or anyone else's). In fact, I don't even drive after drinking. I take public transit or accept and appreciate a ride from a designated driver.

Why is one so bad and the other tolerable?

You missed the point entirely. This thread is about how over consumption makes you a rude and insensitive passenger. Over consumption of alcohol will impair judgement and motor skills, reduce social empathy and generally make you more of who you are (which is to say it will only make a rude person ruder).

Over consumption of food, like many people will do at Thanksgiving, will not yield the same results. How many people are thrown off of Amtrak trains or arrested for over consumption of hamburgers? How many fights were there involving hot dogs? How many people got off a train and crashed their car after two helpings at the diner?

My response is only as interesting as the post which precipitated it, which is to say you say some pretty outrageous things and make suppositions that are not based in fact. With, I might add, an air of holier-than-thou judgement which leaves a bitter taste on my tongue.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

TB, I think you have had enough to drink for tonight. Please go sleep it off.

 

[Ted Bell]

Thank you Ms. Oregon. I have the tendency to say far too much without considering the repercussions. I appreciate that you accept our differences.

And to everyone else: I'm not judging you. I have so much to learn from all of you. Ironic that the subject of this thread is "rude and insensitive passengers..." I'm probably the rudest and most insensitive! Hopefully your experience on board will be better!

 

[Shawn Ryu]

You get these types of passengers when you sell tickets at below Greyhound bus fares.

Ha ha this is a gem. So true.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I used to be a happy drunk and now I'm an angry sober person. LOL.

On a more serious note, I do not think drunks deserve more compassion. They're really not much better than an arrogant in-your-face smoker if you think about it. On my last trip I had the opportunity to see a friend get drunk six days in a row. Normally this friend is rather easy to get along with, but not when they're drunk. Sometimes the best way to learn an important lesson is to see someone else fail miserably at it. I still drink from time to time but it's a whole let less than before and I usually avoid hard liquor.

 

[the Other Mike]

Being a part time bartender, I love to screw with drunks. They can be very amuzing.

Myself ? I drink in my sleeper and do my best to avoid ANY disturbance to other passengers.

However, on AU, it's different. I don't understand how anyone who owns cats can bitch about anything.

 

[Steve4031]

Get back to trains please.

 

[Ryan]

Get back to trains please.

Concur.
I don't much care *why* you're rude and obnoxious, there's no place for that kind of behavior. At least the drunk has a chance of being a pleasant person after the booze has worn off. People that come by their rudeness naturally are just stuck with it.

 

[Steve4031]

I think it is best to ignore and focus on enjoying the trip. Two weeks ago I had lunch on the Capitol limited with a guy who wasn't talkative. And the waiter was borderline rude. I ignored both and looked out the window and read a book on my kindle.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Very few problems with drunks on my trips. Most of the time other passengers don't appear to be overtly rude. I tend to think they're often too noisy, but I don't believe they're usually doing it on purpose. I think it just never occurs to them that other people may prefer peace and quiet instead of constant noise or that they're preventing such people from relaxing. Most of my truly "bad" experiences come from interacting with passengers who just assume I want to hear all about their choice of spiritual paths or that I wish to join in bashing some other group of people they've decided to hate. I've also had some rude car attendants that have left me with a really sour disposition. So far my current trip is going well and the previous one on the Southwest Chief was fine. However, my last trip on the California Zephyr was one of the worst I've experienced thanks to a shockingly rude SCA in the car next to mine. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the poor passengers in her car.

 

[Tumbleweed]

For the most part, I find fellow passengers are very friendly and interesting....but how do you handle being trapped at a table with someone who is completely focused on themselves and/or tries to sell you something? The only thing I have come up with is to politely agree with them, or try and stay neutral....

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

And expect the cascade of on board drunks to be much worse if there is a football game anywhere along the route of the train. When the Heartland Flyer runs the OU-Texas Red River Special the Lounge is usually drank dry or close to by the time it reaches end of line. I've also heard the Texas Eagle northbound is often out of booze by the time it reaches DAL that same weekend. Since fans aren't having to work the wheel they tend to work the bottle more aggressively

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Drunks on regional trains are more tolerable. Short trips and all that.