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Who's the a-hole?

Matchew

Monkey
May 26, 2006
511
0
NH / Mass (ugh)
So here's the situation. I'm sitting on the subway on my way in to work (Boston, red line) reflecting on my disaster of a weekend that ended at highland with a dislocated shoulder and trip to the hospital for reinstallation. At about the second station in to the city, a 350lb+ beast of a woman decides to take the 2 seats next to me. Since there is no way she can squeeze her continent sized ass into the space a normal person might occupy and they are the last seats on the train she muscles two other people out of the way and plops down, smashing into my shoulder and arm which are in a sling. I pass this off as minor collateral damage as it didn't really hurt and it probably wasn't physically possible for her stop that much weight moving forward without some other outside force acting upon it.

She immediately pulls out her smartphone to mindlessly stare and poke at like everyone else on the train. A couple of minutes later I notice she is starting to hold the phone up and sort of wave it around in front of her face. I happen to glance over at the phone and see the familiar faces of the entire row of people in front of me in digital form on the screen. I then watch for the next five or so minutes as she tries to covertly takes pictures of everyone around her on the train. She even flipped it onto webcam mode to get the peoples faces next to her. Ill admit I was fully creeping on her creeping at this point and also saw her save every one of the photos, and that there were 800+ OTHER PHOTOS that all seemed to be of people in public.

So she is still next to me when we get to my stop. Up to this point I haven't said anything to her, I'm the only one that seems to know that she's taking the pictures and I feel that the people on the train deserve to know as well. So as I stand up to get off I loudly say something along the lines of "I don't appreciate you sneaking and saving pictures of me on your phone like that, and I'm sure these people (points to other row of seats) don't as well." Her face immediately turns beet red and she just shook her head. As I was stepping out I said "Don't shake your head at me, you know exactly what I'm talking about, DELETE them." The death stares she got from the people sitting near her were priceless.

So, I thought about this after and realized I probably just destroyed any amount of self confidence this (very large, bad smelling) woman had. But at the same time I couldn't stand what she was doing. I understand she has the right to take the pictures but I also have the right to let her know how I feel about it. So who's the a-hole here? The woman for taking the pictures, or me for calling her out?
 

ICEBALL585

Bacontard
Sep 8, 2009
6,803
2,038
.:585:.
I would have done the same thing as you. That is so creepy and shady that she was just taking random pics of everyone around her.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
here's a question for you: would you feel this way if it was a super hot blonde chick that sat down next to you and started taking pictures?
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
You're out in public.

You might not like people taking pictures of you, but you're in public. You understand what that means, right?

I take photos in public regularly. Not necessarily of people, but sometimes. Of course, I'm not 350lbs. and wearing an angry scowl - I'm an average guy of average build who generally smiles at people around him. Plus, I haven't bumped into you and pissed you off, so it's different, right? In any event, if someone asked me nicely to exclude them from my picture, I would do so out of politeness. If they demanded I delete my photos, I would likely tell them to f**k off.

If you had said, politely, "I'd rather you not take my picture" and she continued doing so, I'd say she's being an asshole. But demanding that random photos be deleted when you have no expectation of privacy whatsoever is pretty asinine.
 

Matchew

Monkey
May 26, 2006
511
0
NH / Mass (ugh)
here's a question for you: would you feel this way if it was a super hot blonde chick that sat down next to you and started taking pictures?
That's still creepy as hell and yes I would have still called her out. I have a pretty low tolerance for latte toting peanut brained blondes as well as creeper fatties.
 

Matchew

Monkey
May 26, 2006
511
0
NH / Mass (ugh)
You're out in public.

If you had said, politely, "I'd rather you not take my picture" and she continued doing so, I'd say she's being an asshole. But demanding that random photos be deleted when you have no expectation of privacy whatsoever is pretty asinine.
I thought about this afterward as well, It wasn't the fact she was taking them of me that pissed me off but the other people that didn't know. I felt I had to let them know tell her off at the same time. So I guess its a 50/50 double douche bag move tie here?
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
trick question!

in boston, everyone's an asshole.
Winner!

Sucks about the shoulder Matt, heal up. As a response to your story.....crap like that is par for the course on Boston public transportation, and why I despise being on it. I'm going to the Strength in Numbers premiere tomorrow night and am already dreading the train ride in.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
That's still creepy as hell and yes I would have still called her out. I have a pretty low tolerance for latte toting peanut brained blondes as well as creeper fatties.
I'm sorry, but the correct answer is "whip it out". "Piihb" would also have been acceptable.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
I thought about this afterward as well, It wasn't the fact she was taking them of me that pissed me off but the other people that didn't know. I felt I had to let them know tell her off at the same time. So I guess its a 50/50 double douche bag move tie here?
Again... you're in public. You might get your picture taken. It's probably something you should accept as a functioning human being.

There are a lot of cameras around. A lot of cell phones. It's a picture. What's the big deal?
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
You're out in public.

You might not like people taking pictures of you, but you're in public. You understand what that means, right?

I take photos in public regularly. Not necessarily of people, but sometimes. Of course, I'm not 350lbs. and wearing an angry scowl - I'm an average guy of average build who generally smiles at people around him. Plus, I haven't bumped into you and pissed you off, so it's different, right? In any event, if someone asked me nicely to exclude them from my picture, I would do so out of politeness. If they demanded I delete my photos, I would likely tell them to f**k off.

If you had said, politely, "I'd rather you not take my picture" and she continued doing so, I'd say she's being an asshole. But demanding that random photos be deleted when you have no expectation of privacy whatsoever is pretty asinine.
Do you take the subway a lot? There are people on top of people, and when you ride it, you hope for a modicum of personal space to maintain your dignity and sanity.

When a crazy person sits next to you or someone who hasn't showered in a week, the best you can do get up and walk away, and hope that person does not follow in the car and go ape-crazy on you.

So if someone was to taking photos of me on the subway, I would ask firmly (and there is no way to make a polite request on a Boston subway) that they stop.

If that person didn't comply, then I would cover my face, and when I could get onto the platform, curse them out.

If I was anywhere else but the subway, I would probably just cover my face and keep walking. There is a trapped feeling on the subway, being underground in a moving vehicle with 50 strangers, and the last thing you want is someone screwing with you.

I think most Boston/NY/Philly people would do exactly what I just wrote, and while Bay Areans are way less confrontational, most would say something as well.
 
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jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
Do you take the subway a lot? There are people on top of people, and when you ride it, you hope for a modicum of personal space to maintain your dignity and sanity.

When a crazy person sits next to you or someone who hasn't showered in a week, the best you can do get up and walk away, and hope that person does not follow and go ape-crazy on you.

So if someone was to taking photos of me on the subway, I would ask firmly (and there is no way to make a polite request on a Boston subway) that they stop.

If that person didn't comply, then I would cover my face, and when I could get onto the platform, curse them out.

If I was anywhere else but the subway, I would probably just cover my face and keep walking. There is a trapped feeling on the subway, being underground in a moving vehicle with 50 strangers, and the last thing you want is someone screwing with you.

I think most Boston/NY/Philly people would do exactly what I just wrote, and while Bay Areans are way less confrontational, most would say something as well.
taze 'em, boyo
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
In reality she was probably a tourist from the Weeble-Wobble Nation (aka the South or WI) snapping pics of pure boston awesome.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
When the spank bank gets depleted. What else are you going to do? Is this not why they have cameras on phones? As I get older my account becomes increasingly harder to keep track of. Phone porn will change your life....
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Do you take the subway a lot? There are people on top of people, and when you ride it, you hope for a modicum of personal space to maintain your dignity and sanity.
All the more reason to be a functional human being who can understand there are a lot of people around in a public space and not all of them are going to be doing things you agree with.

So cover your face, or ask politely... or confront them aggressively, that's your choice - but the question of the thread was, "am I an asshole?" I'd say, "yes."

yeah, but you're weird...
Well, I also wear a **** eating grin, wink at them repeatedly, and fiddle with the zipper on my pants while doing it. So... less weird than kidwoo.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
All the more reason to be a functional human being who can understand there are a lot of people around in a public space and not all of them are going to be doing things you agree with.

So cover your face, or ask politely... or confront them aggressively, that's your choice - but the question of the thread was, "am I an asshole?" I'd say, "yes."
It sounds like to me you haven't taken the subway before. Silent hostility is the norm, which in most places, is the behavior of an asshole.

The best one can say when people take your picture in a public space is that it is creepy. Most East Coast people respond to creepy with "Get The F*** Out Of Here."
 
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jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
It sounds like to me you haven't taken the subway before. Silent hostility is the norm, which in most places, is the behavior of an asshole.

The best one can say when people take your picture in a public space is that it is creepy. Most East Coast people respond to creepy with "Get The F*** Out Of Here."
if that's the impression you got of east coast subways, you must be one of those uppity san fran fags.


see what i did there?