Who’s the best dressed? Who’s dumped who? Who is Harry Styles dating now? Rhianna and Chris Brown, on or off?? WHO CARES!! Well apparently we do and use every method possible to find out information which is of no concern or real use to us. We are so consumed with other people’s ‘business’ that we don’t deal with our own; maybe it’s a convenient distraction. The need to know brigade are everywhere and the most habitual of these are on your daily commute.
Go on admit it, you just can’t help it can you? Not only have you grabbed the vacant, like gold dust seat the commuter next to you is watching an episode of Sex and the City… you are in download heaven but how do you sneak a peek? Like an addict craving a hit you look a little nervous and start to twitch, you sit up straight like you’re working on your posture expertly holding your head upright whilst your eyes veer ever so slightly to the side just to catch a glimpse of Samantha covered in sushi!
The truth is before the advancement of technology we didn’t know where to look, this made for a very awkward moment when you caught the eye of the bloke opposite so you rummage through your hand bag for the remainder of the journey pretending to look for that phantom stick of chewing gum.
I hold my hands up! Guilty as charged on all counts of conspiring to read chapter five of someone’s Fifty Shades of Grey, getting vexed because they shuffled their iPod nano to a song I don’t care for and even though I’ve watched it like 10 times, Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro’s come back on the Graham Norton show. I’d tell you that’s not something you see everyday but that would be a lie!
My wandering eye addiction was cured one day as I traveled home; not by some miracle or divine intervention (if only) but by a man watching a bit of how’s your father…PORN!!! No wonder TFL keep putting their prices up the shenanigans on the Central Line are priceless! Really, isn’t there a time and place for everything? Did I have to be subjected to this; all I ask for is a Top Gear Special or Friday’s Eastenders!
You learn things the hard way and even though commuters are to blame for their own technological addiction we/I am to blame for wanting to know and see what isn’t for our eyes or ears. If anyone is kind enough to offer one half of their earphones or offer page four of the Metro whilst they read page three they have made the ultimate commuter sacrifice. If they haven’t? Well that should tell you all you need to know.