The B-Side: Public Transit - The Great Equalizer

Or: Two Times I Watched People Almost Learn A Lesson

A quick note from me, Liam. I have my debut solo comedy special coming out next week. On Tuesday, October 21st.

Look out for Monday’s post with more info!

A pair of true stories, the first from 2004:

In London, I was walking to Trafalgar Square, heading past a church. It’s probably super-famous, it’s right across the street from the National Gallery, but I had a New York City public school education which means I learned two things:

1. I don’t know

2. And more importantly, I don’t wanna know.

There were some young ruffians hanging out on the steps of the Church. A couple more were banging on the window of a bus, challenging a middle-aged black woman sitting at the window:

“You want to come out here and say that? Come on out!” etc.

I don’t know what it it was she’d said to them, but it was clearly insulting enough for them to overcome their paralysing fear of being beaten up by a dumpy woman at least twice their age.

She was nodding, “Yes,” to indicate that she, in fact, did want to come out and sa…