Unsuck DC Metro: What to do About Other People's Music?

Guest · 626 weeks ago

And they could post the video to Worldstar Hip Hop!

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Cletus Jenkins · 626 weeks ago

At the heart of it there really isn't anything you can do about it. Sure you can ask the person to turn it down and risk some type of violent confrontation or the person may kindly turn their music down. But at the end of the day, it goes back to how a person was raised and their ability to be considerate and respectful of people. This is a black and white issue by the way.

anon · 626 weeks ago

On the carpet issue.

I know for a fact that Metro has been testing a vinyl flooring for years--at least 5 by my count.

What in the hell are they waiting for?

The real answer? They're never going to do it. They're just trotting the idea out to take the focus away from the fact that when the silver line opens, metro is going to be very very short of raill cars.

3 replies · active 626 weeks ago

Ryan · 626 weeks ago

Previous GM Catoe implied that he was going to rip out the carpets and there was this whole announcement that he was going to "clean up Metro." I think they even did a PR piece about how his dad was a cab driver who "always kept his cab clean."

And then in 2009, the Red Line Crash happened. The man literally did nothing but push for carpeting to be taken out all while safety fell to shit. Catoe is a scumbag and I hope he never works in transportation again.

anon · 626 weeks ago

A vinyl floor? Sounds awesome. I could spin that... at 45 rpm.

Ryan · 626 weeks ago

You know there will be luxurious hardwood flooring under that carpet!

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@VeggieTart · 626 weeks ago

The people who are rude enough to listen to their music at extremely high volume so you can hear it coming out of their earphones or play it on their phone--for the most part, they're not the type of people who will turn it down if someone asks. You either hope you or the other guy is getting off soon or, if you're on rail, try to move to another rail car at the next stop. If you're on a bus, you can hopefully move far away from that person. Or put headphones on yourself. But not too loudly.

2 replies · active 625 weeks ago

@JimLCunningham · 626 weeks ago

That's what I was thinking. The kind of person who would listen to their music without headphones isn't the kind of person who's going to reply well to criticism. Clearly, they don't care what everyone else thinks.

It's just uncivilized.

Angela · 625 weeks ago

Maybe I just like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I think it's possible that (at least some of) the headphone users don't realize that everybody else can hear their music... The speaker folks have no excuse.

headphone · 626 weeks ago

A lot of this could be solved if people ditched Apple headphones, which are incredibly leaky, and forked over a few bucks for some decent headphones. I'd say 75% of the headphones I see are Apple.

Heather · 626 weeks ago

This is going to sound very odd, and some folks might be upset by this, but please read the whole thing before offering to slap me online, LOL. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, there are times where it might be necessary to have the volume way up on people's music, with the headphones. I will turn up the volume sometimes, if someone is sitting next to me having a very loud, obnoxious conversation and I'm just trying to drown them out instead of risking a violent confrontation by asking them to stop talking so loudly. Having said that, I try not to do it if it's around alot of little kids, or whatnot.

I totally agree it is annoying and rude, especially when played through the phone's speakers, but there sometimes are situations that warrant the extra volume through the headphones.

3 replies · active 626 weeks ago

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dddddda · 626 weeks ago

Speakers = unacceptable, but I ABSOLUTELY agree with you on the loud headphones. I have decent headphones (the kind with silicon buds) which do an excellent job of both keeping my music in and other noises out. When I got them, I made a friend sit next to me on my couch, no tv or radio or anything on in the house, with them on, and tell me when he could hear the music, at the same proximity but with NO ambient noises like one would find on a train. I got to one click before full volume before he said he heard something. I also tested it with him talking in a normal voice to see what I could hear, and half volume drowned him out. Pretty freaking good!

On Saturday, a group of tourists got on the train that were so loud I could hear them over my music at about 75% volume from a few seats away (I turned it up a bit and continued to hear them). My favorite was one time, a lady got on the train pushing a large stroller. Despite the train being half empty, decided to sit with me, clocking me in the knee with the stroller while parking it. She then proceeded to tickle and tease her child, causing him to squeal at what I assume was pretty close to full volume. I turned my music up and she taps me and says "I can hear your music." I just responded with "yeah, well I can hear your child, so I guess we're even." She was, um, not pleased - YET, still refused to move to one of the 20 or so open seats in the car (by this point I was penned into the interior seat by said stroller).

So, if things are quiet and you can somehow hear my music, then just say something and I'll gladly turn it down a click, if I've got it up loud (sometimes I just want to rock out). But if you're being obnoxious, the volume is intentional and expect to get snark back. If my eardrums are nearly bleeding and I can STILL hear you, you deserve it.

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Hal · 626 weeks ago

That's hilarious. I find loud children worse than loud music. It's bad enough when a child is out of control and the parents just ignore it, but it's even worse when they ENCOURAGE the behavior, as if everyone around them will think it's just as adorable as they do.

Heather · 626 weeks ago

AMEN to that! Absolutely.

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F'n JD · 626 weeks ago

A punch in the face, grab the phone and throw it against the wall.

At least that's what I wish I could do. Disproportionately there is only one group I ever see doing this. Thugs.

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Ever n Anon · 626 weeks ago

About 2 years ago I was on a train home and sitting near me was a Metro train operator (gettin' his free ride of course). A young woman was listening to music through her phone's speaker - horrid speaker and horrid music. He tried to explain to her it was not allowed and why. I sat and watched him be polite, professional and insistent. She damn near hit him. She was completely emjoying making everyone else uncomfortable. The more anyone tried to reason with her, the louder she turned it up. She eventually left the train.

Some people who do it are unstable. No way of knowing if they'll go physical or not from a confrontation.

4 replies · active 625 weeks ago

Heather · 626 weeks ago

Agreed about the instability, or they may be drunk or high on drugs, you just don't know. If it's a weekend night, it's a very good possibility of being drunk or high, and those are folks you cannot reason with, without risking yourself and others. I see it alot on the buses, Metro and Fairfax Connector. I try to just put my own music on (headphones of course) and just try to hang tough til my stop.

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dddddda · 626 weeks ago

Why did you have to point out that he was "gettin' his free ride" when it sound like he actually provided very good customer service in this situation. And if he were in uniform, he could well have been deadheading back to where his car was parked or his home station from the train yard he deposits his train. I don't consider that an unreasonable perk for a Metro employee, particularly one who sees fit to continue to ACT like an employee - you know, with a duty to his customers to make their ride more pleasant - on said ride. The man almost took a punch trying to do the right thing!

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anon · 626 weeks ago

People who work at McDonalds don't get free meals. The bar must be lowered and set to that standard.
I heard people who work at best buy get an employee discount. They're on the same radar.

mjw703 · 625 weeks ago

I worked at McDonald's in high school and got free meals along with all of my other co-workers.

@savemetro · 626 weeks ago

On the issue of loud music, I move, with a glare and a head shake. Its not worth the confrontation and risk of bodily harm. I choose life.

Carpet . . it has to go. They need a surface that can be hosed off.

But what no one is talking about is the Greyhound Bus. http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/16/us/greyhound-bus-ro...

OK , now a show of hands, how many of you have seen roaches on Metro? I have.

1 reply · active 610 weeks ago

Trent · 610 weeks ago

LOL. I do the same thing, choose life instead of telling someone that their music (filled with F bombs) is annoying.

Red Line · 626 weeks ago

Re the carpets- I highly doubt that they are EVER shampooed.

hrh king friday 13 · 626 weeks ago

Maybe sleeping with your blue toof on contributes to hearing loss?

karah 81p · 626 weeks ago

Etiquette? They are breaking the law, you do not need etiquette.

1 reply · active 626 weeks ago

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@VeggieTart · 626 weeks ago

Most of them care as much about the law as they do about etiquette. Which is to say, not at all.

not a fed worker · 626 weeks ago

I use my phone to listen to music through headphones. Usually, I'm also playing a game at the same time. A few weeks ago I noticed people were giving me dirty looks, whatever, I kept playing and bebopping. On the trip home it was the same deal, dirty looks, that was when I noticed the phone was playing the music through both the headphones and the external speaker. Software glitch with the audio where when I plugged the headphones in then start up the game it pushed music to the external. Sorry everyone, I didn't know.

Guest · 626 weeks ago

Why did you use a picture of a black guy for this post? This site is racist!

2 replies · active 626 weeks ago

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TypicalUnsuckReader · 626 weeks ago

Unsuck, how can you allow this comment to go through, when I make posts by "TypicalUnsuckReader" that make fun of the inane white-apologist there-is-no-such-thing-as-racism people that post here, you never approve them.

Go to hell you KKK douchebag

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karah 81p · 626 weeks ago

Ok, link us to a pic of a white guy playing a boom box on the train.

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rory · 626 weeks ago

The radio player should be gently informed of its volume by Metro's white-gloved, on-car concierge.

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Doctor Whom · 626 weeks ago

I agree with those who say just to let it pass. Part of functioning in the world is knowing how to pick your battles.

1 reply · active 626 weeks ago

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karah 81p · 626 weeks ago

No, laws are there for a reason.

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Joeb · 626 weeks ago

i grew tired of this quickly and invested some money in some nice earbuds to silence out the nonsense... even if im reading something i will play something that's not distracting. I agree if you are type to blast music (especially profanity laden lyrics) you probably are waiting for someone to "say something" and escalate the situation

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Zach · 626 weeks ago

Easy solution.
I keep some Guns n Roses on my iphone, and the second some kid with a bad attitude and no headphones begins to play their music next to me, I turn mine on without headphones. The response is priceless. I only do this if they are right next to me..so they get the point. "Yo man, I can't hear my vulgur rap"! Hmmm...that's too bad.

2 replies · active 625 weeks ago

F'n JD · 626 weeks ago

I like this. May have to try it next time.

wouldratherdrive · 625 weeks ago

Death Metal and or Opera has the same effect...

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@JimLCunningham · 626 weeks ago

I think the passengers could use a "periodic shampooing" too; it would help with the grease marks on every window.

Matt · 625 weeks ago

Loud music like that drives me nuts, especially since I've got work to do on the train and can use as much time as I can get. Of course, the music players sit as close to you as possible. I purchased a pair of ear plugs I pop in when I get on the train. Can't hear a damn thing!

I can also think of a regular Red Line rider who plays a game on her phone and each time you touch the screen, a "twinkling" sound goes off. Talk about irritating!

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Erin · 625 weeks ago

People who complain about loud music annoy me. Its Metro, not a library. If you want a silent commute drive in your own car to work or buy yourself a pair of noise canceling earphones.

@MegE_N · 625 weeks ago

I had a bad experience with this about two months ago. Two black male teenagers were playing their music through their phone during the evening rush hour, and it had some offensive lyrics. After awhile of this, an older white man asked them to please use headphones. They started mocking him, threatening to shoot him and laughing about it. The man said something to the effect of "No one else here is allowed to listen to their music without headphones - why are you special?" This got the teenage boys very upset, and they were swearing about this "Old white fool calling them special," laughing at him, mocking him. Please keep in mind these boys were sitting right in front of me, turned to face me and dropping f-bombs right in my face while I was reading. Finally a white woman in her 20s spoke up and said that these boys shouldn't judge all white people based on this one old man - that she had been enjoying the music. I don't know if she was trying to diffuse the situation or what, but they turned the music off for her so the three of them could talk about how rude and lame this older white man was.

I felt like such a heel for not standing up for the older white man. At one time I did try to ask the boys to stop swearing in my face, but my voice was so low that I'm pretty sure they couldn't hear me, even from less than a foot away. I wish I could tell that older man that I'm sorry I didn't stand up for him - because the rules should apply to everyone, and that includes teenagers. I think as a group we all need to support each other when someone on a train speaks up about obeying the rules, or dealing with rude or disruptive people. That's the only way we'll be able to change rider behavior on the train.

Please also note that I only point out the races of all of those involved because it was the basis for a lot of the arguing and swearing that commenced.

2 replies · active 625 weeks ago

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Guest · 625 weeks ago

I bet the song they were listening to had the dreaded "N word" yelled all though it! Funny how the people most offended by that word are the ones who use it the most.

wouldratherdrive · 625 weeks ago

Those teens are awful - They are racists plain and simple. If that were white teens doing that to a black man there would be outrage and media coverage. I really wish Metro would put some officers on the trains. I only hope that one day they speak like that to a law enforcement officer who could actually do something about it. Sickens me that the white apologetic lady decided to kiss up to them to make herself look good - that is just disgusting. That man was justified in being upset and frankly if the entire car would stand up to these thugs MAYBE they wouldn't be so confident. As in, 10 guys grab them and drag them off the train at the next stop. I know I know ... but they could have guns... yep.. and so could some of the folks on the train. Chances are they are blowhard teens without guns. Throw them off the train.

Driver · 625 weeks ago

I listen to a lot of classical and opera. The volumes on pieces go way up and way down, so sometimes it might be too loud. If a certain loud portion become audible through my headphones, I would totally respond to someone politely asking if I could turn it down. I would do it and you would get an apology. Not really difficult to ask. (Note: if someone asked me to "turn off that crappy garbage music" you might get a slightly different response, but I would still turn it down.)

1 reply · active 625 weeks ago

Guest · 625 weeks ago

That reminds me of one of the strangest things I ever saw on the Metro. A man and a woman boarded singing in harmony, I guess some kind of opera piece. They sang for at least the time I was on that train with them. They were louder than most headphone music, but I guess there's no law against passengers singing.

Concerned · 625 weeks ago

For those saying to "just deal with it", here is a little bit of science on the "quiet down" side.
http://lifehacker.com/5991664/why-its-so-annoying...

Damon · 624 weeks ago

I play my church music loader then thers & wait for them to say something! But if you don't want to hear my music I don't want to hear yours!