I download a weekly quiz podcast. This week, I had two episodes outstanding, so I decided to listen to it on the bus. I have a bit of tinnitus so I need the volume up so I could hear what they are saying over the noise of the bus.

Silence is golden

On this particular day, the bus driver was running a bit early, so he has to wait a few minutes at a stop and he turns the engine off. In the sudden silence, I notice that my iPhone is a bit loud but I struggle to turn it down – the volume control on the earpiece seems to be broken. Then I notice Agnes looking at me.

Agnes is a name I give to one of the people who haunts me. I plan to elaborate on this in a future blog, but essentially I always seem to be bumping into her around town.

Anyway, I try to ignore her, but she comes and sits on the seat in front and tells me that she can hear my iPhone. By that time, I had managed to stop the podcast, which had finished anyway. I did not have problem with not inflicting my podcast onto the other passengers, but what happened next annoyed me really got my goat!

For the rest of the bus journey, I had to endure Agnes telling her friend in a loud voice all about the butter she bought at Morrisons. How she normally buys it at Tescos, but they had this special offer on anchor and she bought a large 2kg tub, which takes up a lot of room in the fridge, but she need to have a tidy up, and probably can throw away some expired stuff to give her a bit more room, etc. etc. etc……….

Conclusion

The point here is that it is socially unacceptable to share broadcast media wit your fellow passengers, but acceptable to broadcast yourself. Why is that? If passengers object to people playing the radio because they want peace and quiet, then why don’t they keep quiet as well? Saying “Could you turn the volume down, I am trying to talk” is acceptable, but “Could you stop talking, I am trying to listen to the radio” comes across as rude! When does talking take priority? Who makes these rules?