Saturday, March 14, 2009

Everything is Amazing, and Nobody's Happy

Okay, there are some things that aren't amazing. That's true. People on Twitter keep reminding me of pee on the subway, and I'll agree that that's not amazing. But it's not the worst thing either. And how does a transit system as large as SEPTA fix that anyway? Signage? Pee monitors? You want money from your fare to go to mop-jockeys on every train? One of the greatest things about Philadelphia is that it never lets us get quite far enough away from each other to forget that there are people who are troubled and pee in public. We may pelt Santa with snowballs or riot in the streets occasionally, but it's the forced proximity of urban places like SEPTA buses and train cars that delivers us from indifference. That pee smell is humanity, and don't you forget it.

4 comments:

  1. You must be an out-of-towner. Everyone from Philadelphia has moved beyond the "pelting snowballs at Santa."

    ReplyDelete
  2. You want money from your fare to go to mop-jockeys on every train? One of the greatest things about Philadelphia is that it never lets us get quite far enough away from each other to forget that there are people who are troubled and pee in public.

    Wow, I can't believe Dani questioned your Philly-ness.

    Love the term mop-jockey.

    And I echo the sentiments. People in spread-out places like to forget about their neighbors. We're forced to confront and deal with such "inconveniences." Well, not the pee - but you get my point.

    ReplyDelete
  3. to be honest, i wouldn't mind paying for a mop-jockey on the MFL.

    and i mean that, too. i'd support a fare hike if it meant that things were cleaner.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not from Philly originally, it's true, but I still hear natives citing the pelting of Santa as a proud moment in the city's history. I'd definitely support fare hikes for improved services, miss bee, but I'm afraid in that sentiment we constitute a small minority. We can hope. And thanks for the comment phillygrrl. I think if more Philadelphians spent some time elsewhere they'd have a better appreciation for just how great this city is in comparison to the places most Americans live.

    ReplyDelete