Today I learnt that I'm not a coward.
Three teens were occupying four seats in a completely stuffed train on my way to work - someone tried to sit down. I really just caught the tail end of what happened - there was a huge debate. I noticed it was about the seat, rolled my eyes, pushed across, and gave them a good telling off for their braindead behaviour. "Do you realise this train is crammed chock full? You're blocking the seat."
Morons got off the next stop after trying unsuccessfully to "defend" themselves verbally. Not enough grey matter there to do much discussion, of course, so the conversation quickly ended with things merely responded to in the sarky "Thanks, you too." fashion.
Anyway, I only noticed then that they'd not simply been rude. They'd
smacked the person who'd tried to get a seat.
I would whine about the deteriation of culture, but it's nonsense, of course. I shared my story at work - none of my co-workers had ever even seen something like that happen, even from a distance, even the one that hops on trains at least as often as I do (and, in fact, lives in the same town, and thus takes the same route to work, though we rarely catch each other in the mornings).
This's helped me bunches. It's proven what I rationally think - that people like that don't have any balls to get physical once they (as a pack) have more than one other person to deal with - and I'm certain it'll make it far easier for me to intervene in future.
I'm happy about that.
(The struck person was fine, all things considered - just a slight redish bruise. He was in fairly good spirits and we spoke until I got off.)
