Rude woman on the bus, WWYD?

[DontReinMeIn]

Last night I got on the bus like normal, there was a guy watching the news out loud without headphones on. It was annoying but it is what it is, you can’t force someone to put headphones on, so I put my AirPods in and that was that.

a couple of stops later an older woman (probably 50-ish?), got on and goes straight up to the man, starts jabbing him and shouting at him to turn it off, because the news was now about Trump and a speech he made and the woman “can’t bear to listen to it”. The man said no and turned back to his phone. She started screaming hysterically about the fact she can’t stand Trump, shouldn’t be subjected to listening to him in a public place, and demanding that the bus driver remove him from the bus.

The driver refused and told her that she needed to sit down or get off, as he couldn’t continue his route with her being disruptive. She sat down, but was crying loudly and told every single person that got on about what had happened, how she was so much better than that man and criticising everyone else on the bus for not “speaking up” about him listening to it.

AIBU to think I should’ve just told her to shut up? Looking back I regret it because as much as I dislike Trump (and people not using headphones on public transport), the man wasn’t actually doing anything wrong and shouldn’t have been attacked like he was.

She wasn’t rude, she was clearly quite unstable for whatever reason. Sounds like the man realised it and didn’t inflame things. Good on him.

YABVVU to blame the woman. Listening to noisy stuff out loud is completely antisocial. Especially Trump at this moment in time- he was being deliberately provocative. 90% of the time it’s young blokes who think they look hard/ mad enough so that other people won’t challenge them. I think, if anything, you should have supported the woman when she first asked him to turn it off.

I would have assumed the women wasn’t well and left it there. Shouting at her certainly wouldn’t have helped.

I think you’re the pathetic one for being too cowardly to support the woman who tried to get the entitled Male passenger to have some respect for his fellow passengers and shove some headphones in!

I bet if there was a serious accident you’d be one of those idiots standing around filming it for TikTok likes. Ugh!

Anyone who listens to their phone in public without headphones deserves everything they get

The man was being selfish, the lady over reacted.

I would have stayed out of it myself. Getting involved at all would have done you no favours

You do occasionally get aggressive nutters on the bus unfortunately. I can think of two instances in the last few years. Most rides are fine though. People who don't use headphones are annoying though

Bus nutters. Happens every single day. I would've just ignored her.

The man she was harassing wasn't upset by it. She was clearly either having a MH crisis or a very bad day. I'd feel kind of sorry for her really.

By this logic aren't nutters on the bus shouting at strangers also part of public transport you should just get on with? Why is his antisocial behaviour something to be accepted and hers not?

Old lady???? Fuck me.

the only wrong one was was the extremely rude man.

She obviously has mental issues, but if people were standing up to that idiot without headphones and made him stop, they would be right. I understand people don't want to put themselves in danger, but he does deserve all he gets.

I mean to be fair you sound a bit weird anyway so why would they need a third nutter on the bus creating a scene ?

Absolutely.

And if you're using an unfamiliar bus service, you need to be able to hear the announcements so that you know when you're nearing your stop.

A man doing that would be inherently more threatening than a woman. And I bet the selfish so and so with his phone would have been more likely to cave.

This. It's a behaviour that's on the increase and it is rude.

She overreacted, but the driver should have told both of them to improve their behaviour. You personally should have done nothing, if you weren't prepared to politely and assertively ask the man to use headphones himself.

If I'd have asked and he'd have refused, it's quite possible that I'd play some music or my audiobook out loud so that he couldn't have the pleasure of peace to listen to his show. Why should he be the only one filling the air in the bus with his chosen noise? I fancy being a middle aged woman bopping in my seat listening to K pop.

She seems mentally ill but the man was doing a lot wrong and I would argue was worse than her.

Of course he inflamed things. He refused to turn the volume off. In what universe is that good?

He was anti social and selfish. And so was she. That’s why I’ve stopped taking public transport as much as feasible.

The man should have been using headphones, but the lady overreacted. She may have had mental issues, or just had enough of inconsiderate behaviour, who knows.

@DontReinMeIn its not too late to ask mumsnet to change the headline to “rude MAN on a bus, WWYD?”

I’m team older woman. Playing audio out loud in public is the height of selfishness and makes me feel rather irrationally stabby (although I’ve never been brave enough to yell at anyone).

I was in Japan recently and you just do not make any noise on public transport there ever. I was shushed a couple of times for talking quietly to my neighbour. It was an absolute fucking revelation and I wish we had similar manners here (and similarly clean public loos!)

Anyone who doesn’t use headphones on public transport deserves to be screamed at.

Honestly the trend of people playing music through their phone speakers seems to have started with the arrival of smart phones and I would happily put everybody who does that in jail.

Haha, I missed that post. What a hero! How on earth did we get here?

Are you sure it wasn't you without the headphones op? Whilst she may be mentally ill or went over the top, I'm on her side. These people are really annoying. You said he wasn't doing anything wrong, he was and I think the bus driver should have asked him to wear headphones. There are often signs in trains about this sort of thing, don't know about buses. I always challenge people who play music out loud, if more people did maybe they will stop using it.