Why do people "air their laundry" in public? By that I mean, why do people insist on arguing in public, insist on chatting loudly on their cell phones, and so on and so forth?

On my way back from Delaware this past Saturday, a couple sittting behind me and my friend, Janice, were having a heavy discussion on how the male felt that the female's actions offended him. He started out by saying that all he wanted to do was tell her how her actions made him feel ignored and irrelevant. He did not want her to explain or defend what she did, all he wanted was for her to know that she tends to do things that are offensive to him and others. What her actions were does not matter; needless to say, he was offended. Of course, she could not resist but defend herself and, in essence, blame him for being so sensitive and oblivious. Anyway...

This all happened as we approached New York's Penn Station, the last stop on the train. My first thought was, "Is this all necessary? We are about to reach our destination and they are about to go to their home, why start this heavy discussion now? And why in a public place? And why so loud?" I wonder why people cannot wait for the privacy of their own homes to have heated arguments or private conversations?

It happens all the time in the gym. Members stop exercising to have long conversations on their cell phones. I don't even understand holding on to your cell as you work out. If it's that important, you should be there instead of in the gym. Why can't people understand that most of the public does not care to be sucked into their personal drama? To me, all this loud conversing is intrusive to what I am doing. I come to the gym to work out, not listen to people having loud conversationson their cell.

I thought about whether I would feel the same way if it were two people just having a loud discussion in the gym. And I have to answer, YES! Certain areas are just not the place for loud conversations, let alone loud argumentative conversations. Anything beyond a greeting and small general interaction should be saved for a more intimate setting where people around you are not being affected by the intrusion of your booming voice. We certainly have become a society of "listen to me, I matter" ideology.

Well, you do matter but in your own world, not mine. So keep it down. Later.  ¶ 9:20 AM