What would you do if you merely wanted to read your book on the bus but discovered instead that some people find even that simple act offensive?
One woman from the UK discovered the perfect response when she was aboard a bus in her city. As the bus was very crowded, tempers were a little frayed, and one man allowed his aggression to get the better of him. Instead of asking the woman to keep her elbows in or tuck her book in a bit to make more room for others, he instead decided it was appropriate to call her a “fucking bitch”.
What book lover Jennifer Cairns did next was fantastically appropriate and a wonderfully gracious- she started reading aloud.
A man just called me an f*****g b***h for reading my book on a crowded bus. I said "I'm so sorry but i love this book so much I just can't wait to continue reading it. It's very wonderful listen..."
— Jennifer Cairns (@JenElleCairns) 8 March 2018
And what did I do?
I read out loud for 2 whole stops until he got off. Yes I did pic.twitter.com/jrK15pdzrl
No I dont think it was the reading - he said my elbows & holding the book in front of me were taking the space because the bus was crowded then asked 'are we on a bus or at a library you...' I think he was looking for someone to vent at...
— Jennifer Cairns (@JenElleCairns) 9 March 2018
According to many responses on Jennifer’s Twitter, this is not an unusual occurrence, with one woman explaining how shocked and upset she was when someone attacked her for reading on public transport.
The man who attacked Jennifer had reportedly said: “Are we on a bus or at a library?!” Which, to Reading Addicts, makes very little sense. Surely we read our books anywhere- not just the library?
Let us know your thoughts!
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I was drinking a soda and reading while waiting for a friend in a West Virginia mall. The waitress started wiping tables and looked at me and asked “what are you reading for?” I told her I was reading Hitler’s Children by Jillian Becker, it was about the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group. She says, “No, what are you reading fooor?” All slow and louder like I’m deaf. “You mean why am I reading?” “Yeah.” “Well I guess I read for a lot of reasons, information, entertainment, enlightenment, but the main reason is so I don’t end up a waitress in a mall food court in BFE West Virginia.”