Despite the presence of private security, antisocial behaviour on trains is still rife
Here's an alternative script for an Irish Rail ad. A woman steps on to a modern, clean train. She settles into a comfortable, pre-booked seat. Nearby someone starts playing an iPod through a set of speakers. The woman stands up and asks the young man if he would mind using his headphones. The music is switched off.
Seconds later a different man unleashes a torrent of verbal abuse on the woman. He stands up, eyeballs her at length and then personalises the threats and abuse. The teenagers laugh. The music is switched back on. The woman goes to another carriage where she can feel safe again.
This was my experience of a Friday-afternoon train journey. I love train travel, and know that it may not quite match the ad-land version of smiling people in sun-drenched serenity. But I didn’t expect this.
Source: Catherine Cleary, The Irish Times, 26/03/2011
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