Londoners ridicule badge for Tube chat
Print Edition
WHEN American Jonathan Dunne began handing out badges encouraging travelers on the London Underground to talk to each other, he had no idea how controversial challenging the unwritten “no conversation” rule would be.
Just as in many big cities, refusing to make eye contact, let alone exchange chit-chat with fellow travelers, is considered sacrosanct, the result largely of a desire to avoid potential weirdos. Wry glances are exchanged at delays or outlandish behavior, but for many in the British capital, staying silent is as important as standing on the right on escalators.
So when 42-year-old Dunne, who works as an administrator in the state-run National Health Service (NHS), paid 100 pounds (US$192) to print around 500 badges saying “Tube chat?” which he then handed out this week, it was always going to provoke a reaction.
“I get the Piccadilly line — it’s 20 minutes of people in complete silence. It’s actually a bit odd,” he said. “I thought it would be fun to break down barriers that people put up on their commute. I didn’t realize it would be so controversial.”
And some Londoners did feel very strongly about it.
“Some irresponsible fool trying to undermine the fabric of society by encouraging talking on the London Underground,” noted one wit on Twitter.
“This is an affront to everything I love about London. Fight this, by God, fight it!!” wrote comedian Matt Thomas.
“This makes me very uncomfortable,” wrote another, while broadcaster Jeremy Vine wrote: “Anyone comes near me with one of these, I’m heading out the window.”
“Ask me about Article 50,” said another, referring to the process of Britain leaving the European Union.
The badge is similar to the “Baby on board!” for pregnant women, but the Tube operator was quick to distance itself.
Dunne has been dismissed by some as a naive American. Some have suggested he might as well have a badge saying “I’m a weirdo,” but Dunne counters: “The real weirdos are on social media, who within hours are making videos about punching me in the face.”
He has lived in London on and off for 20 years, and says the silent Tube does not reflect life above ground. “Where I live, there are a lot of Turkish and Italian and Spanish — a lot of everything. It’s really friendly. Then when you get on the Tube it’s miserable,” he said.
Some have started coming out in favor of the scheme. He has received thousands of requests on Facebook for a badge, and has heard of copies being handed out in other parts of London. “There’s been a backlash against the backlash,” he said. “It’s definitely started a conversation, and that’s all I was looking for.”
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