ever wear your headphones on the subway w/o playing music, just to keep people from bothering you?

Question

on the nyc subway today, i noticed that when the conductor announced an unscheduled change, everyone responded- including people wearing headphones, which would assumedly keep them from hearing the announcement. do people just wear headphones without playing music to keep people from bothering them on the subway? I know I do, and i've often wondered if i'm the only one...

Answer 1

Haha goodness...I think we all do this from time to time...or for some of us, rather frequently. Subways, buses, and other public transportation can be full of rather unsavory characters at times, and when we appear busy or involved in something else, we minimize the possibility of getting involved in an awkward situation with those people, whether by physical interaction, or just odd dialogue.

We all have different methods of "looking busy" but keeping our headphones on while in fact not using them is something many of us do. If you observe closely, you'll often times find that individuals listening to their phones intently or fidgeting with their PDAs are not doing anything at all, but again, are just attempting to seem enthused with something. :)

Answer 2

It is possible that many of those people were listening to music or something else on their headphones with the volume turned low enough to be able to hear announcements, but like another said, it's possible they were trying to look busy.

When I take the bus, I keep my eyes firmly planted in a book so as to deter people from trying to talk to me. If I see someone to whom I do not wish to speak, I whip out a book faster than you can blink and start reading.

Answer 3

Nope your not. But I'm actually listening to music. I'll just have the volume down so that I can hear the announcements. But when some weird guy sits next to me, and wants to strike up a conversation I'll act like I can't hear him and stare out the window, or something.

Answer 4

I wear my headphones in the tube just to block everyone else out. But I don't listen to the music loud enough to not be able to hear the conducter really... so whether or not those people were listening to music is a mystery.

Answer 5

When I wear headphones, I generally don't play the music loud enough to preclude me hearing an announcement. It can cause hearing loss if you play the music too loud.

But if you do it, chances are that other people do it too.

Answer 6

I don't have a subway where I live, but when I used to ride the busline to work, I ALWAYS brought a book or magazine with me for that very reason. Unfortunately, people still made small talk with me, even when they thought I was reading!

Answer 7

You bet. Also sometimes an open book works fine. But regardless, if someone REALLY wants to talk to you, you can't stop them. Most people are harmless, but sometimes I find myself not wanting to have to make small talk with people. Although, sometimes the nicest thing you can give a stranger is your ear for a few minutes...

Answer 8

I always have my ipod earphones each time I use the subway or take the bus sometimes wthout turning it on - mainly to keep being bothered by others and to keep me from listening to other's phone conversation... ; )