I’m currently on a long-haul bus trip, cross-country to save having to pay for a flight.
The bus has an unofficial quiet policy, meaning that people are expected to use headphones, apparently it’s to encourage a sense of peace on the long journey…
Last night, I was sitting in my assigned seat listening to music on my headphones. A family of 4 got on and sat in the row in front of me. 2 adults and 2 teenagers. The father turned around to me and said ‘we do not wish for our family to be exposed to your obnoxious music.’ I smiled and said perhaps they should ask to move seats if it was an issue but I would be listening to my music. They noticed I was traveling alone and made passive aggressive comments about this.
I went to use the restroom and on my return my headphones were gone from my seat. The bus driver came over and asked to see my ticket and said the family had told him I was a stowaway and must have sneaked onto the bus, he was very apologetic and returned with my headphones (which the father had "found" on the floor) just as the family was settling in to watch a movie on their tablet.
AITA for then unplugging my headphones, turning my phone’s volume to maximum, and playing the most explicit death metal song I could find? the family stormed up to the driver to complain when the chorus kicked in at the front of the bus
honestly, nta. they stole your headphones and tried to get you kicked off the bus. that’s unhinged behavior. your response was petty, sure, but they fully escalated it first. play stupid games, win stupid prizes
presumably they had the sound on to watch the movie – unless they all had headphones connected to one tablet.
ESH except the beleaguered driver. You were fine until the infantile part at the end.
You were on a bus, not in your personal limosine. Anyone listening to music with headphones should have the volume such that no one else can hear it – that’s the point of the rule after all. At the same time they had no business snatching your headphone when you went to the toilet and making up the stowaway story. ESH.
ESH. They were wildly out of line for stealing your headphones, lying to the driver, and trying to police your volume. But blasting explicit death metal without headphones on a quiet bus is just escalating the chaos. They were wrong first, but you didn’t choose the high road either.
ESH. The parent shouldn’t have been rude about your tastes. He should have asked politely for you to turn the volume down until only you could hear it.
You were also at fault for even having music that loud to begin with. In a public, shared space, it is common courtesy to keep volume to a minimum, or even turn on subtitles if watching a movie, to make the communal space bearable for everyone.
Obviously the parent then cranked the assholery up to 11 by trying to get you kicked off but at that point it all became meaningless, because you returned in kind.
If anyone else was around you and that family, I feel sorry for them.
ESH. The point of headphones is to keep your music for yourself. If they could hear then it defeats the point. Buy new ones or turn the volume down.