TAXI TELEVISION: Technology for Twitchy Tourists

I read somewhere a couple of years ago that white Americans differ from other cultures because of our desire for privacy in public. Whereas people of other cultures expect to mingle with other humans upon leaving the house, we white folks expect to avoid it, we aspire to being in our own little bubbles, in control of the temperature, the music, and free from interactions with others.

Over time, however, I’ve refined that notion in my mind as being more specifically about folks from car cultures, less about New Yorkers. In general, New Yorkers often seem to enjoy unexpected, incidental interactions with strangers, and the proverbial random acts of kindness that are, for many of us, a fact of New York life.

But nothing exemplifies the “privacy in public” bent as well as a recent Ottawa Citizen article about the makers of those noisy little TVs now found in the back of NYC taxis. Hyping the Canadian company, Mobile Knowledge, the piece quotes a number of high-strung tourists who portray the devices as indispensable during their NYC taxi rides. The TVs are said to relax passengers and take their minds off myriad stresses that arise during the average taxi ride in New York City. And among all the possible stressors, none is as stress-inducing as interacting with the driver: so nerve-wracking!

One woman cited in the article had visited from Atlanta. She describes how the little TVs helped her cope with her taxi rides: “I looked at the screen to avoid looking at the crazy drivers,” as if suffering from some disorder which renders her unable to deal with strangers in public. (Could a mental health professional help the woman? Is there a medication she should start? Or stop?)

Another man describes the devices as “an excellent distraction from the utter insanity” of a New York cab ride. “My wife and I travelled to the city and had at least three near-death experiences in three different cabs. Thankfully, they were all equipped with the monitors that distracted us.”

Now, it’s possible that this man has never traveled on a major thoroughfare in a large city, and has never experienced typical, aggressive rush hour traffic anywhere. But as for “at least three near-death experiences in three different cabs,” and his generalizing NYC cab rides as “utter insanity,” if not an anxiety disorder he at least has an acute hyperbole problem.

Next, “Vancouver native Antony Page, who…travels regularly to New York City…finds the devices ‘absolutely fantastic,’” according to the Ottawa Citizen. He “believes the technology is a big advantage to avoiding cab driver music and providing the passenger with some sense of control.”

How anyone could feel an inadequate sense of control while someone is chauffeuring them around is beyond me. Sounds like another tourist who has issues around interacting with strangers, a palpable anxiety disorder… C’mon folks, how hard is it to ask, “Could you please turn down the music?” Breaking news: cabbies work for tips.

It all reminds me of the last few times I’ve visited my mom in Missouri. I’ve noticed that it’s difficult to interact with strangers in town. For example, accidentally bumping another shopper in the supermarket check-out line doesn’t result in the kind of mutual, perfunctory apology familiar on the east coast. St Louisans seem to stare down at their feet, or anywhere else to avoid eye contact. And the flipside: more than once in NYC I’ve been with a visitor from the heartland who has failed to say “sorry” to someone they’ve accidently bumped, e.g., on the subway.

To be sure, there are plenty of things to love about other parts of the country and the people from there. Of course. However, as the Ottawa Citizen inadvertently reminds us, New Yorkers seem to have a better grasp on the whole carpe diem thing. And we stand out from the crowd by our ability to mutter a friendly “sorry” in a grocery store. And our ability to talk to cab drivers. And even the occasional stranger.

Photo credits: NutsInNY; musiquegirl

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