The Sociopath On The Train

 

From Professor Google:

Sociopath: consistent disregard for the rights and feelings of others, lack of conscience, and manipulative behavior. Key traits include deceitfulness, aggression, impulsivity and an inability to distinguish right from wrong, often without remorse for their actions.

Distinction from "psychopath" may be artificial, although psychopaths said to more often be successful, owing to a consistent quality of deceptiveness which plays to other people's good will.

Apparently, the term "sociopath" has fallen out of favor but the Phantom saw one on a train ride out of New York just now, on a trip south and all his bells were ringing inside his skull: "SOCIOPATH!" And it was a little thrilling, however disturbing to observe.

So here's the story: The Phantom was riding in the business class of the Amtrak from Boston toward Washington, DC. He had spent the extra money because he wanted to ride next to his wife and she wanted to face forward so to be sure of assigned seats, you have to pay for business class, otherwise you're in coach, which is cheaper, but you may not be able to find two seats together, especially during the mayhem of train travel in the Northeast corridor three days before Thanksgiving. 

In New York, a thirty-something, maybe mid twenty something man takes the seat across the aisle from us, and he immediately spreads out over his aisle seat and the window seat, bringing the trays for both down and loading them up with three computers, not to mention at least one, maybe a second monster Apple phone.  He's also got some sort of technical journal spread out on the tray. 

The man is wearing a trim Navy blue hoodie with "New York Energy" emblazoned on it. Googling that, Phantom discovers these were very trendy after the NYC Marathon and were very hard to find or purchase. It's a sort of Kate Spade bag for men, or maybe a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. He has a large diamond ear stud. He wears Diesel jeans or some sort of very pricey jeans and what are likely pricey sneakers, although the Phantom is insufficiently informed about sneakers. Jimmy Choo sneakers, maybe. He looks like young, conspicuous but very trendy money.

When the conductor makes his way down the aisle this man shows him his phone  and the conductor says, "Oh, this is a coach ticket," you'll have move. The next six cars are all coach. 

"Oh," the man says. "So sorry." The man is Asian and he sounds like he doesn't speak very much English, which might explain how he did not notice or was unable to read all the "Business Class" signs above his seat, suspended from the ceilings of the car, and on the doors at each end. 

The conductor continues on down the aisle but the man makes no move to leave. The Phantom's wife says, "He's not going to move." 

"Well, when whoever has bought that seat arrives, he'll have to move," the Phantom reassures her while she stares knives in his direction.

Sure enough, the man continues to work his computers and remains in place. 

Then he gets on the phone and, speaking very unaccented English he engages in several phone calls, the last one, makes him agitated.

"I don't care if your supervisor is busy. If you want to retain my company's business you'll fucking get your supervisor on the fucking phone! And I mean, like right now."

He continues to harangue whatever poor soul has the misfortune to be on the other end of the line.

His English, however profane, is very good. Like a native.

Around Philadelphia, a somewhat overweight, abused looking man arrives toting a suitcase, over the shoulder computer case and he looks at the seat numbers and finally concludes the Asian guy is sitting in the aisle seat but occupying with computer stuff the window seat this man has paid for. 

"You'll have move that stuff and let me in," the man says.

The Asian guy looks up from the phone and reverts to "I can barely speak English" saying, "Oh, so sorry. Just wait a moment. I'm on the phone." 

The train begins to leave the station and the man says, "No, I cannot wait until you've finished your phone call. I need to get to my seat so move your stuff and get up and let me by."

The Phantom's wife is enjoying this immensely--all  she needs is  a bag of popcorn.

The Asian guy collects his things and moves two seats down the aisle to an empty aisle seat. 

The conductor comes by to collect the tickets from the passengers who got on at Philadelphia and the Asian guy having no yellow paper slip over his head as a ticketed passenger who has been logged in by the conductor would have, and the conductor asks for his ticket and once again gets the phone ticket and tells the Asian guy he has to move to the coach car. It's the same conductor who had told him to move before but the conductor never returned to make sure he had moved. 

"Oh, so sorry," the Asian guy says. This time the conductor looks back at him as he continues collecting tickets from other passengers and the Asian guy gets up with all his stuff and walks back toward the coach car. But he ducks into the bathroom at the far end of the business class car, just before the coach car.

"You know," the Phantom tells the conductor. "You hear about 'If you see something, say something?' Well that guy never did leave business class when you told him to an hour ago."

"Yeah," the conductor says. "There's always one."

"And right now," the phantom says, "He's hiding in the bathroom."

"Yeah," the conductor says. "I'll hang around this time."

Another conductor comes by, a woman conductor and the two knock on the bathroom door and the Asian guy emerges and walks into the coach car.

The conductor looks at the Phantom. "There's always one," he says. "A sociopath. Rules don't apply to him."

"Happy Thanksgiving," the Phantom's wife tells the conductor.  "Mine already is."