I avoid looking people in the eye on the subway. In turn, they avoid looking me in the eye. When the subway is packed, there's nowhere to look but at the floor or ceiling. The problem is that I can only stare at the ceiling for so long before I get bored. I never think to bring a book and don't really like the tabloid newspapers they hand out at rush hour.
Solution: Commission art for subway car ceilings. Give commuters something interesting to stare at. Print a magic eye or Where's Waldo sort of graphic up there. Art, puzzles, poetry, whatever. Just no ads. I don't think that subway riders should be abused that way.
Solution: Commission art for subway car ceilings. Give commuters something interesting to stare at. Print a magic eye or Where's Waldo sort of graphic up there. Art, puzzles, poetry, whatever. Just no ads. I don't think that subway riders should be abused that way.
It's only a matter of time before the advertising industry realizes that people are so antisocial that their eyes naturally drift towards social neutral places. Then the ads on ceilings and floors will move in.Consider this: when that happens, people like me who hate looking at ads, will be forced to look elsewhere. Perhaps that might even result in making eyecontact as a lesser of two "evils". It might even start a trend of people actually acknowledging each other's existence in public places. Or not. *shrug*. Just a thought.