Ethical micro-dilemmas

[webofevil]

Schoolboy error, but I was very tired: travelcard not yet updated since returning from holiday, I found myself watching my bus bear down on me last night and automatically reached for loose change. Old habits cling; central London buses haven’t accepted cash for, what, a couple of years now. I’m the last on, and the doors close behind me. The driver regards me wearily. “You can’t use cash,” he says. I realise he’s right, use a bad word, and make to get off and take my chances with the ramshackle ticket machine at the bus stop. “How far you going?” he says. I tell him. It’s well over a mile. He shrugs with his face (you know damn well what I mean), and pulls away. I travel for free. So obviously I have reported him to the authorities.

No, obviously not, but it’s a test, of sorts; one of those little moments where no-one’s going to see you be mildly dishonest or judge you for it, and it won’t impinge on anyone else. Does it demonstrate a collapse of moral fibre to sink gratefully into the back seat of the bus, or is it just plain common sense? What’s more, when, later on in the journey, two chancers stroll on to the bus without paying, pretending not to hear the driver when he calls them back, then try and persuade him to take them for free for “Just one stop, please. One stop. Please. One stop” (though that makes them sound far too pleasant. This “please” had teeth), and only after protracted refusal from the driver pretend that it’s no big deal and they didn’t want to get on the stupid bus anyway, etc—how much should you reflect on the free ride you just had?

[Poll #744824]

Comments

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

You could send in a cheque or postal order with the cost of a single fare to assuage your conscience, you know.

And the driver let you stay on because you were tired and clearly willing to get off and would be no trouble. He didn't let the others on because they clearly were trouble. Consider it a reward for being nice to someone in a crap job.

[pipistrellus.livejournal.com]

I really like it when that happens. Makes me feel all special as I quietly think of the losers as, well, losers.

I'm only a little twisted ;)

[webofevil.livejournal.com]

> You could send in a cheque or postal order with the cost of a single fare to assuage your conscience

Actually, I've paid for some shit journeys in my time. I'll consider my karmic account partly reconciled.

[chiller.livejournal.com]

You get a free ride because you were prepared to be honest.

Those other idiots weren't.

It's karma, innit. Or something. Anyway, it makes perfect London-Moral-Sense.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. I've had a few like that too - including the time I was jeered off the bus by the conductor and passengers for standing up for a couple of annoying teenagers who were getting seriously offensive abuse from the conductor. (I saw red at the phrase "you should know your place".)

[uitlander]

As clanwilliam said, the key difference is that you offered to pay without any attempt at blagging it, and then offered to get off. You didn;t try and wind the driver up, and he decided to be nice to you. The other ones tried it on and got nasty. Sometimes being pleasant pays. I wouldn't feel guilty about it - kinda restores your faith in humanity - a small act of kindness which was appreciated.

[webofevil.livejournal.com]

Well, "guilty" is a little strong, but I did find myself thinking about that Alan Ayckbourn play where one of the characters is convinced that all the tiny, petty dishonesties we commit - stealing stationery from work, etc - add up to some vast unified dishonesty that ultimately makes humanity one enormous universal bastard. Then I found myself idly thinking about buying some milk. I was quite tired at this point.

[(Anonymous)]

You should have stabbed the driver in the head and stolen the cash box. That would have shown him, and Ken and his newts.

[bluete.livejournal.com]

you're not supposed to steal stationery from work? Where do you get it from then?