Train Encounters

This past Friday I was part of different cultures coming together to discuss something we all had in common. As I was riding the Queen seven train to school two cops and a man walked onto the train. The cops were minding their own business and doing routine sweeps of the neighborhood. The other man who walked on the train seemed to be in an intense conversation regarding murder and cops. His style was unique and appeared as if he came from an urban area. He walked with swag and talked with words that I only heard in certain areas of New York. He finished his conversation on the phone by saying that the cops shot the girl. He talked with no regard to whom he was around and everyone heard his conversation. The cops engaged the man. I thought something serious was going to unfold because of the details of the man’s conversation; however, something out of the blue happened instead. The cop gave the man a quizzical look and laughed at his phone call. The man said he was talking about the movie Paranormal Activity; it turned out he was in an intense conversation discussing the ending of the movie. The man thought the movie ended in one way, while his friend thought the movie ended in another way. Thus, a discussion of the movies began. I could not help but to join in the conversation because I was sitting very close to them. A heated discussion ensued, which ended up with everyone coming to the conclusion that there were alternate endings. On the train three different cultures collided, the culture of law enforcement, the urban culture, and the rural Chinese culture. We all came together and discussed something we had in common.