You are on some god forsaken early commute to wherever (work, hospital, study), stressing about something at work, caring for a close one, or doing last minute review for the exam/ test you are about to give/ take. And then it happens, someone starts playing video/ music loudly or talking loudly on the phone or a boisterous set talk loudly to each other.
All 3 are equally jarring. Though it quite likely that the first example, playing video/ music loudly is the one which is getting dunked the most because (I guess) it is the latest entrant to the club. There are many theories (cell phone hardware having no headphone socket, etc.) as why this one occurred and mine is that the abomination which happened in 2020 and the heartless way in which people were treated by society and the state made everyone go "The only one who is going to lookout for me is I and I better have a good time".
Giving the benefit of doubt and showing some grace would only make us more human and I believe a more cohesive community. The one on the phone could be talking to a loved one and maybe they are so over-worked, the only time they get is on the public transport. Maybe they are so lonely, they really felt the urge to reach out to someone. The group or 2 persons talking loudly must have met each after a long time. It would be tempting to deduce the above is not the case and that the persons involved are doing just empty banter. But, how do we know for sure?
Agree, in some cases, it is clear, that the person is just doing a sales pitch, or doing regular job related activities. But maybe, they really need the job or are being forced to work while commuting.
Well, so how can we be respectful of the vast majority of the people's presence who keep quiet during the commute?
It has be to a team play. On a train, there are already quiet carriages/ cars, mostly. Train staff should be deployed to dilgently enforce the rules. It can be cringy to confront egregious behavior. So there should be a button of some sort which can be discreetly pressed, so that train staff know which car/ carriage to come to. On buses, the driver should be empowered to enforce the rules. If the driver and commuters fear escalation, again there should a discreet button which can be pressed.
And while calling out others it would be worthwhile to keep this in mind - Obnoxious behavior, when done by a group who we believe are same as ours (based on age, gender, nationality, language or whatever catches one's fancy) is tolerated more.
And if nothing works, I would rather indulge myself with loud music than be unwillingly privy to someone's call or conversation.