Eyes on the T
June 27, 2024 1:09 PM Subscribe
Back in April a group of transit riders protested in front of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority headquarters. Their demands? If the MBTA's subways and trains can't be reliable they should at least be made more relatable by decorating them with large googly eyes. And now after months of campaigning, five of the T's trains and trolleys have been made a little friendlier.
If the MBTA's subways and trains can't be reliable
An understatement; people are dying (getting mangled on doors etc.) and nothing is being done. The Feds threatened to put the system into receivership what, two years ago?
posted by Melismata at 1:30 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]
An understatement; people are dying (getting mangled on doors etc.) and nothing is being done. The Feds threatened to put the system into receivership what, two years ago?
posted by Melismata at 1:30 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]
"I think it really does inspire a lot of just more like, you know, civic duty for the sake of silliness, too."
I AM INSPIRED!
This is fab. Thank you for posting this, RonButNotStupid!
posted by kristi at 1:43 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]
I AM INSPIRED!
This is fab. Thank you for posting this, RonButNotStupid!
posted by kristi at 1:43 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]
Nationwide strike until these are installed on all modes of public transportation. And airplanes. And firetrucks.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:49 PM on June 27 [6 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:49 PM on June 27 [6 favorites]
In hot summer months, who doesn't enjoy a nice eyesed T?
posted by aubilenon at 1:55 PM on June 27 [22 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 1:55 PM on June 27 [22 favorites]
Oh now they’ve done it. It has begun. Just wait. Up next: broom-like mustaches, every train a Clavin
posted by jerome powell buys his sweatbands in bulk only at 1:56 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
posted by jerome powell buys his sweatbands in bulk only at 1:56 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
An understatement; people are dying (getting mangled on doors etc.) and nothing is being done.
There are just so many layers.
If the T had originally announced this and not the riders, it would have been met with a healthy dose of cynicism for trying to cover up dangerous, systemic flaws with a dumb, superficial PR stunt. And the original demand is written in way that would seem to be cynically baiting the T into doing just that by holding a protest not for better service but for putting the eyes on the trains. But there's also a very "no wait, this is sincere--googly eyes would actually make us happier" aspect that was strong enough for the T to actually decide to do it.
Is this an example of the MBTA calling riders' bluff? Or is this an example of sincerity and goodness winning out over cynicism? It's both!
posted by RonButNotStupid at 1:58 PM on June 27 [7 favorites]
There are just so many layers.
If the T had originally announced this and not the riders, it would have been met with a healthy dose of cynicism for trying to cover up dangerous, systemic flaws with a dumb, superficial PR stunt. And the original demand is written in way that would seem to be cynically baiting the T into doing just that by holding a protest not for better service but for putting the eyes on the trains. But there's also a very "no wait, this is sincere--googly eyes would actually make us happier" aspect that was strong enough for the T to actually decide to do it.
Is this an example of the MBTA calling riders' bluff? Or is this an example of sincerity and goodness winning out over cynicism? It's both!
posted by RonButNotStupid at 1:58 PM on June 27 [7 favorites]
I think it's sweet.
Working on a failing system is profoundly demoralizing. Having a sense of identity that isn't just about being a failure is motivating.
posted by constraint at 2:14 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
Working on a failing system is profoundly demoralizing. Having a sense of identity that isn't just about being a failure is motivating.
posted by constraint at 2:14 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
Writing this from the Red Line after taking visiting family to the aquarium:
1) All in favor of googly eyes, seriously (and I hope some Yankees fan tourist with a stick up their butt chokes over our civic juvenalia.)
2) the new leadership for the MBTA inherited an absolute shit situation and has been, to the best of my knowledge, making the hard choices to suspend or severely curtail service in order to actually fix the massive fucking problems with the tracks that have had the Red Line at half speed for the past …what? Two years?
“Next stop Havahd.”
Quickly, then: mostly glad current management seems to be at least trying to actually fix this clusterfuck, even if the cost is people shouting louder in the short term.
posted by Ryvar at 2:50 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
1) All in favor of googly eyes, seriously (and I hope some Yankees fan tourist with a stick up their butt chokes over our civic juvenalia.)
2) the new leadership for the MBTA inherited an absolute shit situation and has been, to the best of my knowledge, making the hard choices to suspend or severely curtail service in order to actually fix the massive fucking problems with the tracks that have had the Red Line at half speed for the past …what? Two years?
“Next stop Havahd.”
Quickly, then: mostly glad current management seems to be at least trying to actually fix this clusterfuck, even if the cost is people shouting louder in the short term.
posted by Ryvar at 2:50 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
The Federal Transportation Authority did come in and demand a whole bunch of safety changes in 2022, which the MBTA has been implementing ever since.You can see all the details here.
The current cultural, institutional and infrastructural disaster at the T is the result of decades of mismanagement and underfunding. Insofar as it’s possible to tell from the outside, Phil Eng seems to be doing the right things to turn this very big, very slow ship around, but it’s going to be years before it gets to a really acceptable state. If he wants to do something cheap and goofy in the mean time just to add a little whimsy and show folks he’s listening, I can hardly begrudge him that.
posted by firechicago at 3:14 PM on June 27 [13 favorites]
The current cultural, institutional and infrastructural disaster at the T is the result of decades of mismanagement and underfunding. Insofar as it’s possible to tell from the outside, Phil Eng seems to be doing the right things to turn this very big, very slow ship around, but it’s going to be years before it gets to a really acceptable state. If he wants to do something cheap and goofy in the mean time just to add a little whimsy and show folks he’s listening, I can hardly begrudge him that.
posted by firechicago at 3:14 PM on June 27 [13 favorites]
*tips fedora* M'commuter.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 3:19 PM on June 27 [4 favorites]
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 3:19 PM on June 27 [4 favorites]
Wait, why are we insinuating googly eyes on trains = incels?
posted by Ryvar at 3:20 PM on June 27 [1 favorite]
posted by Ryvar at 3:20 PM on June 27 [1 favorite]
Wait, why are we insinuating googly eyes on trains = incels?
No, the trains occasionally enter tunnels.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 4:07 PM on June 27 [9 favorites]
No, the trains occasionally enter tunnels.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 4:07 PM on June 27 [9 favorites]
Who’s the contemporary equivalent of the Kingston Trio to record a song about this?
posted by non canadian guy at 4:25 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
posted by non canadian guy at 4:25 PM on June 27 [5 favorites]
Just wanted to share a shoutout for the excellent TransitMatters site, whose data dashboard is great for seeing how the T is doing. I think the answer is dire, but slowly improving.
posted by john hadron collider at 4:38 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]
posted by john hadron collider at 4:38 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]
I was referring to the guy's hat on the charlie card
posted by brujita at 5:13 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]
posted by brujita at 5:13 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]
This is the same MBTA that saved its trains from even worse downtime by capping all the cooling system air intakes with pantyhose so nothing would fly into them.
The same MBTA that marked one Christmas by having the voice-generated announcer sing "Deck the Halls."
The MBTA has problems. It's also pretty seriously awesome.
posted by ocschwar at 6:31 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]
The same MBTA that marked one Christmas by having the voice-generated announcer sing "Deck the Halls."
The MBTA has problems. It's also pretty seriously awesome.
posted by ocschwar at 6:31 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]
Once again, more proof that there is nothing that googly eyes can't improve.
posted by briank at 7:06 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]
posted by briank at 7:06 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]
>Who’s the contemporary equivalent of the Kingston Trio to record a song about this?
My vote.
Listen to the silence, let it ring on
Eyes, dark grey lenses frightened of the sun
We would have a fine time living in the night
Left to blind destruction, waiting for our sight.
...
We would go on as though nothing was wrong
Hide from these days, we remained all alone
Staying in the same place, just staying out the time
Touching from a distance, further all the time.
posted by cocoagirl at 8:44 PM on June 27 [1 favorite]
My vote.
Listen to the silence, let it ring on
Eyes, dark grey lenses frightened of the sun
We would have a fine time living in the night
Left to blind destruction, waiting for our sight.
...
We would go on as though nothing was wrong
Hide from these days, we remained all alone
Staying in the same place, just staying out the time
Touching from a distance, further all the time.
posted by cocoagirl at 8:44 PM on June 27 [1 favorite]
third train, T subway train, is best train, with best train face: two googly eyes looking right, a big frown, and a nose? a third eye? a frying pan frying a large eye?
posted by are-coral-made at 3:45 AM on June 28 [1 favorite]
posted by are-coral-made at 3:45 AM on June 28 [1 favorite]
Ok, I I'm sorry to be a pedant, but are those actually googly eyes? I mean they just look painted on? Googly eyes have to bounce around with the motion of their plastic casing or else they're just plastic eyes, not googly eyes. And these might not even be plastic eyes, they're just painted on eyes. I mean its better than nothing, but actual googly eyes would be better.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:38 AM on June 28 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:38 AM on June 28 [1 favorite]
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posted by kokaku at 1:14 PM on June 27 [11 favorites]