There are bulls in the subways of Korea. You've seen them. Half
human, half bull, they are known as "subway bulls." Though "bull"
refers specifically to males in the animal kingdom, subway bulls can
be either male or female. They resemble the rest of the human race
in all ways but two: 1) Body Position while awaiting the subway's
arrival and 2) General Subway Behavior.
First, let
us look at Body Positioning. The subway bull stands on the subway
platform, perfectly perpendicular to the subway line, approximately
100 cm behind the long yellow warning strip, feet planted squarely
in the middle of the yellow arrows behind which he or she ought to
be standing. In that position the bull remains virtually motionless.
Eyes transfixed on something (anything) straight ahead, the subway
bull appears to be in a trance. There is but one stimulus that will
arouse the subway bull from this state: the sound of the bell
announcing the subway train's approach.
The
ringing subway bell marks the onset of stage one in General Subway
Behavior, the Anticipation Stage. Upon hearing the bell ring, the
bull releases his or her eyes from their fixed position, looks down
toward the platform, and begins to shuffle his or her feet.
Alternating left and right, the bull drags his or her feet slowly
and heavily backward, as if trying to raise dust from the subway
platform. Simultaneously, he or she begins to breathe heavily, as
evidenced by rising and falling chest and shoulders. An air of
impatient anticipation surrounds the bull during this stage, and
thus the designation, Anticipation Stage.
Stage two,
precipitated by the bull's auditory or visual observation of the
approaching train, is the "transition phase." Behaviors exhibited
during this stage, though subtle, are remarkably consistent across
the subway bull population. Almost without exception, a tightening
of the grip on his or her packages occurs and the hypnotic-like gaze
returns. Distinct from that observed under Body Positioning, the
blank stare of Transition Stage, more intense and unwavering, has
been labeled "catatonic." By the time the subway train has come to a
complete stop before our wily creature, a transition, or
transformation, has occurred. Single-mindedness has overtaken the
subway bull. His or her entire being has become focused on one
thing: getting inside that subway car.
Thus
begins the third and final stage, "The Charge." Because this phase
of behavior is easily observable and unmistakably "bullish," it has
become the defining essence of the subway bull we know today. Stage
three is also considered the most dangerous phase because, once set
in motion, it can be neither reversed nor slowed. (And it is this
knowledge that, perhaps more than anything else about the subway
bull, grips with fear the heart of the innocent subway passenger.)
As the subway doors open, the bull is, by all outward indication,
unaware of his or her surroundings. In a near-maddened state, he or
she charges. Into the midst of unsuspecting passengers forges the
subway bull, with power untamable and reckless abandon, "like a bull
in a China shop" as it were. Utter chaos rules during this phase,
with bodies colliding, bags flying, make-up smearing, fingernails
snapping and the mania settling only when the subway bull has
realized his or her goal: arrival in the subway car. Though we
can never know for certain what goes on inside the subway bull’s
mind, systematic observation has provided a behavioral
database upon which to begin making educated guesses. One hypothesis
is that the subway bull has no mind at all. Another theory is that
the subway bull does have a mind, but one which is void of logic.
This second theory falls from the following line of thinking. If, in
fact, the bull’s goal is to get into the subway car as soon as
possible, the practice of charging into a concentrated flow of
outgoing passengers, would seem to be counterproductive. While
hindering the progress of exiting passengers, the subway bull is
also stifling his or her own forward progress. Given that “The
Charge” yields absolutely no benefit to any party concerned, it
seems that the subway bull is operating in the absence of
logic.
One might be inclined to suppose, then,
that the subway bull operates predominantly on instinct. In this
case, the instinctual “charging” mechanism, acquired in the bull’s
natural habitat, has been transposed to the subway setting.
Adaptation has occurred, something for which the subway bull ought
not to be looked down upon nor punished.
On the other hand, the civilized society
at large must also adapt. Using logic, members of the civilized
society can decide whether or not to accept the bullish behavior of
certain urban dwellers such as the subway bull.
While we ought not to ostracize the
subway bull for its base, adaptive behaviors, neither do we need to
embrace undisciplined, potentially dangerous behavior. In succumbing
to the brutish ways of the subway bull, are we in effect,
guilty of giving in to “herd mentality?” In small, isolated doses,
giving in is not detrimental to our well-being. But in the long run,
are we giving consent to a minority of aggressive bulls who are
daily trampling what we consider to be basic human values? Are
we compromising our dignity as human beings by accepting the
aggression of these creatures? And ultimately, are we ushering in a
less civilized manner of living?
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