Attempts at humour by TM's

[CHESHIRECAT]

Travelled on a service from Piccadilly to Euston today

Apart from the 10 minute diatribe predeparture about Advance tickets/ split tickets; cost of a new one etc; not forgetting the 61016 announcement after departure was the worst

'Ladies Gentlemen those who aren't sure and those who haven't made their minds up' preceded the calling points etc.

Is this really appropriate ?

(for the record I am male / heterosexual!)

 

[jfowkes]

Is it appropriate from a customer service perspective? I think not - much like the "Frighton/Brighton" Halloween signage thing, I think jokes make it harder for people who find it hard to understand what's being said (for whatever reason) to have an even harder time parsing the announcement for important information.

Is it appropriate from a "political correctness" perspective? It's either a pretty weak stab at gender queer/trans people or it's just an attempt at being funny without really thinking it through.
Though, you could consider it a more inclusive greeting. "Those who aren't sure and those who haven't made their minds up" are definitely categories of people that exist.

Is it a good joke? No.

 

[Archvile]

Anything that brings a bit of character to customer service is a win in my eyes

 

[CHESHIRECAT]

I think there's a fine line..some just like the sound of their own voice IMHO!

 

[Purple Train]

Humour is OK as a general rule in my eyes, but that's a decidedly clumsy thing to say over a PA, whatever the intention behind it. If the guTrain Manager wished to insert some humour into proceedings, waiting until the Milton Keynes Central stop and making a good joke at MK's expense (fairground of Britain!) would offend none but the professionally offended, and no tourists would be getting off there so wouldn't be confused (said as a former resident of Milton Keynes who absolutely loves the place).

I love nothing more than a human touch on the railways, but that's not the way to go about it.

 

[liamf656]

'Ladies Gentlemen those who aren't sure and those who haven't made their minds up' preceded the calling points etc.

Obviously I'm unsure of the tone used in this but if perceived the wrong way it could come across as patronising, almost mocking

I know a few that harmlessly play on the places (reference to Duffield International) which I don't see a problem with. It even encourages people to listen to the announcements sometimes

I've witnessed a couple of problems in the past where they've made a joke about the catering trolley, suggesting that it offers candy floss, hot dogs and chips. The only issue is that the majority of people believed it and were disappointed when they were told that it wasn't actually available

 

[Russel]

'Ladies Gentlemen those who aren't sure and those who haven't made their minds up' preceded the calling points etc.

The people being referred to here are generally easily triggered and will be straight onto Twitter, looking for sympathy/attention, so the TM is asking for trouble.

 

[michael74]

The people being referred to here are generally easily triggered and will be straight onto Twitter, looking for sympathy/attention, so the TM is asking for trouble.

I think you need to have a word with yourself. As for the TM, inappropriate.

 

[Bluejays]

Heard this announcement a few months ago myself, guessing from the same person. Did think it was a bit strange. Also slightly confused as to why the op seems intent on expanding this out to include the grade in general, when it's an announcement by 1 individual.

 

[Zerothebrake!]

''Ladies and Gentlemen this is Totnes..change here for an alternative lifestyle" made me smile

 

[richa2002]

Triggering language to a small demographic but considering the dross most normal thinking people have to put up with on a daily basis these days, it's good to hear some pushback to the general insanity of the modern world. Whether it's right for a train PA though, probably not.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Triggering language to a small demographic but considering the dross most normal thinking people have to put up with on a daily basis these days, it's good to hear some pushback to the general insanity of the modern world.

Good to know neolithic times are considered modern now, for that's the earliest recorded evidence of people outside the gender binary.

FWIW, I don't see anything wrong with the announcement - it's commonly used within LGBTQ+ spaces and nicely highlights the fact that gender isn't a binary.

Not hugely surprising to see the usual suspects using something that no-one actually affected by the announcement has complained about (this isn't a dig at the OP, I saw it as a genuine question) as a reason to drag the 'easily offended'. As ever, some introspection is called for.