New York City’s subway has always been unpredictable, but sometimes something happens that rattles people. Fare evasion is nothing new, since everyone has seen someone try to sneak past the turnstiles. But a recent video from the subway has left the internet equal parts outraged and heartbroken. In the clip, a woman lashes out at an autistic man. All he did was stop her from skipping the fare. He didn’t yell, didn’t start anything, just held her to the rules. That was enough to set her off.
The video starts with a woman getting into a heated argument with an autistic man who presumably tried to stop her from skipping the New York subway fare. As the man in the video can be heard saying: “Everyone’s required to pay the fare if you didn’t realize.”
Instead of just paying or walking away, she went after him, firing off a bunch of aggressive questions: “Do you work at the MTA? Do you get paid extra money to do that? Were you the one that opened the door?”
Then she hit him with what people are calling the most disturbing part. She told him, straight up, “Mind your *expletive* business next time.” It’s not clear how it all started or why he decided to step in, but one thing is obvious: she treated him with a level of hostility that nobody, especially someone with autism, should have to deal with in public.
Notably, autistic people have a strong sense of right and wrong. Simon Baron-Cohen, a well-known psychologist, even calls them “highly moral people” who care deeply about justice and spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be good. A lot of this comes from being more focused on rules than most people, plus personal experiences with exclusion or unfair treatment.
Neurologically, many autistic people see things in black and white: something is either right or it’s not, fair or unfair. When they spot someone breaking a rule, it’s hard for them to just let it slide.
Social media exploded as soon as that video hit the internet. People didn’t hold back, as the disgust was obvious, and several users said it was plain uncomfortable to watch someone talk down to a vulnerable person over something as minor as a subway fare. Pretty much everyone online agrees: the guy didn’t do anything wrong, and the way he got treated was way out of line.
Reddit Reacts as Autistic Man Gets Verbally Attacked by New York Woman
The confrontation quickly sparked intense reactions online, with many expressing frustration over the situation. “Society is cooked,” one person wrote.
Some mocked the decision to post the clip at all. “Pulls out camera. ‘So here’s the guy that stopped me from breaking the law. Sure, if I hadn’t made this video, you’d never even know I intended to break it, but pay attention to my confessed crimes everyone! For clout!’” a user commented.
Others focused on the man involved. “That could’ve been hard for the guy. he might’ve felt confused that he was called out for something he thought he was right,” one person said. Another added, “This is horrible, he seems like a sweet gentle guy. I hate bullies.”
A few responses were more cutting. “Imagine the mentally handicapped having a better sense of duty and honor than you…” one comment read. Another wrote, “Judging from her behavior, I imagine the woman filming has not cleaned her bathroom in over a year.”
This incident shows how ugly people can be, even in totally normal situations. One minute you are on the subway, maybe speaking up about something small, and the next thing you know, you are getting attacked just for trying to do the right thing. New York is a tough city, but there’s no excuse for this kind of behavior.
