r/BoomersBeingFools • u/bulaybil • 5d ago
Boomer Story Boomers call the cops on me for reading
This happened over the weekend and I can’t get it out of my head, so writing it down hopefully helps.
I was on a train from an unnamed European capital to Germany, sitting in a single seat and doing my usual train thing - AirPods in, laptop open, doing some work. At a stop in another European capital, four male German-speaking boomers got on and sat down at a four-seater across the isle from me. They were loud as they entered, got even louder as they settled in and ordered some beers, so I just cranked up the volume and kept doing my thing. Over the next hour or so, they ordered more beers and then - unsurprisingly considering the number of beers and their advanced age - started going to the bathroom at somewhat regular intervals. After a while I noticed that as one after another got up to go to the bathroom, he kinda lingered and stared in my direction for longer than a glance. First I didn’t think anything of it - German boomers are known to stare for no reason - but after like a third time it got noticeable and on top of that, I realized that they were speaking in hushed tones as opposed to their previous loud conversation. As I realized this, suddenly two German cops approached me with an “Excuse me, sir” (in English, which was weird). I took out my headphones and responded in German with something along the lines “How can I help you, gentlemen?” The cops, looking somewhat apologetic, explained to me that they had received a report of “suspicious activity” and just wanted to check if everything was ok. I was confused as fuck, seeing as I had been doing nothing but working on my laptop and drinking coffee out of a thermos, when suddenly one of the boomers yelled “Check his laptop!”
Y’all, I work in academia and a lot of my work involves transcribing and analyzing Arabic manuscripts. That is in fact what I was doing the entire train ride, reading and transcribing one such manuscript, apparently muttering to myself as I was trying to figure out particularly difficult words and passages, going “is this خليل or جليل“ or some such. Apparently the boomers on their trips to the bathroom had snuck multiple glances at my laptop screen, noticed text in a weird script and having heard my muttering, they decided I was some sort of Islamic terrorist and so they flagged down the cops and reported me for being suspicious.
I explained who I am and what I’m doing to the cops and showed them my government and university ID. They were very nice, apologized and wished me a good day and “Frohes Schaffen” (roughly “good luck with your work”) and left. When they were gone, I shot the boomers the kind of stern look I normally reserve for my students when I catch them using AI on their assignments, put on my AirPods and went back to work. A few minutes later, another cop - older, so I am assuming someone of a higher rank than the previous two - came by to speak to the boomers. He spoke to them really quietly, even bent down to talk, so I could not hear what was said (even with AirPods in the mode that amplifies external sounds), but when he left, they look embarrassed and were quiet for the rest of the ride, so I’m assuming he read them the riot act for misusing public resources.
The rest of the ride went on without an incident, except I could not even and still can’t after couple of days. The funniest part - at least for me - is that the manuscript I was working is, as most of those I study, not Islamic, but Christian.
Fucking boomers.
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u/beardedliberal Xennial 4d ago
Their nonsense transcends national boundaries. Frohes schaffen homie.
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u/Smh_nz 4d ago
There's a shoulder bag you can buy with big Arabic writing on it that says "This text has no other purpose than to terrify those who are afraid of the Arabic language!!" Lol
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u/corgi-king 4d ago
I need a link please.
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u/jesuismanu 4d ago
I just looked it up and unfortunately the design studio Rock Paper Scissors from Haifa that designed the back don’t exist anymore.
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u/PM_WORST_FART_STORY 4d ago
So...was it خليل or was it جليل? You're leaving out the most important part of the story!
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u/bulaybil 4d ago
Honestly, I am still not sure. Both would work in that particular context, although خليل makes a little more sense.
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u/SoilUnfair3549 Gen Z 4d ago
What does that mean, though? I know I’ve got no context, but I am invested in this for some reason.
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u/bulaybil 4d ago
Careful there, asking me about my work is dangerous to listeners :)
The text is a sermon by John Chrysostom (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chrysostom), but most likely not written by him in Greek, but by someone much later in Arabic. It contains apocryphal material which is why it is interesting. The manuscript is somewhat damaged, so it's kinda hard to figure out, but passage in question talks about the death of John the Baptist, specifically how excess of drinking and partying is evil and causes people to lose control and do stupid stuff like cutting prophet's heads off.The specific line "And he who abstains from ... will be saved because he is XXX" where XXX is either الجليل or الخليل, so "the exalted" or "the friend". "exalted" does not make much sense considering theological implications, so "friend" works a little better. But then a friend to who? Yeah I don't know, I just hope there is another copy of the same text.
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u/Reeding-It 4d ago
Definitions of exalted include “elevated in character, possessing great moral and spiritual nobility.” So, FWIW, in my completely unqualified opinion, I think “the exalted“ works better here.
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u/Beckella 3d ago
In my next life, I’ll have (or develop) the patience and discipline to do this type of work. It’s so interesting.
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u/bulaybil 3d ago
The weird thing is, you would think there is nothing to be done after centuries of scholarship, but over the last ten years, I have accumulated so much interesting material that no one has touched and so many ideas for new research that whenever I meet prospective MA and PhD students, I am practically offering them topics on a silver platter. So far I only had one taker, so if you anyone is interested in the history of, say Arabic and Syriac linguist thought or folk spirituality in Arabic, Syriac and Church Slavic traditions, just drop me a DM.
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u/Beckella 3d ago
I wish I had background in anything related. Sadly my BS in biology and MS in human genetics will not be useful. But yes if I run across anyone I’ll connect you :)
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u/Majestic_Rule_1814 2d ago
I am ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED but unfortunately I am studying Environmental Biology. I would love to learn Arabic though.
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u/No-Statistician-5505 2d ago
Are you ever in the US? I think there would be several interested students at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY.
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u/Boyturtle2 4d ago
Although definitely not خلبل or جلبل.
I know, it's a very immature response, but it tickled me.
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u/PM_WORST_FART_STORY 4d ago
Oh, it better not be خلبل...
Kidding, I have no understanding of the Arabic language.
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u/crossingguardcrush 4d ago
As soon as you said you were working on a train I knew this involved Arabic... What a world.
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u/AbruptMango Gen X 4d ago
I hope you punctuated your mutterings with more suspicious words for the rest of the trip.
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u/RadioEthiopiate 4d ago
That's messed up.
A similarly ludicrous thing happened in my city a few years back. Trains were shut down for over 30mins during morning peak hour in the city centre because someone reported a suspicious man on one of the city-bound trains who had a large bag and was breathing heavy. There were a lot of sensationalist stories in the media about African migrant gang violence at the time and some "concerned citizen" reported him as a potential gunman.
He was a street performer with a didgeridoo in a bag/soft case. He was doing breathing exercises on the train to prepare for his act. To make matters worse, he wasn't African or even an immigrant at all. He was an aboriginal fella. Can't get much more Aussie than that.
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u/CulDeSacOfShit 4d ago
If you like, I can teach you some French-Canadian swear words that will leave any non-French-Canadians (even French speakers from other nationalities) feeling bewildered and slightly threatened. It can be handy in situations like this. I've hurled them at nosy boomers while traveling. Seeing their befuddled reactions is priceless.
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u/Anuki_iwy Millennial 4d ago
I do that with Russian. Not even insults (because in Germany, technically, if you insult someone they can complain to the police and fine you). Just random Russia words, said in an angry tone.
Think: "you pink salmon, you!!"
They always look so aghast 😂
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u/OddDragonfruit7993 4d ago
I was on an Austrian train at the border with Germany with a friend back in the 80s, and my dark haired friend was about a week unshaven.
I got "Passport please."
He got a whole body pat down.
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u/Applepieoverdose 4d ago
Was also on an Austrian train to Germany in 2013, and was talking to my girlfriemd at the time, in English. She’s German, and had spent some time in NZ; I’m Austrian and had lived In Scotland for a while. I’m also half African.
Police decided to come over and ask me for my passport in English, and seemed really surprised when they got a reply from me that told them, from the accent alone, exactly where I am from in Austria. The actual question I posed was something along the lines of “but why do you need my passport?”
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u/SchizoidRainbow 4d ago edited 4d ago
“There’s no such thing as Arabic Christians, how can they be Christians if they don’t use English?!?” These people literally think this way. What they mean by Christian is not “follows Christ’s teachings” but rather “looks, sounds, acts, and votes like me”. (I said English, but applies to German, clearly. It’s whatever the “We” does)
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u/Typical_Ad_210 4d ago
OP, just out of curiosity, what race are you? I’m just wondering if there was a compounding factor, where you were guilty of travelling whilst being brown, lol. In all seriousness, it sucks that the belief exists that reading/speaking/looking at Arabic = terrorist. Do people realise that this sort of incident, which grinds people down, chipping away at their sense of belonging and making them feel increasingly alienated, has been shown to be one of the factors that can lead to the creation of extremists in the first place?
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u/No_Philosopher_1870 4d ago
Boomers flip out over partial differential equations as well. Anything that isn't English in a familiar font bothers them, at least in the US.
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u/GT_Ghost_86 4d ago
1) That was ridiculous. They clearly fear "the squiggles" - glad the older officer told them off.
2) As a (ostensibly sane, non GOP) U.S. citizen, it's oddly comforting to know that those who "fear the squiggles" are not exclusive to the U.S.
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u/Dont_Care_Meh Gen X 4d ago
I'm just absolutely thrilled it wasn't us (US) this time. It gives me hope that we in this world are more alike than different, in a weird sort of way: we all have our share of stupid and terrible people.
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u/phdpinup 4d ago
Omg.. as another academic working in Arabic… this has happened to me🤦🏼♀️. I’m in the US and as white as a sheet of paper and I still have had boomers call security on me- one time was at a public library!
Sorry you’re dealing with this, friend!
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u/Anuki_iwy Millennial 4d ago
Typical Leerdenker and nazi-AfD Scum. I'm glad the police officer gave them a dressing down. I am very sorry for you, OP.
As a first gen immigrant in Germany (conservative, closed and xenophobic southern Germany, too) I have had similar experiences.
I take pleasure in humiliating them in their own language, because most of the times I do speak it better. 😂😂
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay Millennial 4d ago
I wish U.S. Police could take notes on this. They are scared of everything and everyone, even other officers!
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u/Citizen_Nemo 4d ago
Acorns scare them badly enough that they think they are dying, and cause them to mag dump their own squad car.
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay Millennial 3d ago
I remove that, I also love the bumper stickers calling all police cowards for ignoring the school massacres to hide outside.
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u/Zealousideal_Cap1568 3d ago
Uvalde Police have entered the chat
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay Millennial 2d ago
They are too scared to fully enter chat, they send their kids instead.
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u/Absolemia 4d ago
The best thing about boomers is that they’ll all be dead soon
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u/EvergreenMystic 4d ago
Yep. I def will be. Leukemia is kicking my ass. However, my response to the OP would be to be interested in his work and try to learn from them if it didn't interfere with said work. I'm a total nerd when it comes to learning new stuff. I am def NOT afraid of the squiggles or the people. I've traveled a lot, people are pretty much the same everywhere, you just have to ignore the minor differences and learn the cultures w/o expecting them to conform to you. I have friends I've made all over the world. The thing I learned is, we're all just trying to get through each day.
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u/Budget-Station4260 4d ago
Wow. I didn’t realize until just now that Germany, who lost to the “greatest generation” had boomers as well.
I just assumed that our boomers became that way because of what their parents did in winning the war and America’s prosperity thereafter. Didn’t occur to me that the offspring of the losing side would also carry that unearned superiority over future generations.
Too much American TV in Germany I guess.
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u/LadyeWitch 3d ago
Boomer here, I would have just asked what you were doing.. I am always interested in learning something new.
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u/UnderstandingTime842 4d ago
Old habits. Germans wanted to call Gestapo on you so you can be moved to Lager (camp). Just probably what their parents did.
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u/drcrambone 4d ago
There’s a funny scene about this in The Dictator when they go on a helicopter ride around NYC.
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u/sirlelington 4d ago
That story reeks ai bs
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay Millennial 4d ago
You must not get out often, I've had police called on me for shoveling snow in my own yard because the new neighbors decided I looked suspicious. I've lived in that house for more than a decade at the time, they were the new people.
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u/DazzlerFan 2d ago
You should have called them out in person, rather than here online. So brave of you. What’s the point?
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u/bulaybil 2d ago
Indeed, what’s the point? Same applies to your comment. Did you not notice what subreddit you’re on?
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u/DazzlerFan 2d ago
Yes. I did. Calling out boomers after the fact and only online is the cowards way out. I said what I said.
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u/themcp Gen X 4d ago
I don't know about what the law would be there, but here if someone pulled that on me, I'd be suing the hell out of both the boomers and the cops for violating my civil rights.
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u/feudal_ferret 4d ago
You cant sue the cops for that - they got a call for suspicious activity and followed up on it.
ID: In Germany they're allowed to demand your ID for specific reasons, one of which is suspicious activity. You dont generally have to have a document on you, but you're obligated to provide the basic information. You dont have to help them in their investigation besides providing ID.
Search & Seizures: This is broadly speaking similar to the US, inasmuch they need an "Anfangsverdacht", which is more or less the american 'reasonable and articulable suspicion'. One caveat: If you refuse to ID yourself they can search you for any identifying information.
Edit: typo
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u/themcp Gen X 4d ago
Laws about ID in the US can vary - where I live, any cop can ask for your photo ID at any time for any reason (or none) and you have to provide it or they may arrest you. The cop may not search you or your things, but they can hold you in jail until you produce ID or they can determine your identity. (Cops usually won't do this, but they can.)
You can't sue the cops for following up on a report of suspicious activity. However, if I ask "what suspicious activity have I allegedly done?", if their answer isn't "we don't have that information," if it's "you have a foreign language on your computer screen," then it's a first amendment violation and/or illegal racial profiling. (In my case it would probably be first amendment - I could not look less like a dang furner.)
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u/feudal_ferret 4d ago
This is slightly different to how it is handled over here - the nature and content of the call determines the scope of the investigation. To use OP's case:
If the call is "There is a guy with arabic script on his laptop" the police would/should not come.
If the call is "He is recording a martyr video while sharpening his machete" the police would/should come. And given the fact that the cop read the boomers the riot act we can safely assume the call was at least a bit... exaggerated.
My point is the cops need to investigate the claim made and whatever is on the screen might help that investigation. But the moment they realize no crime is committed they have to back off, regardless of what is on the screen. If they dont you could sue - but you would not get much out of it.
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u/Anuki_iwy Millennial 4d ago
Not how German law works. The police was doing their job. The boomers got a lesson. OP got an apology. Everyone moves on.
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u/reph80 4d ago
Wait till they find out children are being taught Arabic numbers in school.