Apart from the fact that the music is usually annoying pop music of some sort, devoid of more advanced artistic merit of any appreciable kind, I just find it incredibly rude that someone would choose to be in a public space and force their particular auditory tastes upon everyone around them.
His response was to turn the music up.
After contemplating my next move for a few minutes with his pounding pop continuing in the background, I stood up, turned to face the fellow, and firmly requested that he turn off his music or put on some headphones.
For my troubles I was told to mind my own business by the perpetrator of poor musical taste and limited social acumen.
When I suggested that I was trying to mind my own business, but that I was finding it difficult due to his insistence that we all listen to his loud, annoying music, he asked "what's the problem? It's Saturday!" and followed up his illogical defence by calling me a "stupid bitch."
I also remained undeterred by my internal confusion over the relevance of weekday on social niceties and public spaces, and resisted the temptation to demand an explanation, instead telling him that he had no right to call me a stupid bitch, since he knew nothing about me, whereas I -- and now everyone around us -- knew at least two facts about him, namely that he had no musical taste, and that he had no concept of appropriate public transit behavior.
His next line attack was belittlement and misogyny: "What's the matter, honey? Having a bad day?" he wondered aloud in a patronizing voice.
"I'm not allowed to listen to music?" the idiot ventured, but was quickly shut down by the driver, who maintained his cool, and calmly told the fellow that he was most certainly welcome to listen to music… through headphones!!!
The moron finally turned off his device, and the rest of the ride proceeded in relatively uneventful fashion.
Even when he called me a "stupid bitch", and the scenario threatened to become more escalated than a simple streetcar disagreement, no one stood up to intervene.
Why not?
I am saddened that people think they can noisily pursue their auditory preferences without any regard for their fellow passengers while riding public transit, but I am sadder by far that as a society we seem to lack the gumption to either stand up to perpetrators like this, or support each other with words or actions when one of us finds the courage to actually do so.