Friday Funny: The Transit Rider No One Should Aspire To Be

John Metcalfe introduces the world to Jimmy, the transit riding jerk who will probably seem all-too familiar.

1 minute read

April 7, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


John Metcalfe reports on a new public service campaign by the Denver-area's Regional Transportation District. The "Don't Be Jimmy" campaign is a take on the trope of avatars standing in for real humans in planning practice—and also an amusing way to bring humor and a cartoonishness to everyday frustrations.

But still—the campaign's lack of decorum might come as kind of a shock. Metcalfe puts it one way: "A loud man talking in public about his close call with an STD is the new face of a major mass transit system."

Here's more:

"Jimmy’s the name…. Ruining your ride’s my game,” Jimmy menaces in one graphic. In other PSAs going up around the system, he sings a mangled version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” hoists a foamy beer while kicking up his feet, and overshares on his cellphone, telling everyone within earshot, "Doc said it was just a cold sore after all.” These scenarios are all accompanied by the stern warning, “DON’T BE JIMMY.”

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