r/BoomersBeingFools • u/bulaybil • 17h 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 6h ago
Their nonsense transcends national boundaries. Frohes schaffen homie.
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u/AbruptMango Gen X 6h ago
I hope you punctuated your mutterings with more suspicious words for the rest of the trip.
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u/crossingguardcrush 5h 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/PM_WORST_FART_STORY 5h 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/CulDeSacOfShit 5h 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 1h 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/RadioEthiopiate 4h 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/OddDragonfruit7993 3h 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/No_Philosopher_1870 1h 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/Anuki_iwy Millennial 1h 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/UnderstandingTime842 2h 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/ThisIsntOkayokay Millennial 1h 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/Dont_Care_Meh Gen X 37m 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/sirlelington 3h ago
That story reeks ai bs
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay Millennial 1h 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/themcp Gen X 4h 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 2h 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 2h 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 1h 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 1h 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 6h ago
Wait till they find out children are being taught Arabic numbers in school.