This makes me feel Empowered Humored Surprised Uncomfortable Weird at an Shared Collaborative scale
No Pants Subway Ride
No Pants Subway Ride
The No Pants Subway Ride is an event organized by Improv Everywhere. The event began in New York City in 2002 with only 7 participants and has grown now to cities all around the world. The event is very straightforward and consists of exactly what the name suggests. Participants enter the subway and once the doors close take off their pants. They are supposed to act like they do not know any of the other participants and in general act as if nothing is wrong, and if someone asks what they are doing they simply say “I forgot” or “they were getting uncomfortable”. The event originally took place in the winter to create an even more stark difference between the large jacket, scarf, and hat and no pants. The idea behind this event was simple: what would happen if someone entered the subway with no pants? As the event became more popular and more people became a part of it it also grabbed the attention of the police. In one year a number of people were arrested for disorderly conduct but later got the charges dismissed. Now this event happens all around the world and hundreds of people participate in it.
Contributer notes
What is surprising, refreshing, most interesting?
I actually remember witnessing this event happen a while ago where I was in the subway and I saw a small group of people walking in the station, probably to get to a different train, without their underwear. I remember being thoroughly confused and texting friends about it in the moment. Of course after the initial shock you begin to reason that it is probably a prank or something of the sort however there were no cameras, it was just a small number of people, and they were acting completely normal. This all added to the weirdness as I just could not explain what was going on. Overall I think it’s refreshing to see that people are still willing to do silly things as a way of bringing people together.
Key Insights? What can we learn from this?
What makes this event so interesting is just how random it is. It is not a commentary on a specific political issue and it is not trying to make a point. It is simply a way to bring people together in a humorous way and make other people that are not a part of the event confused. An experience does not always have to result in convincing someone of something but it can just be for the sake of an experience that is out of the norm.