Usually, when a Black man enters a subway car, cup in hand, pleading tone perfected, cynical and bored passengers duck down further into their books, or turn the music pumping through their ear buds up a little louder.
This time, when the presumed panhandler entered a Philadelphia SEPTA train, he generated the same response — until the passengers realized that this was no ordinary panhandler.
The man turned out to be doing pretty well — living in a nice suburb, excelling in his career, with a daughter accepted into an Ivy League school on a full scholarship and just returned from a lovely family vacation. But his closing statement puts the icing on the cake:
“This cup in my hand is not for change; I have plenty of my own. It is just simply because I finished my latte and I refuse to litter.”
Sheer hilarity.
By this point, the riders are laughing and giving him high-fives, with one burly White man giving him a huge hug.
The “Subway Bragger” — which was staged by College Humor/Glaceau Vitamin Water and is definitely a must-see — has gone wildly viral, often being misidentified as an NYC subway prank.
Watch it below:
