WILDWOOD, NJ – It started out as a Facebook April Fool’s Day meme. The Wildwood Boardwalk allegedly announced it was retiring “Watch the Tram Car” for something more politically correct.
BREAKING NEWS: Tram Car to change “Watch The Tram Car, Please!” An official who wished to remain anonymous said, “We just felt that the message was rude and we wanted to create a kinder, gentler way of saying “Please be cautious.” When asked what the new message would be, the official replied, “Something along the lines of , ‘Excuse me please, tramcar coming through'”.
Wildwood NJ, Facebook
Of course, it was just an April Fool’s joke, but it brought the matter to the attention of the politically correct and woke masses taking over America, maybe it is time for a kinder and gentler voice.
Is it time for some changes on the Wildwood Boardwalk?
Softening the Jersey gruff of the tram car lady could just be the start, but that’s not woke or inclusive enough. Maybe it should also be recorded in 15 different languages to be more inclusive? That’s the idea behind a new law proposed in Trenton to make sure all state documents are transcribed in the 15 most popular languages.
“cuidado con el tranvía por favor!” for starters.
To get with modern times, cash-only transport is in desperate need of Apple Pay, Paypal, and contactless payment options. Maybe we can just Venmo the drivers and attendants.
What about deaf people? Who do they know to watch out for the tram car when it comes? There should be no less than one sign language interpreter on each tram car because of the lack of exclusion otherwise.
The tram cars aren’t all that bad. They are, of course, electric vehicles, and each night, their 2,000-pound batteries are charged for their 8 hours of service. In fact, some of the cars running today were the original ones built for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City.
For decades, the tram car drivers and attendants were all women. From about 1949 to the mid 80s, only women could get those jobs. Nowadays, both men and women can work as tram car workers, but surely, appropriations are in order for the tram car women who lost their jobs to the men, right?
The voice of the tram car belongs to that of Floss Stingel. She recorded the message back in 1971 and it has been part of Wildwood lore forever. She has been listening to her voice for nearly 50 years and says it sometimes drives her crazy.
Can you imagine?
If we don’t do it for wokeism, cultural sensitivity and inclusion, let’s at least do it for Floss.