A routine bus stop in Minneapolis turned into a full-blown national debate this week after a driver sat parked for twelve minutes because one passenger was running late.
A bystander filmed it, posted it, and within 48 hours we had 40 million views and roughly 40 million opinions.
The passenger, a guy named Dave who apparently works at a place that does not care about Dave's commute, was sprinting down the block waving like he was flagging down a rescue helicopter.
Now, if you have ever taken public transit in an American city, you know this is the equivalent of finding a unicorn that also does your taxes.
Buses here operate on a schedule that is more of a polite suggestion.
You stand at the stop in the rain, watching three buses labeled "Not In Service" roll past, and you accept your fate.
So half of the internet is calling this driver a saint.
The last decent man in a broken transit system.
People are writing emotional paragraphs about how a small act of grace can restore your faith in humanity.
Twelve minutes times however many people on that bus, times their hourly wages, times the fact that everyone else on board now has to explain to their boss why they were late.
Somebody in the comments calculated the "total national economic damage" and it was a number I will not repeat because it was made up.
The transit authority, for its part, released a statement that said basically nothing, which is the corporate equivalent of hiding in the bathroom until the argument blows over.
They reminded riders that drivers are supposed to stay on schedule.
We all have a Dave in our lives, and sometimes we are the Dave.
You have absolutely been the person sprinting for the bus, and you have absolutely been the person on the bus silently screaming "drive, you idiot." Both can be true.
Meanwhile, the actual bus system keeps chugging along, underfunded and overworked, held together by duct tape and the goodwill of people like this driver.
Just remember the next time you're late, you're gonna be praying for a driver exactly like this one.
My take: the driver's a legend, Dave owes everyone on that bus a coffee, and the real villain is a country that treats a functioning bus route like a luxury item.
Final Thoughts
Also, nobody in that comment section has ever calculated anything correctly in their lives.