of our immediate apprehension, we attempted to cajole him: “Sorry we’re tourists, we don’t know what we’re doing and um and uh and um and uh uh.” He saw through it. “Get off the train!” He replied. However, the 30-year-old Turkish man whom we hadn’t noticed caught our attention and without a word of English he told us stay seated. “Don’t worry,” his hands beckoned. Confused and caught out we hesitated, but the Kontroller could see us stuttering at our seats and verbally yanked us off the train: “STAND UP NOW.” We were then fined and berated while my boyfriend sneakily took sips of his beer beneath his jacket. It’s crucial to the social see-saw that the Kontrollers are this intimidating. In a place that offers complete freedoms, a strong enforcer keeps its travellers from completely abusing the system and not crossing the culturally established line. The Kontrollers that will bust you for not having a ticket are part of the same system that can turn a blind eye when you drink on the platform. Paws, bikes, and brutes travel down the U-Bahn steps everyday. Enforcers like the Kontrollers man the exits while junkies shoot up to speeding trains. Hooded figures run from the tunnels while women scream Anti-Muslim sentiment at carriage screens. Berlin’s lax liberalism does reign free, but it’s ultimately up to the traveller to discern where the appropriate line is and if they have the guts to cross it.
Edition 8 2016
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