One of my favorite YouTube series and social media platforms, SubwayTakes, has officially received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series.
Created by Kareem Rahma and Andrew Kuo, and hosted by Kareem Rahma, each episode features interviews with daily commuters on the subway in New York, with some episodes set in Paris, London, and Berlin. The primary question posed to the commuters is, “So, what’s your take?” Most episodes last between 60 and 90 minutes, while a few are longer-form videos that run for 20 to 25 minutes, often featuring celebrities who share their perspectives on various topics.
The videos are both engaging and entertaining, varying greatly depending on the interviewees. While some responses can be serious, most of the takes are completely hilarious, with a touch of sarcasm. No matter whether Kareem agrees or disagrees with a take, his responses are always open and never condescending. He delivers smart comedic replies that encourage the interviewees to open up even more, resulting in episodes that are consistently uproarious.
My favorite episodes are those featuring non-serious commuters, such as comedians, musicians, and other funny individuals. However, there have also been more serious segments that encourage thoughtful reflection without becoming overly dramatic, cynical, or politically correct. Overall, the comedic nature of the show is what truly drives viewer engagement, ultimately leading to its nomination for the prestigious award.
My Four “Controversial” Takes
As an overthinker and an enthusiast of culture and society, I have shared many of my thoughts on this blog and my pop culture platform. To be honest, I’ve also contemplated some of my personal opinions in case I ever find myself on a New York subway and Kareem and his team approach me. So, here are my takes:
1. If you are a smoker, think back to when you first started or to your initial experiences. You certainly have felt compelled to enjoy smoking because it seemed cool, perhaps due to peer pressure, or because you wanted to fit a certain image or persona. You had to force yourself to like it.
When I was a freshman in high school, I decided to try smoking. I wanted to taste it for myself and see if it was something I really wanted to pursue. However, I did not like it at all. Even though I continued to try it repeatedly, I never enjoyed the experience. I attempted to smoke again a week later and then again after a month, but each time felt like the first, and I hated it every single time.
In college, I often experienced embarrassment and anxiety, which led me to occasionally smoke. At that point, I would consider myself a social or situational smoker. It was also the first time I tried Gudang Garam, a cigarette from Indonesia. I found it to be somewhat enjoyable, but the brief escape from my problems that smoking provided wasn’t worth the consequences. While you might enjoy the sensation of forgetting your stress for a few seconds, that relief is fleeting. You get a nicotine hit for just 10 seconds, and then the reality of your problems comes rushing back.
It was also during my college days when I first tried shisha or hookah, and I’ve found myself missing it from time to time. I would often share it with a friend at one of my favorite Mediterranean bars located in the red light district of Burgos Street in Poblacion, Makati.
Then, of course, my college life wouldn’t be complete if I hadn’t smoked weed. When I was so perplexed, disturbed, or depressed, the weed was my friend, It made me forget the stress and the sorrows, for 14 hours or more. It let me smile, laugh, and then sleep deeply. I had a lot of it when I spent a whole summer in Manila, where it was relatively easy to obtain. However, it is illegal and difficult to acquire in my city, where it is mostly forbidden. Now, I am at a point in my life where I don’t rely on substances to feel good or to cope. Instead, I face my problems head-on and work towards healing them.
Despite having several opportunities to try smoking, I have never become a smoker. I’ve been surrounded by many smokers in the Davao indie music scene; it seems like almost everyone, including my bandmates, smokes. Honestly, I did try to force myself to enjoy it, but it never worked out. To this day, I cannot be considered a smoker at all.
I stand by my controversial opinion: cigarettes simply don’t taste good at all. While they may provide a dopamine hit that temporarily improves your mood, that’s all they offer. You end up needing to smoke again to experience that sensation, but the unpleasant taste and significant health risks make it not worth it. I genuinely tried to enjoy them, but to no avail. I believe smokers often have stronger motivations to like cigarettes than I did. It could be due to peer pressure, a desire to appear “cool” or “hip,” or the need to project a certain image in order to be accepted. Essentially, they may lack confidence in their own preferences and tastes. That’s my perspective, and I hope Kareem 100% agrees with me.
2. Music meet-cutes are only for those people who have an extensive knowledge and taste in music. If your music taste is quite basic or mainstream, you can’t make it a reason to enamor someone or to ask them out on a date.
You have to get deeper than your basic music taste, so let me give you an example.
I was hanging out with friends at my house, and then one of them asked if they could bring some new friends I hadn’t met, and so I agreed. One of those guys was kind of like crushing on me, like talking to me and asking me stuff. My computer was open and near the sofa and he kinda’ just went on YouTube to play a love song that’s very mainstream and almost always played on popular radio stations worldwide. Well, it wasn’t one of my favorite songs, but since everyone like most people have heard of that song, I just went to sing along while it was playing. And the guy was like, “You like that song? That’s nice.”
The guy wasn’t overreacting, which is great, but just the fact that he would use a song to impress someone like me (who loves both popular and underground music, and everything in between), is just so weird. Not necessarily in bad taste, but just odd that he is using a song that everyone knows, to impress me, and to check if I liked it, and then I must be at par with his standards. But the thing is, since it’s a song that everyone knows (and not necessarily loves), that moment doesn’t pass as a meet-cute at all. It doesn’t count for something unique or novelty.
Now what if you’re a person who loves underground music. Say you’re a fan of the Swedish death metal band Reverorum Ib Malacht, and you meet someone who’s also a fan, then there might be a higher level of attraction there. It’s an exaggerated example, but you get what I mean. Let’s say you’re both from the USA and neither has gone to Sweden, but you both know that band, then that’s a one in a million chance of running into one another, and that for me, is a real meet-cute, or even meet-beautiful. So, yeah, the universe is essentially saying that you should date.
Your musical taste is deeply embedded in your soul. For those with an eclectic musical taste, it often reveals a lot about their personality, quirks, and even their motivations, much like someone with a more conventional taste in music. However, your basic musical taste can’t just be the reason for that meet-cute. You need to discuss more interesting aspects of your life or have to be in a challenging or dangerous situation for it to be a meet-cute.
3. Friends who don’t always validate you are your real catalysts for growth.
“When you stop growing, you start dying.” – William S. Burroughs
The quote by William S. Burroughs, although written for his semi-autobiographical novel, Junky, revolves around the context of drug addiction. However, its relevance extends beyond that, influencing philosophical, psychological, and business concepts as well. The quote asserts a profound truth: “Stasis is a myth. Without continuous personal or professional evolution, stagnation inevitably gives way to decay.”
True friends prioritize your long-term growth over your short-term comfort. We all have blind spots, and when someone challenges them, it can feel uncomfortable. It may provoke defensiveness or even lead to resentment toward that person. However, these friends take that risk for your benefit, pushing you to reflect, adapt, and evolve.
Now let’s talk about your friends who always validate you. These friends are somehow boring. While their support may feel comforting, these friends can sometimes be limiting because they simply reflect your current mindset and offer no new perspectives. Constant agreement and praise mean there is little room for personal growth. Nobody is perfect, but we can all strive for improvement, right? If you surround yourself solely with these types of friends, your blind spots remain hidden. You cannot address flaws or mistakes that you are never made aware of.
Your friends who are honest with you are your secret treasures. We continue to live in this world for what purpose? To evolve, and these friends are a gift from God or the universe, as they are the catalysts to your growth.
Now, let’s do an exercise. When was the last time you experienced intellectual, personal, or emotional friction? Take a moment to remember that. Of course, it felt bad and might have even induced a bit of trauma. But it made you ponder. Thus, certainly sparking a change within you.
Friends who don’t always validate you are objective, mature, and bold enough to prevent your ego from taking over. They hold you accountable, which, again, might feel uncomfortable at times. However, this accountability comes from a place of belief in your potential. They challenge you to meet higher standards in both behavior and goal achievement. Additionally, they help you build resilience; learning to handle constructive disagreements makes you emotionally stronger.
If you don’t get what I mean, then you’re not aligned with your better self: the healed version of you who is not afraid to take accountability.
4. If you’re a millennial and just recently got into K-Pop (perhaps during the pandemic), then I might be right in my guess that you have mocked K-Pop and K-Pop fans at some point in your life (especially in the years of its rapid growth, from 2005 – 2015), and thought that it was a genre in bad taste.
I’ve been a K-Pop fan since the early days of the Hallyu Wave (the Korean wave; the term isn’t used nowadays). In 2004, I would talk to one of my Korean classmates about BoA. Then, in 2008, I was reintroduced to K-Pop when a friend showed me a photo of Taeyang. Since then, I’ve been immersed in the K-Pop world and have never looked back.
Mind you, many people mocked not just me, but also the genre and its fans in general. They found it strange that we loved a genre whose language we didn’t understand. We faced ridicule for liking and having crushes on these flamboyant and effeminate dancers, whom some labeled as “gay.”
BTS rose to prominence in 2018, marking a turning point in the acceptance of K-Pop. The genre began to not only gain mainstream popularity but also become fashionable and trendy. Many K-Pop idols started endorsing high-end brands associated with luxury and sophistication. Additionally, effective public relations and publicity efforts helped shift public perception of the genre.
Essentially, what I’m saying is that if you mocked the genre at one point or another before its mainstream prominence, then it’s okay to change your mind. But minimize being that annoying, crazy intense K-pop fan who thinks they’re a know-it-all because it’s just cringe.
So, if Kareem ever stops me on that subway and asks for my take, I’m ready. Whether he agrees with me on cigarettes, side-eyes me for the music snobbery, or nods along to my K-Pop gatekeeping, I know he’d meet me with that signature open-minded wit. And that’s what makes SubwayTakes worthy of that Emmy. It’s not about being right or wrong. It’s about having the guts to say something real in 90 seconds or less. So I’ll ask you the same question Kareem asks every stranger in New York: What’s your take? Drop it in the comments.
