As Alton Brown says, ‘burnt’ is not a flavor.
I would be happy to accept that the OP was intended as anti-racist parody if **Stoneburg **would actually bother to come back and say something. Jeebus, man - it’s just rude to leave us hanging.
Like Stoneburg will come back and say, “Oh yeah, it was a legitimate question. I just don’t understand her choice. Can someone help me?”
I have no idea why, but this cracked my shit up!! 
shaved head? with a beard? in a suit? obviously the OP is a neo-Nazi biker on his way to a court appearance! Makes as much sense as his description of the guy across from him.
On the assumption that the OP isn’t a whoosh, maybe she doesn’t find bald guys as attractive as guys with hair, of any ethnicity. Maybe she was in no mood to talk to anyone, and thought the Arab-looking guy was less likely to try to chat her up. Or maybe Stoneburg reminded her of her ex. The whole incident is hardly worth thinking about. I use public transportation pretty much every day, and like to sit by myself whenever possible - I would rather read or listen to my iPod than converse with strangers on the bus. Not being unfriendly, I just don’t have the energy for idle conversation after work.
Maybe the woman caught the jungle fever. I hear it’s airborne now.
The OP doesn’t specify how crowded the tram was. It there were only two readily available seats for the woman to choose from, that’s a far different scenario than if the woman bypassed empty seats to sit next to someone.
Presuming that there were just the two seats available, the woman might well have chosen the bench mate who was less likely to bother her with questions or chat. A certain deadness of expression would be considered a good thing, as would divergence from her own culture.
OTOH, if the woman deliberately chose a seat next to the ME man when there were empty rows available, well that’s just rude. You shouldn’t unnecessarily infringe on a stranger’s space.
Wait.
“I’m white, with a shaved head and a neatly trimmed beard.”
A black guy can pull that off. Avery Brooks. A white guy? Anton LeVey. You look like a thug if you’re burly, like a poofy latte snob if you’re thin.
Then again, I’m from Missouri. We think everyone (that isn’t reeking of body odor, earth, or addictive substances) is gay, & not in a good way.
SHAKES, maybe the barkeep just has manners? Ladies 1st?
What about both the guys on Mythbusters?:dubious:
It’s just like something a white guy with a jacket would do.
Yes, I’m sure. She’s a comedienne. I thought it was quite obviously staged from watching the video. He may well get real hecklers but she ain’t one of 'em.
You know, I"m worried. Stoneburg’s last activity was Sept 22 at 1:35 am, only 23 minutes after he posted this OP. Do you think he posted this from his iPod on the train? Is it possible that the woman and the suspicious man kidnapped Stoneburg, and are holding him captive somewhere?
Has anyone seen Stoneburg lately?
Andy Kaufman would be proud.
If you’re looking for him, he’s white, & has a jacket.
It’s a well-known flirting tactic, though. Lots of guys seem to like it if the girl is attractive enough.
Perhaps we could use satellites to look for his shiny chrome head.
You just made the case. 
Stoneberg? Are you out there? I’ll sit next to you a tram–just don’t ask for my number. Hello? Anyone? Buehler?
Poofy latte thugs. Or possibly pirates.
Wow. I have some explaining to do it seems…
First of, my lack of response. I simply forgot I had posted this thread. It was a minor observation that I put in the forum for such nonsense and I guess by the time I visited that forum again the thread had been moved. I’m far from super-active on this excellent forum and it can go weeks and more between my visits. My apologies.
Regarding the infamous “Manchester jacket”. Claptree is correct and it is my extremely poor grasp of the language that is to blame for that misunderstanding. After looking it up it turns out that the english word for the fabric is indeed “corduroy” and not “manchester”. I was wearing a brown corduroy jacket, not some sort of supporting gear for Manchester United. It looks something like this: http://justanotherfashionkid.blogg.se/images/2008/ppolo2-4918140_lifestyle_t208_19517491.jpg
The woman somehow evolved into a “hot chick” somewhere along the course of this thread. I don’t wish to be mean towards this anonymous woman, but when I described her as “nothing out of the ordinary” I ment it. This is of course not important, but it was somewhat relevant to the rest of the theories developed here. Since she was not attractive (to me) there was no special reason for me wanting her to sit next to me.
As furt and some others have guessed, my reaction to her picking the other seat was actually one of happy surprise. Followed by embarrasement for being surprised. Followed by a short reflection on the part in “Stupid White Men” where Moore talks about how white men in suits are more dangerous than black men in leisure clothes.
The would-be-plane-hijacker comment is of course just wrong. Since the tram doesn’t go to the airport it makes no sense. And it was made tounge in cheek. Since it is nowadays fairly common to portray people looking like him as terrorists. The point was that this woman obviously made the right choice, avoiding the real danger. The politician.
For the record, I myself always avoid people looking like me when picking seats. I tend to pick the most foreign-looking person to sit near, simply because people that look like me are usually really, really boring, and people from other countries are usually much more apt to start or take part in a conversation (generic Swedes will usually assume that anyone talking to them is mentally unstable).
I admit that I do kind of regret explaining myself, since the evolution of the thread turned it into something much more interesting than my rather banal observation. And for those thinking I am stupid, un-funny and/or a racist: You probably got 2 out of 3 right, which is pretty good.