Social signal failure

A strange mix of social signals on my train today. A rather well-
dressed young woman sat down opposite me, plonked a copy of Crime and
Punishment on the table, and then started devouring Best magazine,
featuring a lose 5 lb in 5 days superdiet, and more Jordan baby news
than you could shake a stick at. Perhaps I’m being an old snob about
Best magazine, but I would have thought the crossover audience for
real life stories and Dostoevsky was quite small.