Well, more than a few people, including me, have said that we’re willing to make exceptions for people who have this sort of problem, but…
What percentage of the population do you really think this applies to? Unless you can demonstrate otherwise, i’m going to remain convinced that the number of people who have panic attacks or other psychological problems on escalators is far exceeded by the number of inconsiderate assholes who just won’t move to the right.
This is one of those situations where the person in most cases should move to the right, out of some courtesy, but the level of inconvenience it could be causing is so incredibly slight as to make it really unworthy of a five page discussion.
It’s lucky you ended up on the sixth page, isn’t it? 
You’re right, but the being-a-fucking-douchebag thing got me all talkative.
Is this supposed to be some sort of analogy? That someone standing in the middle of one escalator is actually standing on both the up and down escalators? And slowing down the machinery of one, while simultaneously causing head-on collisions in the other? Dude, get off the road. Your analogy is out of gas and blocking my way.
You are certainly a convincing advocate for courtesy!
If the escalator was truly as wide as you indicate, the man who did not move at your polite request appears to be in the wrong.
But, referring to your OP, it appears that you were already stressed out because of your hatred of malls. I don’t visit a mall unless I’m in the mood. And I usually use the stairs or an elevator because I do tend to get vertigo on down-escalators.
I use public transit, but often-flooded Houston has has no subways. However, I realize that transit schedules can make speed important. Mall shoppers are generally more laid-back (except on heavy-shopping days–the ones I avoid.)
Perhaps you should find a way to stay out of malls.
I have no idea. Probably not many. But if the subject of the discussion is politeness, then it seems the polite thing to do is to give someone the benefit of the doubt. And wait your turn.
Does no one see the irony in saying “Learn some fucking manners, ya fucking douchebag!”?
The thing is, if you are polite, you’ll stand to the right when requested to do so. By the same token, however, if you are polite, you’ll wait your turn.
Oh, and DianaG – I’m every bit the Yankee that you are.
Emphasis added. I read it as straddling two lanes going in the same direction.
tdn, regarding Fiveyearlurker’s analogy:
Emphasis mine.
So, um. Yeah. You might have misread that.
Ah. My bad. Sorry.
Still, to make it a valid analogy, the person on the escalator would have to be backing up. To stand on the escalator is to go at precisely the speed limit.
Look, just because I think most people suck doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be very nice to them to their face if they extend me the same courtesy. 
tdn:
Not doing to well on this one, are ya? 
Check out fiveyearlurker’s post again:
Emphasis mine.
Not on the internet.
In real life, yes.
I’m taking a short break from this thread.
Heh.
Hell, for my part, I’m utterly embarrassed that I spelled “too” incorrectly for what may be the first time in my online life.
Of course, as one of the progenitors of Gaudere’s law, I probably had it coming.
I don’t think I would’ve asked. If it was just little old me I’d have approached on the left side where you might walk, say “excuse me” or “pardon me” and have expected the person to move. When they don’t/won’t move I just think I’d say it a little louder, assuming they hadn’t heard me the first time and again expectantly wait for them to move. Then, if they refused again, I might respond with stating “well, that’s just inconsiderate”. People are routinely oblivious and inconsiderate. If I were the one blocking the escalator and asked to move sans kids, I’d probably apologize and move out of the way.
There’s no reason what-so-ever for the shitty response of the punk dude who peppers his comments with a snarky buddy.
Being female may have something to do with my response.
The situation reported by the OP is unique in as much as I have never seen anything like that OP in the real world. I have seen people stand on the left who seemed oblivious. I have seen people try to step on and crush shopping bags of goods so they can get to the top 2 seconds earlier. I argue for neither.
Obviously if there is a sign, you follow those rules. What to do without such a sign is a personal choice.
Personally, I feel that if you are ‘asked’, the fact that you have been asked gives you the right to say ‘yes’ as well as to say ‘no’. If this is not the case, then you aren’t being ‘asked’, you are being ‘told’, and you may feel free to reply as you see fit … as you would to anyone who tells you what to do.
If you are being ‘asked’ and if you say ‘no’, then that should be respected.
So I ask you “Excuse me, I see you have a watch, can you tell me the time?”.
I might not be late for an appointment; I just want to know the time and I forgot my watch.
According to you, that’s an intrusion, since I’m asking you to accomodate my desire to know the time. :rolleyes:
Failure to tell me the time in that instance; or in the escalator case, to not move aside is assholishness of the first order.
I’m convinced this mind-set has a genetic component to it, and I wish it could be bred out of humanity. Rather, it should be bred out of humanity.
I have, more than once, on the escalator I linked to earlier.
A woman (always a woman in my experiences), upon seeing two lines entering a crowded escalator - one moving quickly and climbing and another, longer, slower moving line just standing - decides to take the quicker route and stop. The next person in line (not me) confronted the woman (not kindly), but the woman stood her ground. The next person then proceeded to move past. Before the woman could react, the person following moved past, and so on. I was about half-a-dozen or so back, and I just followed my blocking backs. For those of you not used to urban transport, you’ll assume this was nasty NYers abusing this poor woman. Those used to urban transport will spot a woman who decided she didn’t want to wait on line and tried to inconvenience everyone behind her, much to her chagrin.
Another situation - there is a stagger of bodies on the escalator, some right, some left, with enough room to manuever. There, I have no problem slaloming down (you get this in the evening, as by the time I left the crowds were somewhat lighter).
In non-commute situations, I simply prefer to keep moving. If I’m walking and encounter moving stairs, that’s a bonus. Saves me time to my destination. I don’t like to stop walking. In a perfect world, the people who wish to keep moving can keep moving and those that want to stop and smell the mall odor can stop. I shouldn’t have to stop because you want me to stop. Your right of way does not trump my right of way.
People are getting all tied up in metaphors and parallels.
Fact is, taking this whole thing away from escalators: It’s rude to respond snottily to a polite and reasonable request.
The request was made politely (if possibly in a hurried way). Why be a jerk just because YOU think the world ought to go at the same speed as you? The person making the request wasn’t a jerk. They just made a polite request.
If it’s that much of a pain for you to move, say so politely.
“I’m afraid I haven’t much room here as it is, and I’d rather not move over. Sorry.”
Even so, I’d think you were a bit of a jerk for blatantly refusing a simple request to make room for your fellow human being in a public area, but at least you were as polite about it as possible.