No, you get nothing. Thanks for adding ZERO the debate Esprix, which frankly is disappointing coming from you.
Somehow, for speaking out, I have been transformed into the Anti-Christ of the family.
“People who object to excessive Stork Parking= hates kids, hates people with kids”
This is not true!
I will respond, however not with the vitriol that some of those who oppose my point of view, such as my fellow Dopehead Esprix, have used against me.
I have already stated that I would never consider parking in the last available Stork spot. Out of the generosity of my heart, when I see THREE- COUNT EM THREE- Stork spots in a row that are open (and before someone pulls the “coincidence” argument out of their ass, it happens to me EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TIME), I make sure to park at the FURTHEST open Stork site from the store. See, thanks to me, the pregnant woman doesn’t have to walk an extra 24 feet!
I’m not that bad a guy after all! And besides, how do you KNOW my wife is not pregnant??? She might be with child and we don’t even know! (Insert joke here :rolleyes: STOPWATCH TICKING NOW! )
Mothers- can we at least agree 12 parking spots, most of which are open even on a BUSY day . . is just a BIT excessive, and shake hands and agree on that?
Hmmm… you’ll have to give it a few more months before passing judgement. You’ve said that there are always three spaces free, which means that nine pregnant women are already taking advantage of the parking (or 9 Vinnies are protesting and parking in those spots). As word gets out that the store is baby-friendly, you might find that 12 spaces won’t be enough for every pregnant woman in town to share.
I know it bothers you, but try some compassion on for size. They aren’t taking anything from you, and it’s a courtesy to give up the close space for a pregnant woman, just as it would be to offer her your seat on the bus.
No, but let’s augment our argument about “excessive stork parking” with side jabs at fat people while we’re at it. Wow - I am so impressed with your debating style (in The Pit).
Your graciousness is truly astounding. Maybe walking the 24 extra feet yourself you might lose some of the fat from your head.
Come back and tell us how “unjust” all those empty parking spaces are at, say, Christmastime, the busiest shopping time of the year. Betcha they ain’t any, which would be the reason for having so many in the first place - to accommodate people during the busiest times.
God forbid your wife ever actually get pregnant, but if she does, I hope some asshole like you doesn’t park in the last spot just 'cause he thought he ought to have the right to.
Ha, don’t flatter yourself. I’d somehow hope that the Anti-Christ sounds a little less whiny. Which fucking common sense idea do you have a fucking problem trying to comprehend:[ul]
[li] Pregnant women may be tired or find walking painful. Hey, why don’t we give them some spaces near the door?[/li][li] Parents with young kids may have a buggy to get out, and need more door space? Hmm, how about marking up a few spaces that have been made wider to make that easier?[/li][/ul]
A couple of real cheap to implement, logical ideas to help people out and what do you do? You get all upset because you have to drag your lazy butt another 10 yards. Fortunately, displaying an intelligence almost as great as your class, you spot a way to level this social injustice - you lie. Oh yeah, real class.
As an aside, Einstein, you might find that the reason you only see 3 spaces used during their busiest times is that that’s exactly the sort of time people who have trouble getting around try to avoid going shopping.
Here in Florida, where a LOT of senior folk live, I have never seen a sign for “Senior Parking.” I do see the signs for expectant mothers and for handicapped parking. I also see quite a few inconsiderate, self-centered jerks (nearly always male) who are clearly neither handicapped nor pregnant, use these spots, thereby greatly inconveniencing those for whom the spots were reserved. I find it appalling that a healthy, adult(?) person can be so selfish, but there you are.
I do agree that it’s silly to have dedicated spots for every known physical disadvantage known to man. Why use such a narrow definition (e.g. pregnancy, senior citizens) when a general definition would be more efficient. For instance, instead of being marked “handicapped”,“stork”, or “senior citizen,” the closest spots would be marked “PD” for “physically disadvantaged.”
A pregnant Mrs. Tygr, for instance, would be able to park in a PD spot regardless of whether she had a doctor’s note or a handicapped sticker. An truly obese person would qualify. A woman with an infant in a thunderstorm would qualify. An elderly person who has difficulty walking would qualify.
What ruins the PD idea are the assholes who would abuse the system. (And we all know who that would be.) The “I stubbed my baby toe this morning.” types, or even worse, the people who would use the closest space out of some misplaced sense of entitlement: “I exist; therefore, I get the closest spot.”
<Vinnie hat ON> “Oh, don’t get me started on THESE selfish c***s… I’m tryin’ to conserve my strength while ridin’ the bus from my favorite uptown dive bar to my favorite downtown cathouse, and some broad who’s managed to get herself knocked up climbs on and tries to bogart the seat that I’ve already gotten butt-warm. Like I’m buyin’ the whole swollen-ankles, sore-back bit… I’m damned if I’m haulin’ my half-drunk kiester offa this soft, ass-imprinted cushion just so she can take her load off. Let her stand! Serves her right for not usin’ protection anyway…” <Vinnie hat OFF>
BZZZZT! Sorry, I’m afraid it’s too late to play the dumped-on martyr.
You haven’t been transformed into anything. You’re merely reaping the seeds you sowed by being a towering, flaming jerk.
**PunditLisa**: That's really a wonderful idea. In theory. But you're right in that this whole discussion has been started by someone proving why it wouldn't work. There's just enough self-centered creeps in the world to keep good ideas from working. Hell, I can think of several dozen (good ideas AND creeps) right now...
...and thanks, **Kimstu**! We're trying to hold it together for one more month. :)
I’m sure that single pregnant women would have something to say about this. They don’t have anyone to help them shop. Like my friend, for example, whose doctor told her that she shouldn’t drive while she still had her post-C-section catheter in. Yeah, right. The groceries and paycheck are going to come home by themselves?
’Uigi, as one sailor to another, I’d have expected a bit more thought from you on this one…
You know damn well, if you’ll think about it, that there are plenty of times when the husband and/or father just isn’t available. The shopping still must get done.
I realize that all pregnant women are different and some really do have problems with swollen feet, etc. I do think the special parking stalls for pregnant mothers are great.
However (speaking for myself), pregancy doesn’t mean helplessness. It bothers me that a couple of people here have implied that late stage pregnant women shouldn’t shop. WTF?!?!?! Why not? My doctor not only encouraged walking, he also gives his patients information for registering in a prenatal floor aerobic and water aerobic classes. I participated in all three of my pregnancies (as well as a two mile walk - daily) and I can tell you that the workout was a lot more than a few extra feet waddled through a parking lot and the mall.
I was unmarried with my last baby. I didn’t have someone to do my shopping or drop me off at the door and to be honest, I never even gave it any consideration. It would have been a little silly to go walking or to an aerobic class or maybe even finish mowing the yard and then expect someone to do my shopping for me because :::gasp::: eye’s jus’ a delicate lil pregnant thang.
Oh, and JFTR. I was having labor pains - STRONG labor pains with my daughter. She was not due for 7 weeks and the contractions were not timed evenly (5 minutes apart, 15 minutes apart, 2 minutes. . . ). Since it is a common thing for me to go into false labor, I took a hot bath and tried to walk it off as I had been instructed by the hospital.
I had a little bit of shopping to finish so I grabbed my son (who was a two year old demon) and went to the mall. It went a little like this:
Bend over in pain.
Look at shower curtains.
Bend over in pain.
Deal with the demon’s “I wanna get outa the stroller” temper-tantrum.
Bend over in pain.
Pay for the shower curtains.
Bend over in pain.
Promise demon child we will ride the escalator ONCE.
Sit down on bench and writher in pain.
Take DC from stroller.
Writher in pain.
Ride the escalator - writhering in pain.
Deal with the MAJOR, on the floor temper-tantrum thrown by the DC who thinks he need to ride the escalator over and over and over and over. . .
You get the idea? Now add (don’t forget to add in the pain part) stopping at the grocery store and post office, carrying in groceries, making supper, bathing the DC, calling the hospital to see if I can come in for something to stop the false labor, and there you have my day.
Oh, and it wasn’t false labor. I gave birth just a few hours after shopping.
Diane, your story is so funny because that is just what I did. My son was two weeks early, and we went to the hospital when I had my labor pains. They said that I was in labor, but wanted me to go home and eat breakfast and come back in 4 hours. My husband and I decided to go shopping because we were not yet prepared for the baby.
After several minutes of walking around like you described, a clerk came over to me and said, “Honey, are you ok? I can call an ambulance for you.” I said, “Oh, I’m just in labor. The hospital wants me back at 10:30.” She looked at me like I was nuts.
I just roll my eyes when I hear stories about women and their 20 hours of labor, their 36 hours of labor, their 40 hours of labor - pshawwww. . . yeah, spent in a comfy hospital bed!!!
I spent 22 hours of my labor riding the mall escalator and watching my two year old throw temper-tantrums.
I agree with Vinnie. We have no Stork Parking or People with Children Parking here, and if we did, I would not plan on observing them. I obey Handicapped signs, because handicapped people had no say in becoming or being born handicapped. Pregnant people and people with children made that choice for themselves. I don’t consider people martyrs for having children; maybe they shouldn’t be painting themselves with that brush, either.
The property owners have every right in the world to designate parking spaces for pregnant women, in much the same way they designate handicapped spaces, a point manhattan has been making for some time, and which has evidently fallen upon blind eyes.
The issue of whether or not they invited their condition is irrelevant, nor are they martyrs. To focus on them is error. The focus properly belongs on the parking lot owner, who invites all customers to use most of the parking spaces, but only a few types of customers to use some of the spaces. If you wish to decline his invitation - as is your right - then you should do so by taking your business elsewhere.
Yeah, and I was doing laundry after I actually knew I was in labor with totnak (and knew it wasn’t false labor). Guess that proves that the female laundry-doing instinct overrides the female maternal instinct, huh?
Believe it or not, there’s no reason for the average woman to run to the hospital at the first twinge of labor.
Unless that woman lives in a TV sitcom.
I can’t believe this thing has gone on for two pages now.
By providing those Stork spaces, the property owners are just trying to be nice. It’s called common courtesy! I’m wondering if the posters who said they would park in a Stork spot anyway (w/o being pregnant) ever hold the door for the person behind them, or give up a bus seat for an elderly person, or say “Sorry” when they get a wrong phone number, or say “Excuse me” when squeezing past someone…
:rolleyes:
Handicapped spots are not only for those born with disabilities. It’s for all handicapped people whether they were born with it or are now disabled due to a choice they made to engage in a risky activity. Should we not allow certain classes of handicapped to park in those spots? Should the guy crippled in a skydiving accident not get a spot? The old woman with brittle bones who chose to ignore her doctor’s suggestion to take more calcium?
I also want to reiterate what manhattan and Bricker have said: It’s private property. If you don’t like the rules go somewhere else.
