# If you're the world's tallest man, STAND AT THE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 8, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255 "2007-06-08T14:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/21 "2007-06-08T17:42:19Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] If you want a good seat, get there early. I’ve been blocked by tall people in theatres before but I don’t expect them to sit in the back row their entire lives. [/QUOTE] Most rock clubs don’t have seats. There’s a big area where you stand in front of the stage. There’s also a lot of milling around as people go back and forth from the bar. Showing up early is no guarantee of not being blocked by a tall person unless you’re standing right at the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/22 "2007-06-08T17:44:00Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] I see it’s time for **VCO3** ’s monthy Pit rant. Must be some weird form of PMS. [/QUOTE] He’s cut it down to _monthly_? Huzzah! ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/23 "2007-06-08T17:49:37Z")
I’m not freakishly tall (6’5") but I’m tall enough that I’d probably not mind losing about 3" or so. It just seems like the world in general is designed for people who are in the 5’4" to 6’2" range, and if you’re outside of that, it gets unpleasant. For example most cars, even with the seat as far back as it goes, my legs are crowded and I do not really have enough room to drive properly. Riding in the back seat sometimes is a huge chore. Many restaurants my thighs are almost lifting the table up, luckily this is a trend I’ve noticed changing in the past 10 years. In a concert hall, movie theater or et cetera often times I have virtually no leg room nor really much room on the side, I’m a fairly fit 235 lbs and not obese by any means but I have broad shoulders and that just compounds my issues with being cramped and crowded in public settings. Flying coach? Forget about it. Most buses are a nightmare, too. Luckily many city buses and trains you can stand while you ride, but that’s unfortunately not always the case. I’ve seen people taller than me in those situations too, and it’s way worse for them. One flight I was on, [Paul Wight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wight) was on board, and even in first class he was packed in as tight as a sardine and looked absolutely miserable. It’s not surprising that he’s leased a bus and hired a bus driver to get around. Basically, tall people have to deal with a ton of inconveniences in day-to-day life. Ranging from relative inconveniences (like someone my height has to deal with) to genuine hardships (like people even taller have to deal with.) Tall people make adjustments and deal with these inconveniences as best we can, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect us to exclude ourselves from going to a concert with a girlfriend or friend, nor do I think it’s reasonable to banish us to the wall or the back row. I’ve often offered to trade seats with people who couldn’t see over me, and have even stood in aisles before to try and not seriously impede someone’s view. But it’s a two way street and if it’s not the end of the world for shorter people to make some adjustments, either. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/24 "2007-06-08T17:50:00Z")
Can we have the responses to the OP sorted in height order? I can’t see over **Giraffe.** ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/25 "2007-06-08T17:51:36Z")
That’s why I got here early. I’ve got a nice, clear view. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/26 "2007-06-08T18:34:52Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Most rock clubs don’t have seats. There’s a big area where you stand in front of the stage. There’s also a lot of milling around as people go back and forth from the bar. Showing up early is no guarantee of not being blocked by a tall person unless you’re standing right at the stage. [/QUOTE] As they say, them’s the breaks. The guy shouldn’t be relegated to the back row simply because he’s tall. He paid the same $$ as everyone else and should be able to stand/sit wherever he wants. And I say this as a 5’5" woman. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/27 "2007-06-08T18:43:07Z")
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy] Can we have the responses to the OP sorted in height order? I can’t see over **Giraffe.** [/QUOTE] Okay, I snorted when I read this one. 😛 Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/28 "2007-06-08T18:46:25Z")
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy] Can we have the responses to the OP sorted in height order? I can’t see over **Giraffe.** [/QUOTE] Try standing on your bus. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/29 "2007-06-08T18:49:18Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] As they say, them’s the breaks. The guy shouldn’t be relegated to the back row simply because he’s tall. He paid the same $$ as everyone else and should be able to stand/sit wherever he wants. And I say this as a 5’5" woman. [/QUOTE] You don’t have to go to the back. I don’t. I just move back a little so short people can stand in front of me. It doesn’t hurt my concert experience in the slightest, and vastly improves someone else’s. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/30 "2007-06-08T18:51:39Z")
I agree that sometimes you have to get the first to get the best spot, but if there was a wall right there the guy could have stood next to, with his (short) girlfriend beside him, so that everyone else in the section could see, how would that be inconveniencing him? He wouldn’t be at the far back, and everyone else there has paid money to see the band, too. We once got stuck at Wolf Trap, which had assigned seating for this show but fortunately it didn’t fill completely up, behind the world’s tallest AND widest man – I swear, his shoulders were six feet wide, and he was so tall that even I, who’s 5’9", couldn’t even see over his shoulders, and he was so wide you couldn’t lean around him to see, either, without physically moving to another seat. We ended up moving fairly quickly, and by the end of the show, there was a V-shaped swath of empty seats behind him. If the show had been sold out? We would have gone to the ushers and asked for a seating change, even if it was to seats farther away – better to see from far away than not see at all! ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/31 "2007-06-08T19:01:19Z")
Tall people should move to the back? Nah. The people with _better hearing and vision_ should move to the back, along with anybody who’s seen the show before or knows the songs already. Also, anybody who’d be having a pretty good day anyway, even without being right up front: they don’t need that spot the way the OP does. Or, even better, just leave everybody where they are and move the band out to the parking lot. Why should those lucky enough to be admitted to the club before it filled to capacity get to monopolize the entertainment? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/32 "2007-06-08T19:11:45Z")
Maybe the concert-goers should do a volleyball rotation so everyone has an equal opportunity to see the concert from all positions. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/33 "2007-06-08T19:53:31Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] You don’t have to go to the back. I don’t. I just move back a little so short people can stand in front of me. It doesn’t hurt my concert experience in the slightest, and vastly improves someone else’s. [/QUOTE] And yet that it was the OP is proposing. VC03: “It seems like every time I go to a concert or other capacity event, incredibly tall guys place themselves right in the middle of the crowd, or even up front, inconsiderately blocking the view of the unfortunate normal-sized people behind them. If you’re tall and you want to be in a crowd, go to the back - you’ll still be able to see over everyone in front of you anyway!” ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/34 "2007-06-08T20:41:03Z")
I’m 6 feet tall and tend to stand towards the back so as not to block the view of you shorties. But if I’m with a date who’s short, you’re out of luck. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/35 "2007-06-08T21:33:17Z")
Yeah, man, when are you tall people gonna learn your place is all back of the bus and shit. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/36 "2007-06-08T21:53:04Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Yeah, man, when are you tall people gonna learn your place is all back of the bus and shit. [/QUOTE] Coincidentally, for a long time the only place I could sit facing forward on the majority of commuter buses in the area was one of two seats way in the back. And I’m “only” 6’2". ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/37 "2007-06-08T22:17:26Z")
[QUOTE=kidchameleon] Did you pee in his coffee to get back at him? [/QUOTE] Heh. **VCO3** ’s nickname is “squirt” for more than one reason! ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/38 "2007-06-08T22:22:46Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Thanks for the driveby, you douche. …Oh, and\*\* Kid\_A\*\*? Your “drive-bys” are the fucking _best_. Three passes. It’s like you keep putting it in reverse and backing over the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/39 "2007-06-08T23:17:02Z")
Yes, I’m tall. No, I don’t play basketball. Do you play miniature golf? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255/40 "2007-06-08T23:43:13Z")
Heck, I’m right at average height for a man, and I’ll still try to someone shorter than me see at an event. Unless I happen to be blocking someone who is an annoying douche, in which case, I’ll stand there the whole time taking gleeful pleasure at their suffering. **VCO3** , did you notice an annoying douche standing in your vicinity? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-the-worlds-tallest-man-stand-at-the-back/407255.md?page=3)