Absolutely.
On the London Tube, there are frequent announcements “Let the passengers off the train first, please.”
However traffic **entering the lavatory ** has right of way.
Maybe you just need to slow down. 
I suppose one could claim Plight makes right.
The OP noted this was a commercial establishment, and as such, there’s a 99% probability the door opens out, owing to building codes in the US.
The man was opening the door for his son, you didn’t see the boy because you weren’t looking where you were going and the dad is rude because he pointed out that you weren’t looking where you were going? Was the kid invisible until he ran into you? Talk about being self-absorbed.
You let people off the train or elevator first not only to make room but, more importantly, if they don’t get off they miss their stop while the people waiting can catch the next train/elevator. Not only that but in elevators and trains there are always people trying to get in and out at the same time. A door to a building-- not so much. If I’m at a door to a building and I open it, I have the right of way. I’ve never heard of this rule of civilization that says people exiting through a door always have the right of way.
I agree with Biggirl. If Dutchman had been looking where he was going, he would have seen the kid coming, no? He instead stares at the guy who is holding the door and “commences” to walk across the threshold where collides with the kid.
To further his dickishness, he freely admits
yet, doesn’t offer so much as an “excuse me” and instead stews on this tiny little event that it ruins his whole day. There’s no way around it, Dutchman, you’re a dick. The very least you could have done was offer a simple “excuse me”. Even if you though you were in the right (which you yourself admit you’re not sure about) you could have offered those two polite words that help keep the wheels of society greased. Instead, you walked away with no acknowledgment whatsever, and stewed about it so much that you had to post this pathetic little rant.
You may have not heard of it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Now you know. 
This is silly. So people ON the train that can’t get off are MORE put out by missing the stop than the person trying to get on who can’t and needs to wait for the next train? How is that, exactly? EVERYONE is affected the same way in this scenario, its no worse for who’s already on than for who missed. You still just let people OFF first, it makes it easier to load new passengers. Period.
The Flying Dutchman was not self-absorbed at all, good heavens people. The kid rushed in, as kids will do. The Dad didn’t need to mutter what he did, and I WOULD fault the Dad for not teaching him some very BASIC manners.
When I first read the thread title, I figure the five year old had it coming. He shouldn’t have been behind the wheel in the first place.
I guess I use the drive through too much.
Fucking sense of entitlement, if you ask me. And don’t roll your eyes so much. They’ll get stuck in your head that way.
Whoever opens the door first gets through first. If I’m exiting and the person coming in opens the door before I put my hand on it, I’ll step back and make room for them to enter. I don’t like confrontations, and it’s no big deal to take 5 extra precious seconds out of my day to be polite. That said, if I open the door first, I’m not going to barge through and bowl over anybody trying to get in. I’ll say a polite “excuse me” or something if they’re not paying attention.
Your analogy to getting off a bus or train doesn’t even make sense. Where is the building going? Does it have to be at the next corner by 12:10?
Fucking lack of manners, my shiny metal ass. But if you’re going to open the door for me, anyway, I’ll certainly take advantage of it. 
And I would :rolleyes:, and then step back to hold the door and wave you out – as you have the right of way. And please don’t do one of these “no, I insist” / “no, I insist” interactions, or I’ll just go frickin mental. This is the complete polar opposite of “sense of entitlement” – the “pleaser” — and it’s even MORE annoying, IMHO.
Well, I would have told my kid to say sorry for bumping into someone but-- Dad opened the door for kid, not Flying Dutchman. If Flying Dutchman had been looking where he was going, he’d have seen the kid because, like I said before, the kid wasn’t freaking invisible.
Also-- what in the hell are you talking about? The people on the train will be taken faaaar away while the people waiting will only have to wait for the next train. Unless your talking about Amtrak-- where you have more than enough time to enter or leave as you see fit.
Dad opened the door for kid, yes. And no the kid wasn’t invisible, but neither was Flying Dutchman. The Dad looked him right in the eyes.
Faaaaar away?? Really?? I’m thinking about a regular metro subway system here. The next stop is 5-10 minutes away. About the same amount of time for a new train to pop up. It’s the same amount of aggravation for both sides.
No sweat. If you open the door, you have the right of way, not me. But like I said, if you want to yield it to me and hold the door, I’ll gladly take advantage of it and say, “Thank you.”
I have a five-year-old, and though we try to teach her manners she tends to get excited and bounce into people rather often (entering McDonald’s would be one of these times). Entropy is one of her nicknames, in fact, as she tends to cause disorder wherever she goes.
If she bounced into you, I’d apologize for her if she doesn’t apologize, but I don’t feel it’s really anyone’s fault. The child is 5 and easily distracted, and you’re not in the habit of guarding yourself from knee-height assaults (nor should you be expected to be).
As such, I think the father was wrong in this situation for acting like you should jump out of the way of his son. I wouldn’t stew over it long though, life is too short to let asshats bother you.
I don’t know how tall Dutchman is but if he’s anything like me it’s easy to not notice little kids until walking into one or vice versa. They tend to be a couple feet or so below eye level.
Frankly, I"m substantially lower than (average) eye level myself and would be greatly offended if that were used as justification for running into me.
as I walk I tend to look where I’m going, which includes looking down so that I don’t:
A. run into/over a small child
B. step into something icky
C. miss the stair
D. step into the hole
etc.
I don’t expect children to always exercise the same level of caution (hence the teaching aspect of parenting, continuing to encourage and remind kids to look both ways, don’t run out into the street etc.)
Are the same height as an average five year old? Are you in the habit of running inside a shopping mall?
No, but then again, I didn’t claim to be so. ANd, of course, you avoided addressing the rest of my post which suggests that if you only watch from your eye level out, you would habitually be missing stairs, potholes, curbs, puddles - any number of potential risks that are both substantially below (average) eye level and below the height of the average 5 year old.
Care to try again?
Sorry, I thought I had specified inside a shopping mall, but I must have accidentally removed that part.
I can think of three times in a local mall when a kid or small adult ran into me or I accidentally hit one. It’s not easy to see them, particuarly during lunch hours.
I can’t even picture how the kid ran into you when his dad was right there, my dad would have grabbed me by the collar of my coat and pulled me out of the way. And if the kid was running then I don’t see how you could be blamed. I’ve had kids run into me inside store, but when I’m using the exit/entrance I’m not expecting objects to be going by at anything faster than a walking pace. Kiddo shouldn’t have been running, I’ll bet Dad knew it and just had a Grrr moment.