What really gets to me about the bus is the people who wait until the bus arrives to put their fare money together, then spend 5 minutes digging through their purse (or pockets; not picking on the ladies here) for it. What the fuck were you doing for 20 minutes while we were all standing at the stop?!
And you’d be wrong. As wrong as you are to think that I should stand while you take your sweet time gathering up your stuff. The subway is for everybody, and everybody must make concessions. If you want a seat for your stuff, drive.
Of course “we all” can’t agree on it. If “we all” agreed on it, “we” wouldn’t see errant cigarette butts strewn upon the ground in various locations around town, would “we”?
Ah, a New Yorker I presume? Ok then, never mind. We don’t behave that way here, so I’m probably safe from your bus time shenanigans.
True, but I figured those people were just lazy–I didn’t think they actually thought they were doing something fine and dandy.
It’s been taught in the military, at least since WW1. My grandfather did it, as did his sons, who were in WW2 and Korea.
Fuck that. Pulling through is safer for drivers and pedestrians. It’s also a hell of a lot quicker because I can see where I’m going instead of having to back out around someone’s monster SUV. If it’s possible to pull through, I do it, and I’ll never understand the people who think it’s wrong.
I’d like to third that. What amazes me is that our social mores have not adopted a simple protocol:
When wanting to talk to someone:
- Move to a configuration where you are not blocking people’s way
- Talk.
In the case of the ladies norinew mentioned the issue obviously wasn’t the ladies chatting, but their physical configuration.
Some small peeves for me to contribute:
-
Hiking in a group, climbing a narrow path up an escarpment, with a drop down a side, and unsteady, wet footing. Finally the person before me reaches the rim, and stops to look around, leaving the hikers him/her behind balancing for dear life (for some reason such steep, narrow paths are usually easier to walk up than to stand still on.)
-
Just the other day: entering a local train, it was filled to capacity. People crowded at the door, trying to get in and narrowly succeeding before the train left - only there’d be enough room for everyone to stand comfortably if one person had not stood in the aisle between the seats, leaving the aisle, blocked by her, unoccupied while we had hardly room to breathe standing inside the door. I wonder that our collective looks did not make her combust.
-
People starting to talk to me without checking if I am on the phone.
Bus drivers who carry on extensive conversations with passengers.
Bus drivers who talk on the cell phone while driving.
Bus drivers who read their Kindle while driving (yes, this happened here and made the news).
Bus drivers who think they’re driving a Porsche.
Even worse than people who put their bag/whatever on the free seat next to them : people who do that, but sit on the aisle seat.
and give you the stinkeye as you walk down the aisle and glance at the empty window seat.
I don’t get this. DianaG is saying she’d be pissed if you took excessively long to move your stuff just cause you didn’t want to. If you take a bit longer but are moving it as fast as you can, I don’t think she’d be upset.
I got the impression that the “as fast as you can” bit would be decided by the person standing, rather than the person moving, and that if it was judged too slow the stander would actually pick up a stranger’s bag and plop it on their lap for them.
There was also a lot of “I don’t care what your problem is, move your shit NOW” being tossed around.
Call me crazy, but this seems intensely rude.
This is what DianaG said:
Maybe you’re right moejoe, but I’m thinking DianaG would be pissy more if someone seemed to just not care that they were inconveniencing others, rather than if they were legitimately slow movers for whatever reason
Well, I was the one who started the discussion, so I’ll tell you what I meant by it. If you appear to be making a good faith effort to clear your things, and have given me some sort of “no problem”-type smile, the amount of time you take isn’t really the issue. If you sigh and make a face and generally make me work harder than a person should have to for a seat, then I will think you are rude. I had people pretend not to see me when I was standing in the aisle with a cast on my leg while their shit was on the empty seat. That’s rude.
In general, I think that, the moment it becomes clear that there are more people entering the train than there are seats, people who have their shit lying on the seat next to them should start to clear it. Why make people beg? Unless you’ve actually bought your laptop its own ticket. In that case, have at it.
You are correct.
Really? Because what strikes me as intensely rude is putting your stuff on the seat, leaving it there until someone actually ASKS you to move it (when, as norinew said, you really should start gathering up your stuff as soon as it becomes apparent that there are more people than seats), and then taking your time moving it because you feel as though you shouldn’t have to hurry to remedy your rudeness.
+1.
I not-quite-pit the owners of the biggest and widest SUV’s or trucks, who always seem to park on the street just behind the exit out of a parking lot. Can’t see a thing when I’m trying to pull out. Arrgh!
That’s all I got, now.
I own one of those SUVs, and I pit them too, plus panel/mini van owners and pickups. Big problem coming out of narrow streets onto busy thoroughfares. Never seems to be cars on the corners.
If you can’t handle operating a vehicle in reverse, then I suggest you tender your license. It’s not safer because it’s an unexpected move. The usual protocol is drive in, back out. And what do you do if the vehicles on the other side are monster SUVs? Still can’t see around them until you’re well into the driving lane. Just take a few more seconds to back out slowly and carefully, you know, like you’re supposed to in a parking lot, and don’t be in such a damned hurry.