Metropolitan Transportation Authority cracking down on manspreading
I’ve been a public transit rider my whole life and I’ve never noticed this phenomenon before. Now I won’t be able to NOT see it.
Dude, close your legs!
Bah, next you’ll be wanting me to sit to pee. My boys like some air when they can get it, I’ll spread till I die.
I like the part where they reassure us that crossing our legs won’t make us infertile. I never knew that was something I could have been worrying about.
All those urinals take up space that should be used for respectable lady toilets!!!1
I just cram myself into the extra space they’re taking up. If they manspread while sitting next to me, encroaching on the space my legs need to exist in I will rest my bag on their leg. They usually retract pretty quickly. If they don’t I look at it as bonus shelf space for my stuff.
It’s a total dick move if you’re eating up seats on the train that has folks standing. On the other hand, if it’s an empty train and you just don’t like it–sorry, but I’m not going to be uncomfortable just because you don’t care for my posture. (In any event, I no longer live in NYC.)
Reminds me of the minor altercation I got into one afternoon because I was (gasp) sitting with my legs crossed, one ankle propped up on the other knee.
I don’t ride public transportation often, but I hate it when people do this in movie theaters. Dude, you don’t have to have your knees in different time zones! If you’re sitting next to me and you do it, I’ll glare at you, or sit the same way (albeit taking up only the space for my own seat) and knock my knee against yours (with passive-aggressive "sorry"s) until you move your damn knee back to your own space.
While we’re at it, what is it with middle-aged and old men and having to have their elbows spread out, either to their sides or behind them? I’m sick of getting poked by lunging elbows! (It’s not always men of these ages, but I’d say 90% of the time it is).
What ever happened to basic courtesy? Keep your damn body parts in your own personal space, and we won’t have a problem.
(And I agree: if it’s a nearly empty train or theater, spread out to your heart’s content. None of my business then. But don’t inconvenience others for your own comfort. The rest of us don’t like tiny seats either, but we cope.)
Do it if you’re sitting next to me on an airplane, and you will hear about it in no polite terms. Mr. Hotshot middle-seat Southwest to St. Louis, you know who you are.
Say whatever you want, on a plane it is a matter of physics. My thighbones won’t fit without a good spread.
If you don’t fit in a standard airline seat without having to spread your legs to the point where they’re encroaching on your seatmate, then it might be time to buy two seats, or upgrade so you can get a wider one. It’s no different than airlines making larger (heavier) people buy two seats if they don’t fit into one.
I don’t think the problem is the width, but the distance between rows (i.e. not enough legroom between one seat and the one in front of it).
Yeah, that sucks too, but don’t most airlines have the option to pay a small fee and upgrade to more legroom? I know Frontier does–pay $20 and you get 7" of glorious extra legroom. I will never fly without this option again, and my legs aren’t even overly long.
There’s also the option of getting the aisle seat. If you’re attentive, you can poke your leg out into the aisle a bit (you have to be attentive about pulling it in or you inconvenience people and get bonked by the drink cart a lot).
In the other thread, the person’s Dr provided a box of tissues to wipe away the tears. This happens in the subway too? And you get triple-taxed? :eek:
Yeah, I’d do that too.
I take the bus/subway often, though I guess I don’t usually end up sitting next to “manspreaders.” It seems to me that the people who take up more than one space usually do so with their bags, though many of them will move their bags if they see that someone wants to sit there.
This happens to me at baseball games: the guy (and it’s always a guy) sitting next to me sits so that he constantly jabs me in the ribs with his elbow. It’s not just that he’s too big to fit in his seat - some of the worst offenders have been little skinny guys.
What annoys me on trains is guys who spread out so they take up three seats. This happens on BART all the time.
I’ve never had someone not move their legs when I want to sit. It’s the door blockers who really bug me.
How about instead of making everything a fucking damn issue, if there’s no where to sit except next someone “spreading” you just politely ask him to scooch a little?
SHIT, what the fuck has happened to society that we need a bunch of bitchy little whiners making every little thing they don’t like into some sort of cause?
Edit: The whiny bitches I complain about are the ones making this a cause in the article, not anyone who posted here
Shouldn’t have to ask. The “spreaders” should should show some consideration for their fellow human beings, and some awareness about their surroundings. If somebody’s leg is blocking the only available open seat, he needs to move his damn leg. Don’t make somebody else have to ask him to “scooch.”
Well, I think that’s why signs are helpful. On the other hand, habits are hard to break, and not everyone has good body awareness. But on the other hand, people shouldn’t have to ask for something as basic as personal space. A sign reminding folks not to manspread helps everyone be civil and polite.
I’m a spreader and proud of it. Crossing my legs is not comfortable for me. (stealth brag!)
However, I also
- will not take up more than one seat if there are any people standing, which might mean preferring to stand
- will frequently get up to let someone else have my seat, especially if they are female, older than me, younger than 12, or have any kind of disability