# Today I learned about Manspreading **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915 "2014-12-22T15:35:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/41 "2014-12-23T07:19:59Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I’ve never seen three seats together on a BART train. I thought all the seats were in pairs. 😕 There are pairs of seats that face each other, making four in all. I’ve seen guys sit in such a way that they take up three of the four seats, by extending their arms and legs. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/42 "2014-12-23T07:34:33Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > 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. I’d never worried about it either, but now I do :eek: . Okay, not really; I usually stand. On the LRT here in Edmonton, the seats are very obviously either wide enough for two people (not one, not three) or for three people (not two, not four). This so-called “manspreading” is a non-issue because we really like our personal space up here. You know what _is_ a problem though? _Perfume._ Let’s campaign against that, instead. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/43 "2014-12-23T08:19:35Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > [Woman & Dog Exhibit Worst Subway Etiquette We've Ever Seen - Gothamist](http://gothamist.com/2014/09/30/worst_subway_etiquette_ever.php) That train isn’t even crowded, you can see an empty seat in the reflection behind the woman, so that author clearly just wanted to bitch about something that wasn’t even a problem. I ride the NYC subway every day, if it’s not crowded, I don’t give a crap how much space you take up. But when it’s a rush hour train and we are packed in like sardines, I \*\*will \*\*squeeze in next to a spreader. He’s not getting two (or three! I often see them using three seats!) when the rest of us are crushed so tightly together that we don’t even have to hold on to anything. Now how about starting a campaign against the fuckwads who sit on the stairs going out of the subway and don’t move even when hundreds of people are trying to exit? I always purposefully knock into them. A couple months ago I was in a packed train when it got to a major stop, and tons of people all got out and had to exit up one staircase, which is about the width of four people. \*\*Two \*\*girls were sitting on those steps next to each other, creating a crazy bottleneck, and they could not give one crap. So I just put my hand on one of their shoulders and kind of vaulted over her head, making sure the brunt of my weight was on her. The other people walking up the stairs were pretty impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/44 "2014-12-23T12:51:51Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > What annoys me on trains is guys who spread out so they take up three seats. This happens on BART all the time. From the article: "those men who spread their legs wide, into a sort of V-shaped slouch, effectively occupying two, sometimes even three, seats " What, are these guys doing the splits or something? Just how flexible are they? I’m 5’8" and weigh 190, and when I sit naturally, my “manspread” barely matches the width of my chair. ---
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/45 "2014-12-23T18:24:08Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > It’s enough of a thing, there’s a Tumblr just for it, [Saving Room for Cats](http://savingroomforcats.tumblr.com/). That’s beautiful! Followed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/46 "2014-12-23T21:28:05Z")
It’s so good to know that we’re officially out of real problems and we can finally get on with the “Sitting Police” campaign we’ve been putting off for so long! ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/47 "2014-12-23T21:52:38Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > It’s not as disgusting in the US as it is in Scotland. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Also in Japan, usually a grumpy-looking middle-aged man in a middle-manager suit. We foreigners used to call this position The Samurai. The look on his face usually dares anyone to say anything, or to attempt to sit in the 1/3 of a space that is left. Now that there son is an epic whoosh! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/48 "2014-12-23T21:59:25Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > 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? The internet and specifically social media. All of a sudden people got the mistaken belief that the rest of the world gave a shit about their opinion. > [@TonySinclair](#): > > It’s not as disgusting in the US as it is in Scotland. My doctor says you gotta air 'em out at least twice a week. > [@even\_sven](#): > > You don’t have a rush hour commute on the subway, do you? I have a 1.5 hour subway commute, and damned if I’m going to stand up for that because some dude feels like he gets an extra seat. Do you have a mouth and vocal chords? Because I think I might have a solution for you. Step 1: Ask “some dude” to flop his wang off to the side so he can close his legs. Step 2: Sit. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/49 "2014-12-23T23:24:56Z")
My 10th grade biology teacher had a problem with that posture when he had to look at the students in the amphitheatre style (tiered seating) lecture room. He was always telling the dudes to close their legs. I hadn’t heard about that pet peeve since last Sunday’s “New York Times” article, many decades later. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/50 "2014-12-24T03:15:34Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > I’m skeptical. Plenty of men don’t sit with their legs spread. Do those men have undescended testicles and micropenises? I don’t pay THAT much attention to other men, but most that I notice do use the “spread.” It is also possible to sit ON the genitals or have them yanked up over the top of the thigh or abdomen- that does put some strain on my scrotum, though. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/51 "2014-12-24T03:18:45Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > This is complete crap. > > I’m not making any outlandish claims about the size of my genitals, but nor am l saying that they are small. They are, as far as I can tell, comfortably in the average range. I can sit perfectly comfortably with my legs together. > > Sure, if there’s plenty of space it’s nice to spread out. But if you can’t adjust yourself so that your nuts aren’t crushed by your thighs, I suggest you see a doctor. I prefer the style of clothing that places mine in between my legs, rather than behind them or on top. So maybe that’s my issue. When I was younger and wore a different style of underwear, I often hand problems with them getting stuck behind my legs while walking. So i switched. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/52 "2014-12-24T03:43:22Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > I’m skeptical. Plenty of men don’t sit with their legs spread. Do those men have undescended testicles and micropenises? LOL, you have it backwards. When the boys get too warm down there they tend to drop, it’s at that point they’re sort of all over the place. This is when men tend to spread to keep from crowding them. Plus, having your ballsack stuck to the side of your thigh like Velcro (from sweat) is NOT comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/53 "2014-12-24T03:48:58Z")
The guy may have 3 or more balls dangling down there and definitely needs the space. How inconsiderate can you be? ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/54 "2014-12-24T13:55:32Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > From the article: > > "those men who spread their legs wide, into a sort of V-shaped slouch, effectively occupying two, sometimes even three, seats " > > What, are these guys doing the splits or something? Just how flexible are they? I’m 5’8" and weigh 190, and when I sit naturally, my “manspread” barely matches the width of my chair. When I was doing yoga regularly, my hips were pretty flexible, but I never would have been able to do this: [http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com/image/86923440829](http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com/image/86923440829). I think he must have a special training regimen to get that kind of spread. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/55 "2014-12-24T14:08:15Z")
I see that kind of spread a lot, especially from the wannabe gangstas who are also too dumb to pick correct pant sizes or know how to use a belt. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/56 "2014-12-24T23:37:09Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > When I was doing yoga regularly, my hips were pretty flexible, but I never would have been able to do this: [http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com/image/86923440829](http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com/image/86923440829). I think he must have a special training regimen to get that kind of spread. That … doesn’t even look comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/57 "2014-12-25T04:20:27Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > This is pretty much just the default natural male posture. If you have even average external genitalia, it’s pretty uncomfortable to “close your legs”- just speaking practically. Horse shit. I was born with those parts, too. There’s nothing remotely uncomfortable with knees-together sitting, or with knee-over thigh leg-crossing for that matter. If there is, get some useful underwear. I’m tempted to carry a cane and use it to whack people in their exposed crotchal regions if they don’t restrict their legroom to their share of the damn subway seat. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/58 "2014-12-26T15:12:07Z")
I think a lot of the kerfuffle is from people who would rather post online than have a little bravery to interact with fellow human beings in the real world. Every time I’ve seen this happen on a crowded train or subway, if I go up and smile and ask if I can sit next to them, they always close their legs and give me a seat. Even the “scary gangbanger-looking” folks will usually look embarrassed and then close their legs. I’m sure there must be assholes who won’t close their legs for anything short of a rap with an umbrella on their testicles, but I’ve never met them. Edited: spelling ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/59 "2014-12-26T15:46:14Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > I think a lot of the kerfuffle is from people who would rather post online than have a little bravery to interact with fellow human beings in the real world. Stop making sense, please. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915/60 "2014-12-26T18:55:03Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Horse shit. > > I was born with those parts, too. > > There’s nothing remotely uncomfortable with knees-together sitting, or with knee-over thigh leg-crossing for that matter. If there is, get some useful underwear. > > I’m tempted to carry a cane and use it to whack people in their exposed crotchal regions if they don’t restrict their legroom to their share of the damn subway seat. I’m sure it varies. I know that, for me, when I sit down, the natural position my legs fall into is with knees just slightly farther about than the width of my shoulders. Which actually works out fine in most scenarios, since the shoulder width is not negotiable anyway. I can close my legs without any pain, but I do feel pressure there, and I do need to use a little muscular action to keep them closed. While it’s no major inconvenience, it is certainly less comfortable than having my legs open a little bit. Sitting with my legs crossed (knee on top of knee, the way a woman would) is outright uncomfortable, verging on painful. I suppose I could adjust my parts into a position that isn’t crushing them, but do you really want to watch me adjust myself on the train? No, I didn’t think so. If I cross my legs ankle on knee style like men more often do, then I’m taking up slightly more space than the natural, slightly legs open position I described at the beginning. And, while I’m a bit overweight at the moment, I haven’t found this to change my experience much. In my svelte high school and college days, it would have been the same answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-learned-about-manspreading/707915.md?page=4)