Know what, Choosybeggar? You’re right. There’s an appalling lack of data relating to the issue at hand. To remedy this situation, I’d like to ask that you and your child meet me at some mutually convenient escalator. There, I can watch you ride the escalator with your kid 10,000 times (we do, after all, require statistical stability in such matters) and you’ll be able to prove to the world, once and for all, that the Choosybeggar Stroller Method works.
I hope you don’t mind if I call over a camera crew from America’s Stupidist Home Videos to film the whole thing. I can hear Bob Saget now…
“And the winner of the $50,000 grand prize is… Choosybeggar! Thanks for bringing in that video of ‘Child Getting Eaten Alive by Escalator.’ That was one in a million.”
[sub]Actually, Bob, it was one in ten thousand.[/sub]
To return to the OP for a moment, another thing I get a lot in this college town are people who, when they are crossing the street legally and safely, take their sweet time about it. Apparently it’s totally rad to just mosey across the crosswalk with all the time in the world. You’re in the street and the spotlight’s on you! Do what you want! (Of course, these are largely college students for whom the spotlight is ALWAYS on them.) I have even had one person stop in the middle of the street, wave to her friend down the block, and then try to wait for said friend in the middle of the street. When the cars she was holding up expressed their disagreement about this plan, she stomped out of the crosswalk with much eye-rolling and sighing.