Subway Manspreaders Told: Close Your Legs And Let Other People Ride

Guardian (UK) ^ | December 20, 2012 | Amanda Holpuch

[Steelfish]

Subway Manspreaders Told: Close Your Legs And Let Other People Ride Poster campaign will attempt to stop antisocial practice Doctors say crossing legs will not affect reproductive powers.

Amanda Holpuch Saturday 20 December 2014 Comments

As 2014 comes to an end, one thing New York commuters can expect in 2015 is an official city campaign against a growing problem: “manspreading”.

Manspreading is the act or practice – typically male – of spreading one’s legs in a manner which prevents others from occupying nearby seats on the subway, commuter train or bus.

A Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) spokesman, Kevin Ortiz, described the practice thus: “To, you know, extend their legs more than they need to in a manner that would take up more than one seat.”

In January, the MTA will unveil ads calling for better subway manners. According to the New York Times, one such poster will bear the message: “Dude … Stop the Spread, Please.”

Social media sites have magnified criticism of manspreading, as people have posted images on sites like Twitter and Tumblr in an effort to shame culprits and compel them to keep their legs together.

The epidemic has spread – Boston transit police have posted photos of people taking up more than one seat on Twitter with messages such as: “#MBTA etiquette; if you are already seated PLEASE do not occupy seat next to you with your feet. Thanks.”

[Sherman Logan]

I always help someone, if I can. Male or female, and race not a factor.

Recently I’ve had some physical damage that makes helping much difficult, and I find it remarkably difficult to refrain from offering help I’m not really capable of.

About a year ago, before being injured, I helped a young black woman with three small kids by changing a tire for her in the Walmart parking lot. Multiple men walked by without offering assistance, including a lot of young black men, who frankly would have been more up to it physically than I was.

Ruined a perfectly good dress shirt in the process, too. :)

[Kenton]

Remember when there WERE ladies?

Actually, there are still a few, but they are as scarce as unicorns. Those of us old enough to remember when men treated women as if they were special, revered as our wives and mothers, can only mourn their decline, to be replaced by the b@tches and "baby-mommas".

Really folks, there WAS a time in America when NOBODY had to go on TV and force three or four different men to take blood tests, so that some welfare breeder can find out who's their "baby-daddy".

[Kenton]

I also continue to open doors for ladies.....knowing full well that it pi$$es off some of them. ;>)

Me too, but if they give me any attitude about it, I shut the door in their faces.

[Little Bill]

1960 seems to be the cut off point.

[PistolPaknMama]

I never knew he had light coming from down there. Must be like the K-mart blue light or something.

[867V309]

If you live in some Dumbocrap armpit of a metropolis and have to mingle with the riff-raff on public transportation, my heart bleeds for you.

[Organic Panic]

First world problems. Is this racist??? According to Brittney Cooper asking people to stop taking up two seats is racist.

"On Friday, I was on the train to New York to do a teach-in on Ferguson at NYU. Beats headphones on, lost in thought, peering out the window, I suddenly saw a white hand shoving my work carry-on toward me. Startled, I looked up to see the hand belonged to a white guy, who was haphazardly handling my open bag, with my laptop perched just inside to make space for himself on the seat next to me."

"Buoyed by his own entitlement, his own sense of white male somebodiness, this passenger never even considered that he might simply try harder to get my attention before putting his hands on my stuff. His own need to control space, his own sense of entitlement to move anything in his way even if it held something of value to another person, his belief that he had the right to do whatever he needed to do to make the environment conform to his will are all hallmarks of white privilege." -Brinney Cooper, Salon Magazine

[smokingfrog]

[hal ogen]

Probably, more public transportation riders should more importantly take a daily shower and use some deodorant.

[Chickensoup]

Where is he going?

[smokingfrog]

Will a cellphone even work on the subway?

[Chickensoup]

you can always play games.

[BBell]

Don’t make me take my pants off!

[StoneWall Brigade]

LOL!

[Interesting Times]

I got your "manspreading."

Right here.