I've just played Manspread Skittles on the train. Guess how many points I scored

[GunpowderGelatine]

Just got on a train at the opposite end where I needed to be (that's where I was standing on the platform and I panic in case I don't hop on in time so I just got on) and walked through 7 carriages before I got to mine. I carried my little suitcase in front of me, and came across a number of manspreaders who seemed to occupy the half the aisle (no exaggeration) with their knees (only once did I see them sat next to someone). Note - no women were doing this. I decided to have me a game of Manspread Skittles (just carried on walking meaning my suitcase knocked into their knees).

Anyone likes to guess:

1. How many men I knocked in total over 7 carriages and
2. How many said sorry for being in my way?

You are a genius. I have noticed this so much recently and try and avoid my ingrained response to get out of the way. I am a small person though and it's hard to not just avoid the inevitable bash out of the way. I am trying harder though as I have 2 daughters and don't want them to assume that they should just get out of the way for others.

For balance I did it in Waitrose cafe/free coffee area. There was a group of women taking the whole entire table space and various manspreaders lost in important thought while some elderly shoppers were looking for a seat. Since we were all enjoying a free coffee I decided to endure fair play and said in a nice big voice “now these ladies will all occupy one seat and then everyone else can have one” considering I look like a flustered Mrs Weasley at the best of times it did not go down well but a previously seat manspreader snapped back to reality and helped me get everyone into a seat.

A firm voice is my favourite tool now, and calling everyone young lady or young man. Basically I’ve turned into my granny (who was a feminist before they were invented).

I’m always amazed at the number of women on here who defend the very behaviour that is symptomatic of the wider oppression of women. Stop being part of the problem ffs. It doesn’t do anyone any good.

OP, you’re brilliant.

Reading this on the train. Decided to take a peak down the aisle to see if my train was as bad as OPs and all I could see were male legs sticking out 😂

My other half barely fits In the seats, is very self conscious of this and it talks me bloody ages to get him to agree to leave the house because of self serving, rude, entitled and vindictive people like you.
What makes you right by acting like a total child who forgot how to use any manners. People like you are what's wrong.

@IdaIdes sorry about your tall husband. Maybe instead of awaiting a request to move he could keep an eye on his surroundings?

@User6949671 yeah....that’s not normal. He doesn’t want to leave the house because he’s tall and someone might bash isn’t his outstretched leg? But somehow the OP is ‘self serving, rude, entitled and vindictive’ to not want to have to say ‘excuse me’ 27 times in a row because some people (all of them men in this instance) aren’t aware enough of their surroundings to tuck their legs in for a bit?

I sometimes stick my leg out in the aisle if I’m uncomfortable. But I’ve enough awareness to tuck it in when people are boarding the train!

My new game is "how often will male staff in electrucal/tech shops will ignore me, then pounce on my husband when he stands beside me even though he isn't actually purchasing anything?
ANSWER
Every fucking time.
My DH would not have believed it until we started to deliberately experiment.
I stand obviously looking at some kit on a display. I scan for staff, who all seem oblivious, try to make eye co fact, usually without any.luck.
Then, DH wanders alongside me and in a blink, there is a gaggle of help.
Except once, in a camera shop where 2 young women stepped rught up to help me without being hijacked.
I am 51, which we reckon intensifies my invisibility.
Try it.
See.

He's bigger than average and knows it, He has little to no self confidence and over thinks. Not that it had any baring on the situation what so ever.
Why does being rude make this situation better? What's wrong with saying excuse me 27 times or 60?
Being a rude is OPs problem not the men's fault who have probably zoned out like the rest of is do on a train.
Grow up.

Dh is extremely tall and has severe arthritis in his knees. He would sit with his leg out as he finds it extremely painful not to, of course if he saw anyone coming towards him he would move.
Why on earth couldn’t you say excuse me? It seems like you were a total pain in the arse walking through 7 carriages with a bloody suitcase - I can imagine you getting in so many peoples way. Why not walk outside the train, to prove a point??

Can you imagine if a man came on and said all women do "x" and I'm fed up of it so I'm going to purposefully bash into every single one instead of asking them to move? Say like mothers with prams? It's never ok to purposefully hit someone else. It's never right and it's not a fucking clever solution.

It's not about bashing poor men's legs being mean, it's the fact that they won't move. I am not that tall but do not fit in bus or trains seats well, but I'll bloody well tuck my legs in if someone comes past. I've had a man hiss at me to shift my fucking feet on a train. I didn't need to at all; he had plenty of room. He just wanted MORE. Fuckers.

Well that’s my point. It’s not rude.

If people have a habit of zoning out then they should be more aware of their surroundings. Why should OP have to say excuse me 27 or 60 times when people could just be more courteous?!

And thanks, been a long time since I was told to grow up.

She didn't even ask them to move. She walked through 7 carriages being rude.

How tall are all these men who have no choice but to spread on public transport? My DH is 6'4 and he doesn't do it.

She walked through 7 carriages. No one takes any notice of any one else when the train starts moving. They all probably moved back and got on with life not expecting some moron to come barreling through the carriages suit case in hand for more BS threads about how mean and nasty men are.

He is basically saying the guys who do not give way are jerks and they do it to everyone, not just women

Stand down ladies! Patriarchal chicken isn’t a thing, because a man wrote an article about it and says men do it to men too!

I’d love to play but I’m 5’ 3” and would get shoulder barged under a bus on day one.

@DianaPrincessOfThemyscira And if he doesn't constantly look behind himself in the train he deserves to have his bad leg purposefully bashed? Would you be happy to be hit by someone because you "deserved" it?

They probably did tuck their legs in when the doors opened, but the length of time it took op to shuffle through busy carriages with a suitcase, the doors had probably long shut by the time she got to carriage 7, so people walking through would have been less expected.
Imagine a man posting he was barging past a queue of women or something in his way and was deliberately hitting them, I despair.

It seems like you were a total pain in the arse walking through 7 carriages with a bloody suitcase

How are you meant to know before getting into the train if there are seats free?

I do have sympathy with tall men not fitting in the seat but being tall doesn't mean you can't pull your legs in for a few seconds when you know the train has just stopped and people need to get up and down the aisle.

And I don't think anyone has said that all men do this. Just the ones who think they're entitled to more than their fair share of space.

You've just reminded me of my last train journey OP. An obnoxious man listened to loud wanky music whilst talking loudly and drunkenly, (10am). When we arrived at destination he screamed "Fucking idiot!" at me as I was lifting my suitcase onto the platform. I hate public transport!

Op knew seats were free as she said the men weren’t sitting next to any one, and she said she deliberately got on at the opposite end that she needed.

being tall doesn't mean you can't pull your legs in for a few seconds

It does for some people. It's not as if their legs have an extra hinge mid-thigh. Have pity on the over-2-m brigade!

@IdaIdes. No you tuck your legs in when you hear people moving and the train is still in the station so a reasonable expectation that people will be walking past you. And you don’t have your music or whatever up so high you can’t hear.

Being aware of your surroundings doesn’t mean constantly visually scanning the area you know .

And no, I wouldn’t be happy. But if I’d been bashed I would have apologised for being in the way - which as OP says, not one of them did and one shouted at her!

Why are women held to the standard of having to ask to get past in a train aisle where it is a reasonable expectation to be able to pass through but not one mention that the men should have apologised?!

I'm a little bit confused as to why you couldn't just say 'excuse me' OP? Because being rude and, what effectively is violent, bashing people's legs to make your point is pretty vile behaviour.

@Jammiebammie so the men were sitting next to no one, still manspreaded into the aisle, and it’s still the woman’s fault for getting on at the wrong end.

Gotcha.