Who was more unreasonable here?

[Northcountrygirl16]

Had an "altercation" at the train station this morning and neither of us exactly covered ourselves in glory.

So what happened was I was walking along the platform when this woman walked right in front of me. She literally stepped directly in front of me and carried on walking. We were both walking in the same direction and there was plenty of room for her to have walked to either side of me. It wasn't busy.

Anyway it caused me to slightly step on the back of her shoe. Because she literally walked underfoot of me. I had no chance to alter my stride in time because she was so close. Whilst I know it's annoying when people step on the back of your shoe it's not like I almost took it off or even caused her to stumble. In fact if I had been walking faster she would probably have tripped me or trod on my toes!

She spun round, glared at me and then whipped out her headphones to shout at me to "Say sorry!". I had sort of anticipated that she might apologise for cutting in front of me, and then I would have apologised for stepping on her shoe. Instead she was aggressive. I wasn't having a good morning so rather than meekly apologising like she wanted I told her that it was her own fault for cutting in front of me and that she should actually apologise to me, and try looking where she was going!

Rather embarrassingly looking back we ended up shouting at each other. I wouldn't usually react that way but she seemed to be trying to intimidate me and that enraged me. I mean normally if someone stepped on your shoe and didn't apologise you'd roll your eyes and move on? Not stop and start shouting at them to apologise? And then follow them down the platform carrying on an argument about it?? Especially when it was entirely caused by your own carelessness?

At the end she shouted that she didn't see me because she has epilepsy?!?! I'm not really sure if the connection if there is one. But again surely if you have a condition that causes you to not see people and therefore step right into their path then you have some awareness of it and when it happens you don't start shouting at them?

Maybe she was having a bad morning too, was very stressed out or something. However you weren't in the wrong at all.

But Milk "being a bit miserable" surely doesn't justify being aggressive and intimidating? The fact is that someone stepping on your shoe in a public place is not something that warrants more than a tut at most, even if you believe the other person to be at fault??

Sanitys - it drives me mad too! At one of the stations I get off at you have to filter down a narrow passage way and there are always about a hundred people trying to get through. There are always people who shuffle along reading their phones, or sometimes even a book getting in everyone's way. I am always shocked and puzzled as to how people can be so unaware.

You were not at fault here.

But sounds like she was looking for an outlet to be aggressive, so I probably wouldn't have shouted back. Sometimes just saying nothing and raising eyebrows is more effective.

I had something similar yesterday, but I was the person walking in front. Large pavement in the city, loads of room and next thing I know a guy passes me saying "can you see me now, can you see me now?" and shouting at me for being in his way. I was IN FRONT of him and walking at a normal pace, he just decided he wanted to walk on the exact piece of path I was on and when I said he could have gone around or asked me politely to move, he claimed he was partially sighted and I was rude....

I wasn't commenting on her fault, but the snarky suggestion by a pp that she shouldn't be on a train platform at all.

Actually I'm visually impaired (amongst other things, and I have an autistic son - believe me, I know all about invisible disabilities). If I'm using public transport and/or potentially putting myself at risk then I make sure I'm accompanied because in the past I've walked in front of people or bumped into them on occasion.

When that has happened, I don't get aggressive about it, demand an apology and start moaning about my disability. I say sorry and move on. Because I'm the one at fault.

I might sound snarky, but having a disability - of any kind - is not a free pass to being a dick.