Patriarchy chicken

[ToddlerMumma]

I heard about this game on the radio and have tried it a few times. It's where you don't get out of the way when walking down the street. You just walk in a straight line to your destination.
I don't know about you but I'm usually bobbing and weaving around men people when I'm walking and it's really quite strange (and liberating!!) to just keep walking. I've had a few near misses, loads of annoyed looks and some men people just stop in front of me, confused.
Have you tried it? It's made me think when I walk with my young daughters and tell them to 'get out of peoples way'. Why should they? They have as much right as the next person to walk their path

Haha I love this. They almost always move at the very last second, especially the younger ones. For your daughters it makes sense because I imagine they're small and can get hurt.

I do this sometimes. Most move out of the way. One time a very tall bloke got arsey with me as he had to sidestep me but apart from that, it works.

I've done it in Victoria Station occasionally, good fun, they look very shocked.

Not quite the same as they were mixed groups, but a couple of times during covid I was faced with people walking towards me, strung across the whole width of a path, presumably expecting me to get out of the way and into the mud or the road, or maybe not noticing me at all. I just stopped dead and spread my arms wide to make them give me some space. Very satisfying.

I do notice when going for a run that I move aside when people are walking towards me - they show no intention of moving out of my way. But when I've been for a run with DH, DH in front and me behind him, the people walking towards us move aside...

Yes I do it often. I’m just back from holiday in a Scandinavian country where groups of teenage / 20 something young men kept walking towards me and obviously expecting me to move ( I’m a petite woman in my 50s ).

I noticed this happened more often than in the UK but I have no idea why.

I did it at work. One guy said he thought I was going to hug him. I did point out I am not in the habit of hugging anyone in the work place.

I do this regularly. I was at the aquarium with DD the other day and 2 men boxed us off (we were standing in a cubby thing). We went to walk off and they obviously expected we would go all the way to the side and round again, but instead I just walked towards them and through (which meant a lot of body contact as 20cm gap between them), they looked stunned.

I will say though in my experience the worst demographic for this is ‘cool’ teen girls walking in a group. They stroll down the pavement here and seem totally shocked when I won’t usher my toddler into the road for them.

I kind of had this at a train station. Big crowd of people waiting for the platform to be announced. As soon as it was, everyone started walking. A man behind me was actually pushing on my shoulder to try and get me out of the way but, whereas I would usually give way because I don't like being in crowds and I feel intimidated easily, I disliked that he was actually touching me, stood my ground and refused to let him past. I got the feeling he was quite surprised. Of course, he didn't try to push past the men next to me.

Not sure I understand this. Surely it's normal that in some circumstances people step aside for you and in others you step aside for them.

Barging down the street in such a way that everyone needs to GTFO of your way is just acting entitled.

Round my way it's dog walkers, like they expect my toddler to go in the road over their precious dog🙄

I've found everyone moved out of the way except for young women

I do it all the time.

I get called “cunt” and “fat bitch” regularly by men exclusively. I am not fat but apparently it works as a universal insult.

Tbh that’s not my experience at all, and even if some men do act like they’re the kings of the footpath, I’m not sure that copying their behavior is the way to a better society.

Another one that really gets my goat is when people walk 2 or 3 abreast and seem oblivious of others. They seem to expect me to step into the gutter to make way. It's like being fat and middle aged means I'm invisible

I have played this game for many years. I live in a city with lots of tourists, and it's great fun watching them realise that the rest of the world isn't always going to get out of their way. Tourist groups in particular can exist in their own little bubble. There are also lots of students here, so when freshers start in September and October I see it as my civic duty to help them to realise they aren't the only people on the pavements. It helps that I'm an old bat ...

I love this game! Only very occasionally do I end up nose to nose with someone. At that point I smile hugely and they remember they are busy and important and go around me. Got a chum who is a female nurse who plays this with the male consultants. Hours of fun. Some literally expect that she will dive into a cupboard to allow them to go past two abreast.

Being able to walk down the street and have people move out of the way is the one thing I miss about the pandemic.

I've tested this out, and I think speed also has a lot to do with it - if you're walking faster than the oncoming person, that person will move, more often than not.

I've encountered the problem often enough, but very rarely in the city where I've lived the last few years. Mostly people (ie men and women) start moving aside before they get close - remnant of behaviour learned during Covid, maybe? But if some man does look like he's going to obliviously walk into me, I'm likely to stop in the spot so he has to go around.

It's weird and sad to me that this is or needs to be a thing.

Instead of playing chicken shouldn't both people step aside and try to usher the other through - I thought that was the correct British way?

Perhaps it's a country vs city thing? Round here when people pass they make way for each other and also nod, say thanks, or say "Mornen" or "Hi-yaa".

I (male) instinctively make way for women, children, men older than me... and get slightly confused when anyone steps out of my way - until I realise I'm towing a small child and they're giving way to a my child - not a 6ft bloke.

I thought it was just good manners for men not to physically hit, threaten or barge women - but then I was taught to open or hold doors (not theatrically just don't shoulder barge women to get through first). I was also taught if a couple are walking on a pavement then the man should be nearer the road (which I understand has practically died out now).

Is this a town vs countryside issue - are men in towns less likely to give women space?
Is it the type of men - are "important men" in suits with "important city jobs" worse? (are they the pedestrian equivalent of the drivers of black Audis)
Is this an age thing? Are younger men worse?

Or is it just I'm a 6ft middle aged man (no lycra) and now live in the countryside so obviously wouldn't experience it?

It'd be lovely if we could train people to be more considerate, but for now Pavement-Chicken seems a way to push back.

The most improbable part of that is the way he barges into other men.

I do this, I walk down the side of the pavement so there's space around me, and if the person coming the other way moves one way I will move the other. But if they make no indication to move, neither do I.

What I always find amusing is if you bump arms or something often men will look at you to say "why the fuck did you bump into me" without any acknowledgement that they bumped into you too

It's a fun game.

I did it with an umbrella recently, to security (slowly, broadly) on their way to a football match. The outrage! Not my problem pal, I'm just trying to keep dry and get to where I'm going.