Poll: Do You Manspread

[Synigma]

So essentially it is most commonly shaming a man for having balls at all. That's not something we can help. We don't have to sit with our knees miles apart. But some spreadage is certainly more comfortable than none and if plenty alternate seating is ability the who the fuck cares? I don't care if someone is laying across seats to take a nap as long as there's enough seating. Why is it so important to control other people just because we want them to sit a certain way? That's pre-school crap.

That right there sums it up. Instead of calling it 'manspreading' how about we just put up a unisex warning for everyone: using up more space than necessary is rude when space is limited and possibly a fine-able offence in extreme cases. For example during peak hours people could be expected to sit with their knees close together and not to bring more than they can carry in their lap.

 

[Lightknight]

Women most frequently do the same thing with their purses or shopping bags but as far as I know it isn't necessarily more comfortable for them to sit that way because they're not squishing their goods when sitting with legs crossed or together.

Oh c'mon dude, men totally do the bag thing too. It's not a case of men have to sit spread out because of their spacehopper balls and women viciously handbag all over the place. I think we can agree people of any gender are capable of being reasonable human beings and also space-wasting jerks.

I just said that women more frequently take up more space with bags, as opposed to spreading their legs.

So essentially it is most commonly shaming a man for having balls at all. That's not something we can help. We don't have to sit with our knees miles apart. But some spreadage is certainly more comfortable than none and if plenty alternate seating is ability the who the fuck cares? I don't care if someone is laying across seats to take a nap as long as there's enough seating. Why is it so important to control other people just because we want them to sit a certain way? That's pre-school crap.

That right there sums it up. Instead of calling it 'manspreading' how about we just put up a unisex warning for everyone: using up more space than necessary is rude when space is limited and possibly a fine-able offence in extreme cases. For example during peak hours people could be expected to sit with their knees close together and not to bring more than they can carry in their lap.

Yeah, hogging space. Done.

 

[Phasmal]

Women most frequently do the same thing with their purses or shopping bags but as far as I know it isn't necessarily more comfortable for them to sit that way because they're not squishing their goods when sitting with legs crossed or together.

Oh c'mon dude, men totally do the bag thing too. It's not a case of men have to sit spread out because of their spacehopper balls and women viciously handbag all over the place. I think we can agree people of any gender are capable of being reasonable human beings and also space-wasting jerks.

I just said that women more frequently take up more space with bags, as opposed to spreading their legs.

Yeah, I know. I dunno, maybe I thought it looked weird because a lot of your post was about how spreading legs was more comfortable for men and to me it kinda sounded like men have to sit with their legs apart so can't be blamed for 'spreading' whereas women don't have to and just shove their bags everywhere. I think everyone does the bag thing sometimes.
It's totally cool if that's not what you meant though, nvm if that's the case. Carry on.
[small]Also off-topic but holy shit there was just a massive rumble of thunder out of nowhere and I nearly jumped a foot in the air[/small]

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

It's just basic manners and respect. It may be an instinct for me to be physically aroused by lovely ladies, but i'm not going to use that argument to defend having a wank in public, there are better excuses and lawyers for these things. It can be amusing to think that a lot of these "physiologically impossible" defenders are really just so insecure about their manappendages that they refuse to admit their legbetweens can withstand such boisterous prickle-pears betwix the thighs.
I guess it's ok to manspread in your own vehicle, i do in mine, but then again, most people seem more distracted by it being a tank.

 

[CaitSeith]

Manspread? Never heard of that term before. Kids these days and their crazy new words...
*grumble* *grumble*

OT: Unless you have a big package, I think you can afford to keep the legs just slightly open. It doesn't have to be "all or nothing", you know?

 

[Lightknight]

Women most frequently do the same thing with their purses or shopping bags but as far as I know it isn't necessarily more comfortable for them to sit that way because they're not squishing their goods when sitting with legs crossed or together.

Oh c'mon dude, men totally do the bag thing too. It's not a case of men have to sit spread out because of their spacehopper balls and women viciously handbag all over the place. I think we can agree people of any gender are capable of being reasonable human beings and also space-wasting jerks.

I just said that women more frequently take up more space with bags, as opposed to spreading their legs.

Yeah, I know. I dunno, maybe I thought it looked weird because a lot of your post was about how spreading legs was more comfortable for men and to me it kinda sounded like men have to sit with their legs apart so can't be blamed for 'spreading' whereas women don't have to and just shove their bags everywhere. I think everyone does the bag thing sometimes.
It's totally cool if that's not what you meant though, nvm if that's the case. Carry on.
[small]Also off-topic but holy shit there was just a massive rumble of thunder out of nowhere and I nearly jumped a foot in the air[/small]

It is merely more comfortable for men to spread their legs than not to. I do not take offense to being mad at a person spreading out all over the place when seats are limited. I do take offense to people complaining that a guy is making himself comfortable when seating is completely available. Like those internet-shaming pictures of guys on mostly empty buses as though they're doing something wrong.

 

[Lightknight]

Manspread? Never heard of that term before. Kids these days and their crazy new words...
*grumble* *grumble*

OT: Unless you have a big package, I think you can afford to keep the legs just slightly open. It doesn't have to be "all or nothing", you know?

It's not the package so much as the berries that cause discomfort. Most of us can sit for a decent while with legs close together before they start to ache and we really don't have to go into some kind of obtuse angle to get relief.

But the main criticism people have about the anti-manspreading movement is that it's mostly people bitching that men are sitting that way at all rather than actually depriving anyone of seats. It's simply not their business unless a person is doing that in a crowded bus. Same as a woman with her purse or bags in the seat next to her. That shouldn't be a problem unless seating is limited.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Huh. I was assuming Manspread was a new type of sandwich spread made out of old engine oil, ghost peppers and nails. I am disappointed to find it's some sort of bullshit word for taking up too much room on public transport.

I propose that everyone who uses this seriously is fed to a pack of rabid hyenas.

 

[Phasmal]

It is merely more comfortable for men to spread their legs than not to. I do not take offense to being mad at a person spreading out all over the place when seats are limited. I do take offense to people complaining that a guy is making himself comfortable when seating is completely available. Like those internet-shaming pictures of guys on mostly empty buses as though they're doing something wrong.

Yeah, I get that guys prefer to sit with legs apart sometimes, ladies do too sometimes.

Spoiler: We've all been there

Sometimes I think the issue is a little overblown, I mean, guys are clearly both capable and often comfortable sitting with legs closed or crossed, even if not always.
But as for the online photo thing, I'm with you there, mostly because I find taking pictures of strangers incredibly rude no matter the circumstance (with very few exceptions like crime or whatever).

 

[Fijiman]

I have to at least a little bit if I'm going to be comfortable while sitting. I can, however, keep it between 30 and 45 degrees most of the time. Though if I'm the only one sitting there and/or at home I'll spread my legs a lot more as to allow for stretching.

I would say that it depends on the trousers one is wearing. When donning denim, I find that if I don't have wide-angle legs, I get uncomfortable... bunching. With regular trousers it's less of an issue. I do avoid doing so when in close proximity to other people - not out of any sense of politeness, but more because I just don't want to catch leg diseases off strangers. That's a thing, right?

My first post on this forum is about my groin. Start as you mean to go on, I guess.

There have been worse things to make a first post about and this topic doesn't come with much risk of getting yourself banned as some past topics have. In any case, welcome to the Escapist.

 

[Andy Shandy]

No, and I'll admit it's always confused me, outside of people doing it to be a dick - or nowadays be anti-feminist because feminists are complaining about it (which is still being a dick).

Wear comfortable, fitting clothes and your boys should have plenty room to breathe. There shouldn't be an issue unless you're packing actual fruit down there.

 

[Silvanus]

Ah, but don't you run into that related problem wherein your crossed leg comes dangerously close to touching the foot of the next person crossing their leg? I find myself swapping legs to match their chirality.

I do indeed run into that problem. It's how I flirt (I think).

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

I did not back when I used public transportation for stuff. I did put my backpack next to me if possible, but moved it otherwise.

I also had zero trouble keeping my legs closer together to minimize my space. People acting like it's some terrible burden are purely exaggerating.

 

[Tiger King]

Manspread? Never heard of that term before. Kids these days and their crazy new words...
*grumble* *grumble*

OT: Unless you have a big package, I think you can afford to keep the legs just slightly open. It doesn't have to be "all or nothing", you know?

Same here, never heard of that term before and now I'm thinking that people are scraping the bottom of the barrel of things to complain about.
What counts as 'man spreading?'
IS there a clearly defined distance that the legs need to be at to qualify?

I think the most natural way to sit is to have a small space between the knees because keeping your legs rigidly clamped together is not that comfortable, especially on a long bus ride or something.

 

[Ishigami]

Depends on what you consider a manspread.
Any spread at all?
Spread wider than should width?
180? spread?

I do spread my legs a bit. It is more comfortable that way.
Something like this:

Something to consider:

The widest part of a normal sized man is his shoulders.
The widest part of a normal sized woman are her hips.
Man on average are taller than woman.
Seating in public transport is mostly a one size fits all solution.

Here we have a man being nagged about his manspread:

Do you really think if he presses knee to knee that he would take up less space than is?
I doubt it because he has a fucking padded jacket on and is a big guy in general.

There you have it.
I manspread and I think it is okay as Long as you don't go fucking bonkers:

 

[Something Amyss]

Huh. I was assuming Manspread was a new type of sandwich spread made out of old engine oil, ghost peppers and nails.

Actually, it's Soylent Green in a sandwich topping format.

Sometimes I think the issue is a little overblown, I mean, guys are clearly both capable and often comfortable sitting with legs closed or crossed, even if not always.

Not according to CAFE:

The Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), a Canadian men's rights group, has been critical of campaigns against manspreading by transit authorities. The CAFE has argued that it is "physically painful for men to close their legs" and that campaigns against manspreading is comparable to "[forcing] women to stop breast feeding on busses or trains".[11]

If Wikipedia's not good enough, here's the source:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/12/28/manspreading_a_transit_controversy_with_legs.html

?It?s physically painful for men to close their legs and we cannot be expected to do so, and it?s also a biological necessity for us to do so,? the campaign states. ?We can?t force woman to stop breast feeding on busses (sic) or trains and we can?t force them to stop bringing strollers on, why should we force men to close their legs? This is sexism plain and simple and it cannot be passed.?

I'm not sure whether to laugh or headdesk.

This is a thing. whatisitidonteven.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

At the same time I have freaking enormous thighs as a powerlifter so I do not how that factors in, if at all.

What we need to do is get talking about the real issue. Why are we being discriminated against? I can't remember the last time I went to buy pants and haven't felt muscle shamed about my thighs and butt. (All kidding aside I feel your pain haha)

OT: I mean, I am much more comfortable spreading out my legs when I sit and that's my default position. If someone needs a seat or I'm taking up more than my fair share of room then of course I'll be polite and pull everything together. I'm not happy about it though and it gets uncomfortable over time.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Actually, it's Soylent Green in a sandwich topping format.

Well, that's a bit more appetising than my second guess I suppose.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Not according to CAFE:

The Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), a Canadian men's rights group, has been critical of campaigns against manspreading by transit authorities. The CAFE has argued that it is "physically painful for men to close their legs" and that campaigns against manspreading is comparable to "[forcing] women to stop breast feeding on busses or trains".[11]

If Wikipedia's not good enough, here's the source:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/12/28/manspreading_a_transit_controversy_with_legs.html

?It?s physically painful for men to close their legs and we cannot be expected to do so, and it?s also a biological necessity for us to do so,? the campaign states. ?We can?t force woman to stop breast feeding on busses (sic) or trains and we can?t force them to stop bringing strollers on, why should we force men to close their legs? This is sexism plain and simple and it cannot be passed.?

I'm not sure whether to laugh or headdesk.

This is a thing. whatisitidonteven.

Ahhh MRAs, making shit up that half the world is going to know is false and still expecting it to fly.

Also it seems CAFE doesn't understand the difference between feeding a child or bringing a child on public transport and being expected not to take up several seats on one's own. Like what were they smoking that made them think there's anything comparable?

Good to see that they're typically sexist and reserve stroller complaints for women. As if only a woman could ever do that or as if it's something inherently female.

 

[Lightknight]

It is merely more comfortable for men to spread their legs than not to. I do not take offense to being mad at a person spreading out all over the place when seats are limited. I do take offense to people complaining that a guy is making himself comfortable when seating is completely available. Like those internet-shaming pictures of guys on mostly empty buses as though they're doing something wrong.

Yeah, I get that guys prefer to sit with legs apart sometimes, ladies do too sometimes.

Spoiler: We've all been there

Hah, that picture.

Sometimes I think the issue is a little overblown, I mean, guys are clearly both capable and often comfortable sitting with legs closed or crossed, even if not always.
But as for the online photo thing, I'm with you there, mostly because I find taking pictures of strangers incredibly rude no matter the circumstance (with very few exceptions like crime or whatever).

It was fine as a service announcement for people to be more mindful of how much space they're taking up. But it just evolved into a sexist rant against men. I mean, some people do deserve to get shamed when they're being ridiculous about it. I mean, some of the craziest ones are staged for part of the craze, but in general it just became a way for people to express sexism and try to actually harass and oppress (mildly) men.

So bizarre.