SFist: Read This: People Who Sit in the Disability Seats When I'm Standing On My Crutches

KatyG

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:01:27 -0800

But on a New York subway, you never, ever make eye contact anyway, so what's this guy's beef? And if he doesn't have the stones to tell people to get up for him, then he's a transplant and therefore of no consequence anyway.

Joel

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:27:55 -0800

You can't judge a book by its cover, but it often provides clues. Thankfully it's hardly as grey as you're making it seem. When I see someone with a cane or a chair or crutches or some other walking appartatus, someone with a clear baby bump or holding a small child, someone with white hair and scoliosis, perhaps I am indeed just being presumptuous that they require those seats more than the young-looking girl with the SFSU hoodie reading a schoolbook, or the fellow in the suit who appears to be in his 30s, poking away at his iPhone, both of whom appeared to have strong working limbs as they bounded onto the train and made a beeline for those empty disabled seats. Maybe hoodie and suit do indeed qualify, you're right that we don't truly know. It's completely possible that all the people sitting in the disablity seats while clearly elderly, pregnant, or disabled people stand on Muni or in these photos are disabled themselves; maybe I'm just jaded that I don't find it completely probable. I think I was clear that the site had its problems. I guess I just have less a problem defending a badly-executed website with a brief fiery life in the zeitgeist than being an apologist for the shitty social behavior it attempt to call out which I see on Muni all the fucking time (maybe the riders on your line are better people) just because the "world doesn't work that way." Speaking of jaded.

thisis_

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:00:12 -0800

Correct, people shouldn't pee in public. Simple as that. Next. One day, when you learn how to register a domain, host a site, and upload pictures, you can photograph me all day long doing the things I say are wrong on a blog. And yet I will still go on said blogs to state "this is wrong, I think we should not do it nor support it."

billywags

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:42:45 -0800

That's way I never sit in those seats no matter what. It's always super awkward trying to figure out who you have to stand up for.

RobInSF

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:04:53 -0800

I always use the handicapped stalls if available. Ever been in one of them? There's more room in one of those stalls than my apartment.

RinconHillSF

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:38:27 -0800

For his/her next act, photos of "able bodied" people using the handicap stall in the restroom

megang

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:37:26 -0800

Okay, I admit it! One time I didn't get up for a pregnant lady on the N-Judah. The reason...she didn't look pregnant! She looked fat, like one of those women who doesn't gain any weight while they're pregnant because they have a ton to spare. A woman's worst nightmare is someone asking "when are you due?" when you're NOT knocked up! I only discovered she was pregnant after the train cleared out, she sat down, then called someone to tell them how mean everyone was for not giving them her seat. I really didn't feel I should explain why. If any woman looks beyond a reasonable doubt pregnant I will and have gladly given up my seat. My 68-year-old boss on the other hand thinks it's cute when young people offer him their seat because he doesn't mind standing. It is nice to be asked though.

travin

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:14:29 -0800

Perzactly.

travin

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:12:48 -0800

People shouldn't pee in public either, Polly.

travin

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:09:51 -0800

Understood. I'm finding that difficult myself considering the tone and efforts on the website and registering of the domain. That's a lot more involved than, say, just posting some pics on your blog or flickr out of frustration. This one's got an agenda.

travin

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:05:45 -0800

...but I'm apt to agree that he shouldn't have had to. That's the sense of entitlement I'm talking about. The world most often doesn't work that way, would be nice if it did. No matter how shitty that may seem, I've been on the receiving end myself, but defending this guy as justified because he has crutches is as silly as the effort behind the website. ...but I don't agree that people who are not senior citizens nor are pregnant nor physically disabled sitting in those seats is "pretty much nothing," You still haven't helped us understand by what measure you are able to reasonably make an informed judgment as to whom is entitled. Do you ask around for doctor's notes or just perform a cursory look-see? That's the slippery slope I mentioned. You're on it.

sflovestory

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:05:16 -0800

In SF, I think it's a pretty fair assumption.

Jas

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:55:45 -0800

If he is taking pictures, on crutches, while standing up on a moving subway car, he is in better shape (and more passive-aggressive) than 99% of us.

Brock Keeling

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:54:50 -0800

i have always assumed most of you were disabled.

sflovestory

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:52:11 -0800

Guess this is as good a time as any to remind people that the MAJORITY of disabilities are not visible. http://www.invisibledisabilities.org/ And how "pregnant" does a woman have to be? We can be sick like crazy during the first trimester and not showing yet. If no one's moving, you have to assume they are disabled, unless you want to ask.

xyz123

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:46:04 -0800

Similar to that, I have a friend that got pissed because someone wrongly assumed she was pregnant.

JLeisure

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:25:27 -0800

Why ask someone to move when many of the pictures did have an open seat and all he needed to do was sit down. Seems as if someone is more focused on proving a point than reporting the facts.

oskarv

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:49:41 -0800

travin: well if this person is just taking pictures of people in the disabled seating section even though there are no disabled people around then he IS a busy-body, irrational person with a sense of entitlement. i'm just giving him the benefit of the doub.t

bluecanary

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:49:04 -0800

Ha ha. She probably also gets offended when the Trader Joe's cashiers don't card her for booze.

wsanders

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:47:20 -0800

Hey being a fat-assed lazy jerk is a disability, too! Otherwise, who would use all those handicapped parking spaces? I know first hand from having knee surgery a couple years ago. Doing 1/4 mile on crutches from the far end of the BART parking lot because all the handicapped spaces are taken by cheaters does wonders for your upper body strength.

davitydave

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:34:54 -0800

That's a subway in NYC.

allie25

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:32:18 -0800

this is in nyc.. on the mta.

Joel

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:31:33 -0800

I'm pretty sure I mentioned most all of those issues. I never claimed that the site was without its faults. Again, sure, he coulda just asked to sit down, but I'm apt to agree that he shouldn't have had to. Yeah, some of his "examples" are ridiculous, but I don't agree that people who are not senior citizens nor are pregnant nor physically disabled sitting in those seats is "pretty much nothing," while you're speaking of "icy slopes." That kind of behavior is far more invasive and self-entitled than this flash-in-the-pan website.

Joel

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:19:58 -0800

"Sorry Grandma, my calves are really sore after that spin class"

travin

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:19:50 -0800

How much you wanna bet this site continues well past the crutches stint, which is usually 6-8 weeks? Looking through the website, it's highly suspicious when he's taking photos complaining of this one guy taking up three seats when at least one is clearly available. There are also other photos that illustrate one person sitting in one seat amongst three and the photo is complaining of their choices as though he was somehow victimized. I consider that an irrational, exaggerated sense of entitlement and playing the blame game just 'cause, you know, it's great to take pictures of people and mock them on the internet for pretty much nothing where it will pretty much be archived forever. Instead of arching ones penchant for passive-aggressiveness there's thing called language and a voice "Hey, can I sit down please?" Seems more reasonable. Yet you're defending it. Please continue. Define young and of sound body. Can't young people be disabled too? Watch your step, you just stepped on an icy slope.

alphabetagaga87

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:17:41 -0800

Incidentally someone once scolded me for moving. I saw someone who appeared to be senior on the BART and moved from the seat and offered it to her and she got pissed off and walked to the next train.

RinconHillSF

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:17:23 -0800

We do hand out "handicapped" parking tags to anyone who sneezes ... maybe they all think they're handicapped too, going by handicapped parking tag criteria. Oh well.. another symptom of "spectator-osis" in America.

Aaron

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:16:08 -0800

the person taking the pictures is no doubt sitting in at least 2 of the pics.

thisis_

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:15:24 -0800

No, you shouldn't have to ask people to move. Simple as that. Next.

Aaron

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:13:27 -0800

huh?

periqueblend

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:09:09 -0800

I agree with commenters above re: asking people to move, but I have to say, his site would resonate a lot more with me, if I got to see his picture.

oskarv

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:07:36 -0800

i think it's pretty clear that if someone is in crutches or a leg brace or is limping, that person should take the disabled seating. it's not playing the blame-game. it's playing them not-an-asshole game. it's true that some disabilities are invisible, such as psychiatric ones, but most people with psychiatric disabilities ONLY probably don't need the disabled seating anyway.

Joel

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:06:06 -0800

"Exaggerated"? The guy is on crutches. He is entitled to sit in the disabled seats. True that you can't always tell by looking, and the guy says as much on the site, but not a chance all of those people are disabled or pregnant. I agree that he'd be better served by just asking people to get up (and in some of the photos, there are clearly seats available), but younger people of sound body do this shit in those seats all the time.

travin

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:01:02 -0800

FYI...for the irrational I-have-an-exaggerated-sense-of-entitlement set or I-enjoy-playing-the-blame-game-as-a-lifestyle-choice, you can't tell if someone is disabled by looking at them.

Joel

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:54:19 -0800

I agree, but people sitting in those seats who don't actually need them should be more perceptive at the least.

Joel

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:52:47 -0800

Awesome. I love that the woman on the photo you used has the standard-issue "I'm not looking your way so I don't actually notice you, old person/disabled person/pregnant lady/" look.

Ylime

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:52:04 -0800

Mr. Crutches needs to grow a pair and say excuse me. I'm willing to bet it would get him a seat quicker than pulling out his phone to take pictures.

oskarv

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:51:41 -0800

does anybody know what the transit agency pictured on this website is? i don't recognize it.