Dear Sir.... A metro note

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just stand, if you're able.

Aren't you going to be sitting most of the rest of the day anyway?

The only thing I hate about this is sometimes people aren't able to stand, but look like they are. I'm 27, fit and thin, but also have a small meniscus tear that causes me to walk with a limp. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot have surgery until the summer. If the train jerks at all when I'm standing, shots of pain go up and down my leg and my knee buckles. I've received many dirty looks from mostly pregnant women and elderly women and it makes me feel like wearing a sign around my neck that says "knee injury, standing while train is in motion causes severe pain"

And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear sir yourself:

The thyroid gland controls how quickly the body uses energy.

Hypothyroidism is a condition where the body gains wait due to a slow metabolism.

Kindly do not assume every big person got that way from eating too much.

Thank you.

laughable. Yes, hypothyroidism can cause weight gain, it does not cause morbid obesity. But if you need to believe this to continue your food addiction-carry on, you're only killing yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just stand, if you're able.

Aren't you going to be sitting most of the rest of the day anyway?

The only thing I hate about this is sometimes people aren't able to stand, but look like they are. I'm 27, fit and thin, but also have a small meniscus tear that causes me to walk with a limp. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot have surgery until the summer. If the train jerks at all when I'm standing, shots of pain go up and down my leg and my knee buckles. I've received many dirty looks from mostly pregnant women and elderly women and it makes me feel like wearing a sign around my neck that says "knee injury, standing while train is in motion causes severe pain"

And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just stand, if you're able.

Aren't you going to be sitting most of the rest of the day anyway?

The only thing I hate about this is sometimes people aren't able to stand, but look like they are. I'm 27, fit and thin, but also have a small meniscus tear that causes me to walk with a limp. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot have surgery until the summer. If the train jerks at all when I'm standing, shots of pain go up and down my leg and my knee buckles. I've received many dirty looks from mostly pregnant women and elderly women and it makes me feel like wearing a sign around my neck that says "knee injury, standing while train is in motion causes severe pain"

And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

I hear you PP but there are plenty of plausible excuses there for this... my younger brother is handicapped (spinal cord injury and resulting nerve damage in his legs) and would not be able to stay standing on a train. You would have no idea by looking at him and he is only 25. I always cringe in public because I see people giving him the evil eye when he uses his handicapped parking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

Yes, agreed. And I'm sure some people have good explanations too. But there are something like 80 seats on every Metro car -- or 480 seats on a six-car train. There's no way all those sitters have hidden knee injuries ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

Yes, agreed. And I'm sure some people have good explanations too. But there are something like 80 seats on every Metro car -- or 480 seats on a six-car train. There's no way all those sitters have hidden knee injuries ....

Eh. I sit because I have a young kid, so I'm sleep deprived, so I try to sleep on the commute to/from work. Also, my knees are made of Marmite and my arms explode if I stand too long and I have a nest of possums in my spine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

Yes, agreed. And I'm sure some people have good explanations too. But there are something like 80 seats on every Metro car -- or 480 seats on a six-car train. There's no way all those sitters have hidden knee injuries ....

Eh. I sit because I have a young kid, so I'm sleep deprived, so I try to sleep on the commute to/from work. Also, my knees are made of Marmite and my arms explode if I stand too long and I have a nest of possums in my spine.

That must be very hard for you PP, my heart goes out to you and your possum problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just stand, if you're able.

Aren't you going to be sitting most of the rest of the day anyway?

The only thing I hate about this is sometimes people aren't able to stand, but look like they are. I'm 27, fit and thin, but also have a small meniscus tear that causes me to walk with a limp. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot have surgery until the summer. If the train jerks at all when I'm standing, shots of pain go up and down my leg and my knee buckles. I've received many dirty looks from mostly pregnant women and elderly women and it makes me feel like wearing a sign around my neck that says "knee injury, standing while train is in motion causes severe pain"

And here come all the "here is why I can't stand up" explainations.

I hear you PP but there are plenty of plausible excuses there for this... my younger brother is handicapped (spinal cord injury and resulting nerve damage in his legs) and would not be able to stay standing on a train. You would have no idea by looking at him and he is only 25. I always cringe in public because I see people giving him the evil eye when he uses his handicapped parking.

Yes, yes....but my point is, for every one of you, there are 100 able bodied people hiding in the sand. We don't need every person with an excuse to come on DCUM and give their excuse now. We get it....special circumstances. We are talking about UNspecial.

[Anonymous]

If people here want to get something done (and if Jeff will allow it), people could just start snapping photos of Metro riders who fail to offer seats, and then posting them here. That's pretty hardcore though.

Here's an example of a website in NYC that encourages anonymous posting of pics of police and other government vehicles parking illegally. Maybe something along these lines for Metro?
http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/nyregion/22parking.html

Seems a little harsh though since we're talking private citizens on Metro, and not govt employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear Madam,

As someone who is currently approximately 40 pounds overweight, who you would think would have sympathy for you, I am unsure of why your hyperthyroidism prevents you from standing up on public transport, rather than trying to squeeze into inappropriately tiny spaces.

Please consider that your aversion to standing may be more important in your weight loss challenge than you currently believe.

Thank you

No offense but that's what I was thinking! The original rant wasn't "hey, people who are fat irritate me." It was "hey, people who are fat don't need to crowd me on the metro and take up MY space." It doesn't matter WHY you're overweight. That doesn't make it any easier when you've got someone practically sitting on your lap on the damn train. Oh, it's your thyroid? I DON'T CARE. Get off my lap.

This made me laugh out loud! Signed, An Overweight Person Who Has a Sense of Humor and Owns her Weight Problem (and is trying to fix it by biking and walking as much as possible.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear Sir...

Please stop driving erratically during rush hour. You may be trying to argue on the phone while sipping your coffee, but you cannot drive and do all those things at the same time.

It would take me 1.5 hours to commute via metro. I wish I could complain about the metro instead of drivers.

Dear Sir/Madam:

Please do not complain about the length of your commute as though it were something you did not have any control over.

[Anonymous]

Dear Sirs and Madams-

Don't come onto DCUM and rant- say something!!! Maybe not to the person on your lap- just get up. But I for One, speak loudly to shame folks who sit in the elderly seats and don't get up when preggers or old folks hop on.

Also, read Kathryn Otishi's "One" to your kids so they will learn how to stand up for others, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fat people should be forced to ride on the roof

It would cave in. They could strap more skinnies like you up there. Enjoy the ride, stringbean!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear sir yourself:

The thyroid gland controls how quickly the body uses energy.

Hypothyroidism is a condition where the body gains wait due to a slow metabolism.

Kindly do not assume every big person got that way from eating too much.

Thank you.

Ah, the old "it's my thyroid" excuse...

Dear Sir

Hypothyroidism can be controlled with medication.

Weight loss can be achieved with proper diet and exercise.

Please stop using excuses for your largess.

This is not what largesse means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fat people should be forced to ride on the roof

What? How do you even think that stuff up?