C2Comics Blog

Just where the heck am I supposed to sit?! ...no, I mean besides those two blatantly empty seats....

Far be it for me to look down upon complaining, but to me, good complaining takes the form of constructive criticism, taking note of a problem, perhaps offering a useful solution.  Anything less comes off as self-centered whining.

Take for example, the site, peoplewhositindisabilityseatingwhileImstandingonmycrutches.com.  The url, however awkward, may evoke sympathy and if you don’t actually enter the site, you may feel a little angry at these individuals who are, presumably, sitting in disability seats while this poor dude in crutches has to stand.

Enter the site, however, and you will find self-centered whining at its finest (or poorest).  This man on temporary crutches for a stress fracture in his leg is standing by choice, but is still pissed off at the people who are sitting.  He takes his agression out by taking photos of these individuals and posting them on his blog (I cannot remember if that’s legal or not – is misanthropy or supreme entitlement considered “news”?) .

He admits that he does not ask people to move, and the New York Times defends him saying that asking someone to move can make you feel “uncomfortable”.  What is he, a five-year-old?  If you don’t ask someone if you can sit down, they don’t know you want to sit down.  A study found that over 80% of passengers will give up their seat when requested to do so by seemingly healthy individuals, with no reason given.  Add crutches and a “because” (which has been shown to allow people to skip ahead in the copier line, regardless of what comes after) and this guy wouldn’t be at a loss for a seat.  Perhaps he thinks it’s beneath him to make that request, though….

…or perhaps it is because he knows the people he’d be asking would look at him strangely, wondering why he wants their seat in particular when there are other seats to be had.  Judging from the pictures he takes, there are usually other seats he could be sitting in.  He apparently doesn’t feel he should be made to sit next to anyone.  Breathing the same air as sitting plebs?  Gross!