Madrid Bans Manspreading On Its Public Transport

... will law enforcement also go after woman-spreading: filling up seats with shopping bags, purses, or engaging in odd and discordant styles of leg-crossing, perhaps?

The more I read about the madness of life in large cities, ones large enough to have mass transit systems like subways be cost-effective, the less bothered I am by the occasional 15-minute road delay in my daily commute.

Over the years I have become less a misanthrope and more of an efficient user of my own time. The less time I spend exposing myself to foolishness, the happier I am. While this may mean I spend less time in the company of strangers, it does mean I spend more time generally satisfied with life rather than the opposite.

In my younger days, if I rode a crowded bus, I typically gave up my seat to pregnant women, people carrying lots of packages, and people who were old and infirm.

And it was typically men who did this, though a few women did the same.

But now I realize how ageist and sexist this was. I was just another man oppressing women and the old by giving them my seat.

Obviously, this practice should be banned.

The term "manspreading" really speaks volumes as to how society loves to blame solely men for behaviors that both genders exhibit. I saw a woman on the bus the other day taking up two seats with her legs spread nearly full spread eagle. I felt tempted to say something, but bit my tongue.

Another thing I see women do a lot of is sitting on the seat nearest the aisle, blocking an empty seat on the inside.

I hope the men of Madrid report every single woman who acts the ways I just described. I think that if women want to bitch and moan about men's rude behaviors on public transit, it's high time they start getting rightfully criticized for their own.

Another thing I want to point out is that not every man who sits with his legs spread wide does so just to be a pain. In many cases, it is very uncomfortable for a man to sit with his legs together, especially when said man is tall, or when the amount of space for his legs is ridiculously paltry. It can make for a very uncomfortable ride. But never let facts get in the way of a good rant, right Matt?

This calls for civil disobedience. Just cross out the word "manspreading" with a marker if you see it on a poster. Maybe replace it with something more gender neutral.

I posted this on my Twitter account Male Positive Media (https://twitter.com/MalePositive):

Men in Spain: If you see a poster on public transport about "manspreading" just cross it out with a marker #MadridWithoutManspreading

Translation:

Hombres en España: Si ves un cartel en el transporte público sobre "manspreading" simplemente cruza con un marcador #MadridSinManspreading

Better, more gender-agnostic words, as possibilities: "Body-spreading", "Limb-spreading", "Seat creep", "Over-occupying", etc. Plenty of neologisms would fit. I say, go for it. The Powers That Be'll get the message, and so will the public.