Roger

Though only incidentally related to travel, I thought a listing of certain pet peeves within the ideals of good manners might be useful. Two pet peeves regarding men- 1) the wearing of hats indoors, especially restaurants; 2) the near-death of men giving up their seats to women,even pregnant women, on public transportation (near universal on the DC subway). Two pet peeves regarding women- 1) the rather recent phenomenom of women exposing their bra straps and bindings for all to see ; 2) the even more recent phenomenom of women allowing their pants to ride way down (oft-times allowing great exposure of their panties) and their shirts to ride way up exposing much of their upper moons for all to see, much like the famous washing machine mechanic portrayed by Dan Akroyd on Saturday Night Live 25 years ago.

Trace

Lets allow Roger to enjoy his fun, but beware he's a Troll, already exposed by others in earlier postings. I take it he's a SNL type. But incidentally related to thinking might be closer to the mark.

Dan

C'mon Roger! You're bothered by men wearing hats indoors? I can see your point, but I'd be more concerned about people talking in theatres, blowing smoke in my face, and body odor. I'll give my seat to a pregnant woman, but as for the rest of them,they wanted equal right, they got'em. As for your
female peeves, I guess it depends who these women are.

Cindy

This adds to the pregnant woman thing. My husband, myself, our 9+ month pregnant daughter (and she LOOKED it!) and her husband were waiting to be seated in a restaurant in Atlanta a few months ago. NOBODY offered her a seat - granted I'm open minded enough to think some people may have medical problems that aren't visable, but after waiting 1/2 hour for a seat and standing the whole time, I was pretty vocal about how glad we were to be able to get her a seat when a table opened up. Usually I'm a big fan of Southern hospitality, but that one hit too close to home!

harvey

that's because atlanta isn't southern anymore. it's a town full of transplants from everywhere else who couldn't handle it where they came from.

perfectionist

Roger, would you mind telling us what exactly a "phenomenom" is? I mean, a troll is one thing, but an illiterate, pretentious troll is a whole other creature.

Dee

Boy Harvey, did you hit the nail on the head about Atlanta!! I live in Atlanta and I'm so ready to move. The day our daughter graduates from high school is the day we blow-outa this town.

Jerry

Carl or Roger is it fun changing names?

phil

I think Roger makes a couple of valid points. I think it is incredibly rude for men to wear a hat at the table. (My ex-Naval Officer dad drilled that one into me.)

However, women are just as bad as men when it comes to giving up their seat, or so my 7 month pregnant wife tells me.

jazfan

As far as what others choose to wear, or how it rides up.... Well, you don't have to look, do you? What I have noticed about people giving up seats on the subway is that it is usually the grungiest-looking slacker who gives up a seat, while the corporate types stare straight ahead.

Carl

Sorry, Jerry, I had nothing to do with Roger's little brainstorm here.

I can, however, think of a vast number of things that irk me more than seeing guys wear hats indoors.
How about watching people throw trash out the car window in front of you while stopped at a signal?
Or non-handicapped people parking in handicapped spots, hopping out of the Porsche and scampering into the grocery store?

ahhhh

The top ten travel pet peeves
1. exposed bra straps and low rise pants
2. trolls
3. theater talk, smoke and body odor
4. not giving up one's seat
5. Alanta transplants
6. Men named Roger or Carl
7. Those "corporate types"
8. litterbugs
9. handicap parking abuses
...and the #10 pet peeve
10. people posting silly non-related travel posts

Richard

Hey, Roger, have you thought about getting a new hobby? Maybe something more wholesome, like setting up a lemonade stand on the sidewalk. You could make a few nickels while you're fretting about all those inferior types out there.

w

In my limited experience (I was pregnant twice), the person on a crowded subway who gives you a seat is almost invariably a middle-aged black woman. Not one single man ever gave me a seat. (my girlfriends report similar experiences.)

ilisa

Roger makes a completely valid point about men not giving up their seat on the metro in DC. I am in my second pregnancy (and definitely look pregnant) and I can count on one hand the number of times someone has ever offered me a seat. One man even yelled at me for asking if I can sit down. However, as Phil mentioned, women are just as bad.

xxx

Cindy: Most of the people sitting waiting for a table must have thought your daugther was far to pregnant to be going to restaurants (9+ months), also why would you go to a restaurant that didn't honor reservations and than expect complete strangers to rescue you. Did you ever think of leaving the restaurant when you were told you would have to wait for a table?

Cindy

I rode the metro through two pregnancies, rarely being offered a seat. It was always women (and occasionally young people) who would offer an assist.

It really does make a difference. In the 8th month of the last pregnancy, I couldn't get a seat and actually fainted on the Metro; just woke up on the floor of the train at Dupond Circle. Dang, that was embarrassing. Doc said pregnant women sometimes have blood pressure swings that can cause this. So really, give up your seat for moms-to-be if you possibly can, even if you're not in the disabled seats.

Sue

xxx---

What could you possibly mean by saying Cindy's daughter was "far to [sic] pregnant to be going to restaurants"?! Are you concerned that she might have gone into labor and given birth on the table? Or do you just think that pregnant women in general should not appear in public? This isn't the 19th century pal, get over it! And as for Cindy (or anyone else in a similar situation) expecting strangers to "rescue" her, it's called common courtesy. Anyone who looks like they're having a hard time standing, whether it's a pregnant woman, an old man, or a 20 year old with the flu, should be offered a seat by someone in a position to offer one, because it's the nice thing to do. And yes, I try to practice what I preach.

Leone

Well, if I see you on Metro, you may have my seat. And the best to you and yours. As for XXX, don't waste your time ... like Wilson Bridge ... beyond repair. XXX won't understand that because he's probably not licensed to drive. His take is uniformly negative, and only indicative of lower feelings. You may interpret that either way. Ciao

joe

I am a 32 year old male and I always give up my seat on the subway when I see a visibly pregnant woman on the subway. Or an elderly or disabled person. However, the idea of giving up your seat for a woman based simply on her gender is outdated and unnecessary. It is now acceptable for women to play professional basketball, become firefighters, and join the marines. They certainly don't need my seat on the subway.