me on the bus

With my Soros application leaving my hands as of Tuesday, my fellowship app madness is temporarily over, and lots of waiting commences. The people who applied for Skaddens (due Oct 1) ALREADY heard about semifinalist cuts AND interviewed - that is just not right. Anyway, I can now turn my attention to more important matters, like the audacity of young people who do not give me seats on the bus.

I had a good week or two about a month ago, when I became definitely pregnant to the naked eye and a few middle-aged men and thirty-something women jumped aside to let me sit down, so I thought things would only get better as I got larger. It has not been so. My short bus ride to school is packed with a certain breed of person who I dislike more and more each day, who have the following characteristics:

1) They are under thirty and quite able-bodied.
2) They sit in the priority seating near the driver.
3) They are, to a person, wearing headphones.
4) They avoid eye contact.

I KNOW YOU SEE ME, HIPSTERS. I AM STARING YOU DOWN. YOU ARE NOT THE ELDERLY OR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Usually someone gets off the bus and I break for the seat while giving the evil eye to anyone who was thinking about challenging me for it, so it works out. But sometimes not, and I have to stand there and stare at a 20-year old in an ironic tee pretending I'm not there while tinny indie rock leaks out of his ears.

If this continues into my 7th month, I'm straight up kicking people out of those seats. I'm tired. So please, if you are a young person who wears headphones on your public transit commute, don't be a huge jerkwad, and check for old, disabled, and pregnant people. Thanks for your cooperation.

Comments

[PhilosopherP]

I tend to have those jerkwads in my classes. You are missing the fact that they are each special little snowflakes to whom the rules of civilized society don't apply. Clearly, it must be your huge baby-belly getting in the way of your seeing the obvious truth...

I'd say sit ON them...

[CM]

Ha. I wrote this exact post (possibly more than once) when I was pregnant.

Oddly enough, I only observed this on the bus, where I once nearly collapsed and had to stagger off at the next stop and still nobody made eye contact. On the T, people would routinely offer me their seats.

[PT-LawMom]

This is soooo common. I was pregnant in DC and rode the Metro in to work every day (even had to switch lines!) I cannot tell you how many times people ignored my obviously pregnant belly shoved in their faces during rush hour. One guy looked right at me and quickly looked away like he didn't see me. Finally the lady next to him (interior seat by the window) said, "Ma'am, would you like my seat? It is obvious that you need to rest." Only then did the man go, "Oh my goodness, I didn't even see you there! My wife would kill me." Yeah right. Jerk. Amazingly it was most often older women who would give me seats (probably b/c they'd been there). Hope people quit giving you a hard time.

[Citations]

Kick them out! Yes! Or sit on them, that was a good idea too. It always astonishes me to hear these stories, and then I go ask my children if they would give up their seats to a pregnant lady. They say yes while rolling their eyes and they mutter, "Like that's even a question!"

But you know, I have to check. Because I'm their mom, and I tried to raise them right, unlike the mothers of those hipsters.

[FPF]

I saw a cartoon the other day bemoaning the fact that people on a train or bus are usually courteous to pregnant women, but pretend to not see people struggling with strollers, toddlers or several kids. Some people just don't have the ability or inclination to lend a helping hand (or seat) to strangers.

[LL]

I posted about this when I was pregnant too- it drove me crazy! Especially the avoiding eye contact. I had one woman tap me on the shoulder and ask if I wanted to sit down. I said yes and she maneuvered over to a man sitting down and said, "Excuse me, there's a very pregnant woman who would like to sit down, would mind giving her your seat?". He had to say yes, and he did :) She was my hero.