Entitled Femspreader Delays Train, Earning The Ire Of Her Fellow Passengers

Life as a public commuter can be pretty challenging. For one, you have to take into account the time you will spend going to your destination. And this includes the time that could be consumed for even minor delays.

What qualifies as a minor delay varies depending on where you are, but in New Jersey, it was a conflict that caused a delay. A woman was subject to public ridicule after she took up more space on the seats than necessary. The whole confrontation had gotten so worse, it had delayed the transit of the whole train from one station to the other.

You can expect residents of New Jersey to stand their ground when any of their rights are violated. But do you think it’s a commuter’s right to take up more space than necessary for their own comfort?

The Golden Standard

There are some countries like Japan that pride themselves on having an efficient public transportation system. You can expect their bullet trains to leave and arrive at exactly the same time they broadcast it. You can expect a delay of more or less one minute every year, tops!

Their trains are punctual because of a shared social culture amongst locals. They all understand the role they have to play in a collective effort such as arriving at a destination on time, whether you’re a passenger or a train operator.

Just How Fast Again?

Such trains travel at whopping speeds of over 200 miles/hour, and these only stay for max 12 minutes per station. Hope we could say the same for New Jersey trains, but that is wishful thinking. Have you ever ridden on one?

In contrast, New Jersey train lines travel at a max speed of 70-80 miles per hour, and you could expect to feel the bumps along the way. At peak hours, other passengers function as fellow passenger pushers, shoving passengers into loaded carriages.

Rush Hour

So if you’re thinking of commuting between 7:30 am to 9 am, or 5 pm to 6:30 pm, then you can expect to meet this throng of people pushing you in different directions. After all, you’re only a true New Jersey resident if you learn how to stand your ground.

We would suggest that you avoid rush hour altogether. But if you can’t, then you should step onto the train expecting the worst. Bring a padded jacket, and your common sense with you at all times. This train is about to depart!

Where It All Started

It was an uneventful weekday morning when the incident happened. Commuters were making sure to have tickets in hand before the train finally arrived. There were dogs resting on their owners or wedged inside backpacks. On the other hand, there were the occasional people-spreaders.

What exactly is a manspreader or a femspreader? It’s usually the commuter who takes up more space than necessary. Males tend to sit with their legs split apart as though they’re doing ballet, whereas females tend to block the seat next to them with their bags.

The Usual

We are sure you have encountered one, though you might not have because you were too busy finding a vacant seat. Or, worse yet, you might have decided to give up altogether and found a space on the rail to hold. Gotta hold tight if you don’t want to topple over.

In those cases, people tend to stand quietly, looking straight ahead and avoiding all eye contact. No one likes traveling when the bus/train/subway is crowded, and there’s an unspoken rule about keeping to yourself. But that wasn’t exactly what happened on this train.

The Tragedy

There was nothing about this woman that screamed “give me attention.” In fact, she seemed pretty harmless, minding her own business as she moved to sit in the farthest seat in the carriage. But just as soon as she sat, she placed her bag beside her.

Now, there is nothing criminal about that, surely. Technically, there isn’t. It’s just that it was rush hour and you could see people shuffling to get inside the carriage, trying to find a nook to stand in for a couple of minutes.

Trouble Ahead

Putting her bag on a seat was one thing, but sitting down in the seats reserved for persons with disabilities was not doing her any favors. The rule with those seats is that they’re okay to use…until someone in need of a seat is looking to get settled.

In that case, you are going to have to give up yours…graciously. That exact thing happened, and someone politely requested to be given priority, or at the very least that she get her bag off the seat. That could have been space that could be occupied by another passenger. But this woman had both earphones glued to her ears.

Sure, Whatever

Of course, this isn’t the first time that women have won the ire of people around them. And this isn’t one of those feminist moves that you ought to be proud of. It’s not like hoarding space on a public transportation vehicle is a recognized right.

So the woman on the train only looked at the person who spoke to her with sheer disgust and annoyance. “Thanks for nothing. Don’t bother me if you’re going to waste my time.” She nodded her head, but it was obvious that she could have cared less.

First Attempt

This woman’s name was Jessica Huit. She had been living in New York City for almost all her life and this had been an ordinary day for her. She fell exactly into a rhythm as the train lurched into motion.

She placed the earphone back in her ear and minded her own business. As if to dismiss the passenger, she focused her attention on her phone and then amped the volume to the maximum. The passenger in front of her threw up her hands in frustration.

Understandable

Now, we are sure that Jessica Huit was exhausted. But so were a lot of other people on the train, who had worked long hours or possibly even the graveyard shift. They all just wanted to get home in one piece.

At this point of the day, the best course of action is to block everything and everyone out. You will want to wear some headphones to listen to music and encapsulate yourself in a world where you feel safe. But you should always leave some attention for those around you who are trying to do the same.

Why It Happens

Both manspreading and femspreading have the same “roots.” They are really just an act of taking back control. People cannot exercise much control over the degree of comfort they experience on public transportation. Some people can’t stand it and are frustrated with their inability to change things.

But what they can do is take up more space to keep people at a distance. That’s something within their control. So yes, the idea of femspreading or manspreading is simultenously repulsive and tempting when you are seated in a public vehicle.

Try As You Might

The train’s doors opened, and there was an exchange of people getting off and stepping on. Unfortunately, there were more people who stepped onto the train, and they all struggled to find space inside the train car. The doors closed, and the train started rolling to the next stop.

“Next stop, Newark.” By now, there had been more than one passenger who had noticed Jessica. They might have thought that staring at her for more than necessary would unnerve her. But nope, Jessica remained unaffected. She toyed with her phone.

“Not If I Can Take It”

The train lurched into motion. Some of the passengers looked at each other. “Don’t even bother. I’ve tried reasoning with her.” But that didn’t sit well with the newer passengers aboard. This was a public space, and Jessica better respect that!

It didn’t help that they would bump into each other every so often. They decided to speak to Jessica once more, making sure that their voices were thunderous enough to break through the music that she was listening to. “Move your bag!“

Oh, It’s On

She was responding even worse to those who were demanding that she remove the bag. Things got heated enough that some passengers decide to take their phones out and record the whole thing on camera. Now there would be no he-said-she-said about the incident.

A man lightly touched Jessica to call her attention. She swatted the hand away and then told the man to get his hands off of her and her stuff. She said it so disgustedly we were almost convinced that she was the victim in the story.

What?

Without missing a beat, the passenger told her to get her stuff off the seat. But Jessica couldn’t hear it over the sound of her whining. She snapped “what” and the guy was forced to rephrase what he had said.

Jessica used the moment to fix her cap. Maybe it would help her see the situation more clearly. Nope. She told the man that she didn’t want anyone sitting next to her. To shut down further complaining, she gestured elsewhere in the cabin, saying that there were more seats available.

Last Words

Many of the passengers had to butt in. There were overlapping voices as the other frustrated passengers pointed out that no, there weren’t empty seats. One man had had enough, and gave Jessica an ultimatum: take her bag off, or he’d drag her off the train. Was he bluffing?

One of the passengers suggested that he call the police. Jessica called his bluff by staying on the seat and tapping on her phone. The train had been staying at this particular station for more than 20 minutes now. Tough luck!

By the Book

The guy was kind enough to introduce himself and his position at the transit. As it turns out, he was a conductor on the train. Jessica could have bought another ticket for her bag if she wanted it to have a seat of its own. Obviously…she didn’t plan on doing so.

The guy repeated his demands. She either had to place her bag in the designated area, on her lap, or take it with her when she got kicked off the train. Jessica stood her shaky ground, and the exasperated conductor disappeared for a couple of minutes. It was a surprise he hadn’t resorted to brute force.

Make or Break

At this point, everyone on the train was being held up because of this incident happening right before them. Some walked out of the carriages they were in and decided to take a cab (not that Jessica would care) while others were growing more infuriated by the passing minute.

Meanwhile, one woman pointed out that if Jessica herself was removed, there’d be one extra seat on the train. At this point, Jessica had removed her earplugs and retorted that she was entitled to her personal space. Jessica was ready to delay everyone to win the fight.

Wrong Side of the Fence

So, what do you think? Should passengers be allowed to take up more room than necessary and call it their personal space? Fortunately for us, New Jersey Transit has a manual and a list of prohibited acts. It stated that one such prohibited act was…

…”occupying more than one seat in or on any NJ TRANSIT facility or equipment.” Granted that most of us hadn’t read the terms and conditions, there’s a basis for banning femspreading on the train. Jessica was on the wrong side of the fence.

*Audible Gulp*

And here’s another thing Jessica got wrong: she thought the man she was speaking to was bluffing. The conductor fled the train to seek assistance from local authorities. Jessica enjoyed her supposed victory and happily took up the extra seat.

Jessica got in another 10 minutes fiddling with her phone. She was so wrapped up in herself that she couldn’t hear the shade everyone was throwing at her. You know you have reached a whole new level of callousness if you don’t care about public opinion.

Carrot or the Stick

Her peace didn’t last long. Soon enough, the conductor was stepping back into the carriage, with a few more people. He demanded that the police authorities remove her from the train, something they all agreed upon. The conductor butted his head in and told Jessica…

…if she wanted personal space, she could find it outside. We don’t think we’ve ever heard a comeback as ruthlessly on point as that one. But those words would have stung Jessica… if she cared the least. As if on cue, the police officers stepped in.

Peaceful Ending

They told Jessica as curtly what they wanted her to do. And unbelievably enough, Jessica got her bag and left the carriage. We would have thought she’d at least swung her claws. Guess she saw she was no match for these law enforcers.

Shortly after she stepped off, people were clapping and cheering. Now, there were two available seats. People rushed in to occupy them, while still being courteous of one another, of course. The “happy ending” was all thanks to that quick-thinking conductor and these well-meaning policemen.

All Aboard?

Not long after, NJ Transit conducted safety checks to make sure that passengers had gone back to their seats and most importantly, calmed down. The train doors closed and the train door departed for the next station. Better late than never!

Let’s hope that these folks are on good terms with their bosses. It’s not as if the train being delayed was their fault. But in case their bosses fault them for it, they always had the recording of this woman femspreading to prove it.

Since Posting

Since posting there had been a number of people who reacted to the recording. Many of them were outraged and were quick to vilify Jessica saying that “when a whole lot of people ask you to leave, you should know something is wrong.”

Whether Jessica Huit has changed her ways or has only kept a low profile, we will never know. But one thing is for sure — those who are inclined to fem/manspread should think twice about doing it the next time they are on public vehicles.

Through Its Spokesperson

The news had gone so viral that even New Jersey Transit had to give an official statement on its social media account. They diplomatically requested that customers place their bags in the luggage racks or on their laps, so there would be available seats for other passengers.

And, of course, they asked that passengers comply “with the guidance of train crews.” Well, it’s not like it was New Jersey Transit’s fault. They tried to pacify the situation, hoping that Jessica would put her bag on the rack so that someone could sit, and that the train could carry on its transport.

Other Unusual Cases

Have you encountered your own cases of man/ femspreading? We tried to tally ours but lost track. But for the sake of educating the general public, we thought we would go over the few instances we encountered these folks on train stations.

It’s just disgusting to see someone rest their muddily caked shoes on seats. And even if these aren’t muddied, it’s better to keep them on the floor. If you insist, people might find a way to accommodate your shoes on seats, and your face on the floor.

Lovers in the Act

It’s also possible for two people to commit this grievous act of peoplespreading. Now, we’re all for healthy relationships and a show of affection. But it might be better to hog up space on the couch or your bed. Note: the train seats don’t count as either one.

We just wanted to be explicit there, if the message isn’t clear enough. We applaud these two for keeping their bags off the seats, at least. But it’s only a couple of minutes until they arrive at the park, the hotel or their shared flat. They can wait! Besides, it’s cozier there.

Part of the Fees

Next up, we have what seems to be a woman who’s conducting a physical exam of her husband. “I see you’ve got a zit there. How about I pop it inside this train with my bare hands, for everyone to see. I’m sure they will like that!“

But you thought wrong, ma’am! We’re confident that this grown man can and should keep good hygiene. If it’s a bad case of acne, have him consult the dermatologist. We’re sure that occupying the patient’s bed is part of the services you’ll be paying for.

Hate to Admit It

As much as we’re embarrassed to admit it, we have committed this petty act. At the time, it didn’t occur to us that it was man/femspreading. It’s not like you’re taking up much seat space. And it’s better that we hog up the polespace, than to clutch at people every time the train stops.

But the thing is, we were depriving other people of something stable to hold onto to help their balance. Most passengers who can’t reach the overhead rails, like kids, are more likely to grasp these vertical poles. These are the only things within their reach.

Clean Up After Yourself

Lastly, you are hogging up space if you are intentionally making a mess inside the train. No passenger will want to go to work with papers stuck to their feet or suits. So it’s likely that these seats will remain unoccupied until the end of the day.

If you do leave a mess, try your best to clean it up. Most trains are only cleaned after every shift and it would be a big deal if you cleaned up after yourself. Nothing wrong with taking pictures for the ‘Gram, but try not to be an inconvenience to others.