There are many rules on the subway. Don’t walk between cars, don’t ride on the outside of the cars, don’t grope your fellow commuters, and don’t lean against the doors.

The MTA says that these rules are for our (the commuters) safety, and I will say that any guy groping me risks his life (or parts of his anatomy) and that could get messy, but consider this scenario.

A fun-sized female (guess who!) gets on an über crowded subway train (#6), she gets a spot too far from a pole to hold onto and the ones overhead are way to high to reach. So what are her choices? She can do a dance in an attempt to keep her balance which makes her look like she is attempting to summon the ancient Mayan god of the underground and puts her at risk for landing in the lap of an octogenarian wearing a Knicks (ew!) hat. Or she can lean against the door and run the risk of falling on the platform when the doors open. Considering the doors don’t open until after the subway stops, for me the risk is minimal.

The only thing left for me to consider is this: Is the humiliation of falling on the platform more or worse then the humiliation of being seen in the lap of a man wearing a Knicks hat?

It’s a personal decision.

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