I think a lot of it comes down to posture and different levels of bodily awareness.
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It’s always fun trying to make the person in the seat ahead understand that the stuff stopping their seat from reclining all the way is bone. Some keep bouncing their seat off my knees every few minutes to see if I’ve shrunk in the meantime.
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Sounds like you are one of those rare people with manners and consideration for your fellow human beings 
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Dude, how did you become an official man? I’ve spent my entire life feeling decidedly unofficial.
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I looked into the certification process once, but it’s not worth it.
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Not necessary. It does explain why some people find it more comfortable. It doesn’t excuse it for when you are some place crowded and need to make room.
I probably overly go out of my way to not touch people. I don’t like anyone near my left leg, so that will be as far from people as possible. But even in other things I am probably overly considerate. From holding doors open, letting others go first, I even wipe my ass sweat off the toilet seat for the next person.
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I think the plane might be a safer place than the subway to try this.
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So it is signalling? How close together your* knees are suggests the largest possible size of your penis. So, no matter your size, you have to keep your knees spread as far as possible to show others that you are, or at least could potentially be, huge.
Not yours, Melz2, obviously.
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Women’s crotches get just as swampy, but consider this – I’m guessing you don’t wear a bra. That’s likely not so fun either.
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The problem is that not everyone feels self confident enough to ask someone to move when the person has clearly deliberately occupied more space than necessary.
It has not been a problem for me so far but I have seen several people stand instead of asking someone to move. Of course I can’t be sure of their reasoning but it seems plausible that the were avoiding a confrontation.
And finally, rudeness is a problem even if they move when asked. The fact that they moved does not take away the fact that they were rude and inconsiderate in the first place.
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Luxury…
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I thinks it’s kind of rude to assume or even ask me if I want to sit. Happens all the time to me and it’s bloody annoying when people force me to listen to them multiple times.
Exactly! I was thinking “Try walking around with some Spanx or pantyhose and a bra under that worsted wool (and in which inconspicuous readjustment is impossible) in August” and then we can talk about wanting to sit on the train, and who needs to get over what.
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I completely agree, and appreciate anyone who makes the effort to be considerate, even when in crowded spaces.
Oh, honey; bras are like necessary torture devices.
Even more tortuous; speak on it, sister.
Dude, you had me at “ass sweat.”
*lolz
I never pondered on it so deeply as today, but now that you mention it, that might be a factor.
This made me literally laugh aloud for some reason
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This is encouraging. I’ve been looking for a precedent for sitting on handbags, shopping bags, their feet, and all the other paraphernalia by which women block the use of adjacent seats on public transport. I’ll be sure to say “Excuse me” and “Thank you”, like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
I wonder whether this is mostly a US problem. As a regular user of public transport in Europe, I have rarely seen this “manspreading” behavior and, when people like to use an empty seat next to someone, that person accommodates without even being asked (taking a bag left on that seat, for example, as I have seen this morning).
Of course, I have not used every public transport system in Europe, so it is possible that the problem exists in some cities.
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safety first. if you can’t be polite enough to ask a person, in a non threatening way, to move their bag - you probably aren’t safe enough to sit there.
especially on an empty train, it’s good to have some physical separation between yourself and the rest of humanity. ( regardless of your gender. ) which is the exact opposite of spreading your own body into the space of others on a crowded train.
i think it’s so funny. women worry about their safety, men worry about their comfort. and it’s only ever men who think the two issues are the same.
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I can understand someone might sit this way if there’s plenty of space for it. But when someone needs the seat, you move your legs.
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