Shoulder pushing? Weird post...

[seashoreCM]

Who said you need to move out of the way for me? All you said was that if see you someone texting, you are going to "steamroll" them. Did it ever dawn on you that some people can text and also pay attention to where they are going or do you just want to lump everyone together because you don't like that they are texting and walking at the same time?

Whether or not they are texting or not, what is the alternative that is not moving out of the way and also not steamrolling them?

Psst! There is a correct answer (to my question in terms of physics, not necessarily to the situation in terms of etiquette).

I will wait awhile before giving out my answer. PM me for the answer if this thread is closed due to raunchiness or whatever before I get back to it.

There are a lot of things I don't go to because of crowds. In addition to Disney over the holidays, such avoided events have included Boston's First Night, Boston's 4'th of July concert and fireworks, and ball games in general (actually ball games bore me.)

 

[dolphindan1]

I wonder what they would do if you yelled "OW!!!!!" as loud as you could and grabbed your shoulder.....my Dh would do something like that.

 

[labattblue]

Man, I hope those same people don't think they can text and drive.......

So you are comparing walking and texting to driving and texting? It's time for me to move on to another thread as common sense is not part of this exchange.

 

[mom2rtk]

So you are comparing walking and texting to driving and texting? It's time for me to move on to another thread as common sense is not part of this exchange.

No, I'm just saying that the same person who thinks they can pay full attention to the crowds ahead while texting and walking in a crowd is the same person who can talk themselves into thinking that their superior powers of concentration while multi-tasking make them the ONE person who can safely drive while texting.

 

[TangaroaTiki]

I wonder what they would do if you yelled "OW!!!!!" as loud as you could and grabbed your shoulder.....my Dh would do something like that.

Unfortunately, the rammers would probably enjoy that

 

[mcd2745]

Who said you need to move out of the way for me? All you said was that if see you someone texting, you are going to "steamroll" them. Did it ever dawn on you that some people can text and also pay attention to where they are going or do you just want to lump everyone together because you don't like that they are texting and walking at the same time?

No, it hasn't, because no, they can't. I'm sure they believe 110% that they can still pay attention, but they most certainly can not.

Man, I hope those same people don't think they can text and drive.......

 

[disneyjunkie]

It is possible to pay attention to what is going on around you while texting and walking. I guess some people on this thread can't multi task. There are a lot of angry, rude and/or touchy people on this thread. I sure hope we aren't in the parks at the same time.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I have never had the "shoulder push" happen to me, but I have seen a lot of folks "playing chicken" at the world. I taught my kids (11 and 14 - 5'4 and 6'4 - I swear we have Viking blood) to stop and stare at the sky or some distant point when this occurs. Works like a charm, the other person always goes around you.

I have been rammed by various strollers, though, and had a family member's foot run over by an ECV. I do understand that it is frustrating to navigate these things through a crowd, but the lady didn't even stop when she heard the SCREAM!

In '08 we were at MK in January and there one young man took it upon himself to try to "chicken" dh (6'6, 260 - wall of bricks). DH didn't stop and the guy bounced off him and nearly fell in the pond. This was after a very long day of dealing with tour groups, so I guess dh had lost his patience. I pretended not to know him, as happens sometimes in our marriage

In general, we do our best to mind our manners and watch out for others, especially the younguns', wheelchairs, etc. I think it's more important to teach your kids how treat others than to get to a ride 8 seconds faster.

 

[ToddyLu]

After F! one night I was in the crowd leaving the show. I am 5'4" and 225#, built like a battle axe. I turned quickly to move out of someone's way and almost knocked a little old lady 5'0" and 100# almost to the ground. I caught her and profusely apologized. She was stunned as I would expect. I explained to her husband that I simply did not see her and again apologized. Neither one of them were friendly at all. It was an accident and I apologized and later asked again if she was OK. Still not friendly so I just chalked it up to an accident and moved on.

Wow a 6 page thread on a shoving...awesome!!

 

[lovelybelle]

This happened to me just last week in Downtown Disney! I was at the World of Disney store and could barely move, there were just so many people. And the vast majority of them had no regard for anyone but themselves. I was shoved so many times that I just had to leave.

 

[DVC-Don]

I know this in an old thread but, I got rammed while driving an ECV in the town square at the MK this spring. Lady was pushing a stroller while texting. I stopped when I saw her coming and she just walked right into me.

 

[walkdmc]

I had this same type of experience on the walkway between MK and the Contemporary. Family with older teenage girl on the left coming towards me. I am by myself, not a large person and aware of them. They keep coming taking up the entire sidewalk. I braced for impact. I also said 'Move over next time' as loud as I could. I didn't bother stopping to see. This was only my 2nd day at Disney but I was already sick to death of the entitlement of others. I should at least get my one lane of the sidewalk. No need for your family to walk 4 abreast. Get out of my way!
We encountered rude, clueless and just downright mean people all 7 of our vacation days. The foreign vacationers just appeared clueless, but the Americans know that it's wrong, and do it anyway.

Oh, and I am a Packers fan, so that must be what's wrong with me. Go Pack!!!!!

Wow, and it was only your second day....hmmmm. What got edited out? I'm trying to figure out what happened between you passing them and then not turning around to see what happened.

Who was following rule #1 of the DIS?

 

[TisBit]

I can honestly say that after a full day of avoiding running into people by being the one to move, I sometimes will just not give a care and force someone else to move around me. Sorry, but it gets to me after a while. It's quite possible the OP had that happen to her. These people might not have been rude 99.9% of the time that day but she just happened to be the one they gave up on.

See it all the time, everywhere, all walks of life, all ages. I got a disease in my shoulders, and if someone did that to me, it would seriously hurt me, and my DH would hunt them down and probably have them arrested. You just don't know how bad you'd hurt people if you hit them ANYWHERE. Luckily I'm usually in my wheelchair to avoid that anymore, cause it has happened, and causes really bad pain for me. I'm sorry that happened to you, but not all people are raised the same way, and are nice.

Just because someone is occupying the space you want to be in, it is not ok to intentionally push, shove, ram, thrust, or otherwise assert physical force to move the person. The original poster sounds like a battery victim to me.

Actually, most states will not consider this an assault or a battery. If two people are walking towards each other and strike the other person, the most that can happen is they both get charged with battery.

What the OP described was much more that someone did not "give way" to her and she felt it was rude that they bumped her shoulder. They did not change course or seek her out, but rather did not "give way". I can say that I am very much this way...if someone thinks that I will just "give way" to them because they feel obligated, well, I have as much right to my path as they do to theirs. If they want to try to avoid an impact I will assist...but especially in a large crowd, if you are too distracted by the decorations to realize that other people are walking here too, well, so sorry!

 

[goofygrl4]

This happens a lot when the crowds are crazy.. or people are just rude. Im a pretty good sized gal, who happen to have grown up playing hockey.. Im very strong. When people do that to me.. they usually end up being sent back a step or two and I look them right in the eye with a huge smile and say.. Oh excuse me! They usually get embarrassed and walk away very quickly. It is one thing to bump into people, but it is another thing to be rude and try to push your way through a crowd. There was a poor guy carrying an injured child, trying to get through the crowd to the first aid station. he was calmly saying excuse me and trying to get through, no one was moving.. so I got in front of him and just kept saying excuse me quite loudly and made him path, I was absolutley amazed that at Disney of all places people wouldn't move over for the man.

The crowds can be crazy and you just have to remember, everyone there is trying to see a lot of the same stuff you are so if you let them rush a head and get there first.. you can take and extra second, enjoy the view on your way, and chances are still end up in line near them. I do that a lot just to see if it works. Its like when people play the pass and slow down/speed up game on the HWY and you end up at the stop light AT THE SAME TIME.

Now that we've been going for so long, we don't need to ride and see everything every trip.. if the crowds are crazy, we do the things that are not big "ticket" items or just relax and watch the crazy people.. that is entertaining on its own!

 

[goofygrl4]

Could you please explain to me how it's rude to have a little tiny piece of the huge sidewalk and refuse to move from it? Why should a family of 4 have the whole sidewalk and I have to step into the bushes? Seriously? I don't think I was being rude at all, I think I was fighting rudeness. Sorry if it seems that way to you. I was just trying to wake some people up. The girl in question was at least 17 years old and it's not like I knocked her on her butt, I just didn't sway.

Rubato I agree.. you shouldn't have to give up your small space for people taking up more than their share of the side walk. I think that is the rudest when people walk 3 or more abreast and then think everyone should move for them. I would have to say I would have done the same thing, and just said my typical sarcastic "well excuse me" as Im not in the wrong, but it kind of points out that they are.

GO PACK!

 

[rainydayplay]

I don't think I've ever had anyone push and shove, but people will purposely get between myself and my child. We have developed the Disney Grab -- in a crowded situation, grab on to something on the party member in front of you and don't let go. Backpacks (with that top handle) are great, as are hoods (if it's cooler weather), etc. I've gotten to where I do this in other crowded situations when I'm with someone -- they usually look at me a little oddly, but I always explain that this is how we keep from getting separated in crowds at Disney, and they're okay with it.

(I'm also the one that hyperventilates when my DM stops in the middle of the sidewalk...space...side...open...move! People! Trampled! Ack!)

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't think I've ever had anyone push and shove, but people will purposely get between myself and my child. We have developed the Disney Grab -- in a crowded situation, grab on to something on the party member in front of you and don't let go. Backpacks (with that top handle) are great, as are hoods (if it's cooler weather), etc. I've gotten to where I do this in other crowded situations when I'm with someone -- they usually look at me a little oddly, but I always explain that this is how we keep from getting separated in crowds at Disney, and they're okay with it.

(I'm also the one that hyperventilates when my DM stops in the middle of the sidewalk...space...side...open...move! People! Trampled! Ack!)

Just beware when you're doing "the Disney grab" that you don't separate any other families. My daughter and I were separated in Test Track by a family doing this. They plowed right between us, and instead of waiting for one person to come between us in that sea of people, there was a whole line of them. It was very frustrating. She was young enough she was sort of scared of being separated from me briefly in a big crowd like that.

 

[blu]

well you all may have just convinced me to bring out stroller on our next trip. Our youngest will be 4 and although he can do all the walking he is very short and will tire and I really do worry about him being separated and being jostled.

We were planning on leaving the stroller because on our last trip it was very difficult to manipulate it thru the crowds and over the train tracks in the road. ( seems Joovy has selected a tire size equal to Disney track size) We try to not rush and possibly hit people but we had so many people step intentionally in front of our stroller. One lady tried to pick a fight with DH (6'5") because she stepped over the edge of our stroller to get in front of us and got mad when we took her shoe off with the stroller.

I guess there is no right answer when so many people have different agendas.

 

[bouncycat]

ITA there is no right answer. People will do this no matter how big the crowds are. We've done the grabbing of the shoulder, shirt etc. It works sometimes.

I try to be considerate, but sometimes, people do make it hard, and they are ALL races, nationalities, etc. There's NO group to single out. Everyone does it. I do try to teach my youngins to be considerate, and they get upset when people don't return the favor. I'm in the process of teaching them how to let it go. There's no use in letting one person out of thousands ruin your day.

I posted early on in this thread saying I have a disease in my shoulders, and it would hurt if someone hit me, well, it happened last month when we took our Niece and her family for their first trip. On our way out of MK, we were with the wishes herd going out of the park, and we were just going with the flow, there were 8 of us, and we got separated, but there was at least 2, so no one got lost. The kids were protected, our great nephew is 5, and great niece is 1. Nephew was on DH's shoulders, niece was in the stroller. Anyways, I had this guy plow me from BEHIND trying to work his way fast thru the crowd. It hurt, and I almost went to the ground. Our 19 year old nephew and my 13 year old son stayed with me, even tho when I walk I'm slower than everyone, and they're the ones that caught me and steadied me so I wouldn't fall. Could you imagine falling in that crowd??? It would not have ended good. DH was LIVID, but by the time I got back to him, the guy was gone, and I was left in tears holding my shoulder, reaching for my pain pills. So.....even if you are being considerate, it's not the people coming at you that you need to worry about, there's ones coming from behind that will get you too.

 

[mndisfam]

I am the original poster and didn't notice (too busy) the post got so much attention. I was most probably at fault, bcs we are the types who walk along, see something, get excited and point. everyone is right we would not last at busy subway hours - we have never been in a situation at all like that before. !!
We are world travellers, but maybe we are still just yokels from MN who think people will kindly move out of our way. (Naive we know!!)
But - I didn't dare add before. But I don't care anymore. Most of these people seemed to be chaperoning whatever group of teens were up from South America for Xmas. They were obnoxious, linking arms and running thru crowds.
In January, I actually tried to be nice to them, and it was a very nice moment. I think it was a girls group from argen. My mom and I are waiting on the bench for my DD to get off Kali rapids. No crowds. I am sitting so my elbow is propped on the arm of the bench. I put it down, and a crowd of these darling teen girls run up, drape their stuff all over the bench, take the space btwn my body and the arm rest. Initially, I was aggravated, but they were such cute girls (I am a mom with kids!!) I wanted to see what on earth they were doing. Well, apparentely, they decided to undress down to pretty revealing sports bras and very small shorts. My 15 yr old son would have died. They were going onto Kali and I guess they didn't want to get wet. Shoes, socks, everything comes flying off and its within the distance I can smell their deodorant. Not Cool! I need my American personal space. Just watching again, thinking WHAT are these crazy teens up too - I have teens so I can say that. . And then those darling girls turned, started shaking my hand (you could tell they were told the "correct way" to approach Americans), practicing english, wishing me Happy Birthday, trying to be friendly. I practiced my Spanish. And it just made me think, they have no clue about our personal space issues, and maybe if we could be more tolerant it could be enjoyable. They ended up meeting my DD on Kali, and kind of adopted her.

Having said all of this, I still want to deck them when they dangerously run thru the park or shoulder slam me!