Don’t sit by me! Why travelers are antisocial
 

USA Today: Don’t sit by me! Why travelers are antisocial

I thought this list of methods people use to keep a seat open were pretty amusing. I know if a train appears empty, I'll put my bag next to me, but, when it's busy, I place it at my feet or overhead.

Do we really try this hard NOT to engage with others around us? I know sometimes I just want to read, watch a video, listen to music, or take a nap...other times I'm perfectly fine chatting. I

Certainly an interesting thing to consider!

:)

I think that overall this is a product of urbanization. (Yes, cultural norms do come into play, but it's more or less normal for this to happen everywhere.)

The premise is wrong. It's not that people are avoiding social interaction, or that they are anti social (at least not on our trains). It's that the seats are close together and you don't want somebody sitting and rubbing up against you for the hour plus trip. Couples traveling together will leave the middle seat open on a three seater unless they are making out the entire way, not because they are anti social, but because it's just not comfortable.

I've been riding packed commuter trains to and from Manhattan at rush hour for over a dozen years now. I've made friends on the train but that doesn't mean I want them squished up against me for the ride home. Over the years with portable media and laptops getting lighter and smaller, book readers, tablets, etc, the space required to hold and use one of those makes the empty space next to you even more valuable.

I've seen pretty much every tactic out there (and often thought it was a great subject for a book, how to keep an empty middle seat), but in the end it's never your choice, it's the choice of the person looking for a seat if they want it or not.

Personally, I would rather stand then be in the middle seat, and it's an ongoing argument if the trains need to expand capacity since there are usually empty middle seats even with people standing. It doesn't mean those people are anti social.

For me even if there is an empty middle between me and the other pax we never talk and at least for me I consider it because of shyness. Why bother striking up a conversation with someone you will likely never see again? I have only flown domestic so flights are only a few hours anyway, I know my first long haul international I would expect some conversation. When riding public transit I am too busy watching and listening for my stop to pay attention to anyone else.

I don't have a problem with middle seats themselves. If the aisle and window were empty I would have no problem sitting in the middle seat. I just don't like having my elbows or elbows of strangers up in my side. Particularly if my seat mate is rather large as a weightlifter I have bulky shoulders as it is so getting up close and personal with another large individual is not comfortable, an attractive female on the other hand I have no problem with. ^

Haha how is this for a middle seat mental image? Picture in your mind a "customer of size" sitting in a middle seat. FA's had to grease up the arm rests to squeeze him in there. Fat folds muffin topping over the arm rests. Gut so big the tray table won't come down. Horrifying. :eek:

That's really not nice. Think of what you just said.

chx1975, did you object to his comment about attractive women or the comment about POS?

I like using the extra seat to put my bag or other belongings. Sometimes you can raise the arms rests and use 2 seats as one. Plus, you never know who the other person next to you may be. Maybe he/she is overweight, sick, smelly, or just annoying.

What's not nice about wanting to talk to an attractive female? I'm confused...

I think it's the getting bit, which could be interpreted differently than just talking...

Yeah I could have probably used different words but I basically mean sitting shoulder to shoulder with an attractive female I have no problem with on a plane. :)

Maybe you should charter a plan/train just for yourself so you won't have to deal with the dregs of humanity (which I guess you don't feel you belong to.)

You won't get much out of me on a INTL flight; I work on the laptop, catch up on reading, sleep, etc. Besides, I'm not an attractive female anyway. :D

Hot looking man is better for many of us guys