Having sympathy does not require staying meekly behind someone proceeding at a slower pace than you. A teen on crutches, an elderly person using a cane, a large person just not able to walk fast, it does not matter who because they do not get to set the pace for the rest of the world, they get to set the pace only for themselves. Its a space we have to share, so we each must do the best we can to accommodate eac Many here are like myself (two recent knee replacement surgeries) do not walk as fast as we used to and always allow others to pass us by. Frankly, I do not want someone breathing down my neck so to speak, it is much easier to allow them to pass me by and let me get to my destination at my own - unpressured pace. Noting flat out rude behavior is something entirely different. Scrolling on a phone oblivious to the foot traffic around you is complete self centeredness and does not warrant sympathy. If you need to read something on the phone, step aside, read it and then move on.