How people walk.....

What type are you?

  • Quick and agile

    Votes: 20 95.2%

  • Bigger than you think

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Arrogant and pushy

    Votes: 1 4.8%

  • Kings and queens

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    21
Mr.Azim

Mr.Azim

Well-known member
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Working in one of the busiest areas of downtown Toronto (Yonge/Dundas), it's always a mad house in the morning, lunch and at day's end. The one thing I've noticed, is how different and in most cases, arroangtly idiotic people walk.

Basically, there are a few types:

Quick and Agile: I'll walk normally, keeping a low profile... but if I see a hole in a subway car or in between people, I'll slip in between without bumping or making contact if it's possible for me to do so. If there isn't room, I'll wait or take the slightly longer way around

Bigger than you think: Those who think they can fit in a space fit for a 12 year old.... even though they're the combined spatial mass of 5-6 12 year olds.

Arrogant and Pushy: The 'throw 'dem elbows' people you see pushing people in the back even though there's a cesspool of people around and it's impossible to take a step longer than a foot in length. They don't care if you're there, they will trample over you.

The kings and queens: The only way to describe this is that I think the one thing going on in their head is "Maybe if I walk around swaying my arms as far out to my sides as possible, smacking randoms in the process, people will think I'm as important as I think I am....."


I'm the quick and agile. If I have to wait for an extra train or walk-light, I will. It isn't the end of the world if my trip gets delayed by 5-10 minutes. I value my personal safety and comfort over a rude, body contact-required shortcut. I value my personal space bubble and will keep it intact as much as possible.
 
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I'm a combo of the first three. Mostly the first one but I'll make exceptions. For example:

Let's say you're getting into the subway and everyone is crammed near the door despite there being lots of empty space further down cause some ******** are refusing to move down. I make it MY DUTY to walk over people in that situation, ensuring that I bump as many of them as possible in the process so that they know that they're being jackasses and the entire ordeal could have been avoided if they were only courteous and moved down. Since they didn't though I will walk over them and make their life miserable to get to that empty space that THEY should be occupying.
 
Maybe you should add zombie texting to the list

Roasted said:
I'm a combo of the first three. Mostly the first one but I'll make exceptions. For example:

Let's say you're getting into the subway and everyone is crammed near the door despite there being lots of empty space further down cause some ******** are refusing to move down. I make it MY DUTY to walk over people in that situation, ensuring that I bump as many of them as possible in the process so that they know that they're being jackasses and the entire ordeal could have been avoided if they were only courteous and moved down. Since they didn't though I will walk over them and make their life miserable to get to that empty space that THEY should be occupying.
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I can identify with that but it's really the couple people at the back that deserve it. Everyone else is being held up by them and may not be willing to stampede their way to the back to make a statement.
 
AF4iK said:
I can identify with that but it's really the couple people at the back that deserve it. Everyone else is being held up by them and may not be willing to stampede their way to the back to make a statement.
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You're probably right but if you're gonna make a statement than you gotta go big or go home.
 
I mostly walk in a tactile, quick and agile way. Paying attention and doing my best to keep out of people's way and to move out of the way when people are not watching where they are walking.

However, there are times where you need to dip your shoulder and collide with people out of principle. Mostly to return discourteous behaviour with discourteous behaviour.

There are times when people are on a direct collision course and would otherwise walk straight into you because they are on their phone, texting, or walking in a group or just not paying attention. In this case, I am the judge and jury and if I think the person(s) are just being a-holes and inconsiderate, I will make sure to walk right into them or stop stone cold right in front of them and will wait for them to move around me. Of couse, it depends on the scenario.

For example, a group of rowdy highschoolers walking down the sidewalk completely disregarding what is happening around them will feel my wrath no doubt or when a group of like 4-5 friends walk slowly and side by side (in what I call the "Great Wall" formation) basically blocking all walking space, I will cut through that nonsense like warm butter rather than go around and having to tiptoe on the curb like a tightrope..
 
Where the hell is "Swagger like a pimp"
 
This is silly, there are few people that actually see themselves for how they truly are. Of course everyone thinks that they are "quick and agile", though that's often not the case. It's like asking someone if they're a bad driver, of course they're not, it's just everyone around them.
 
regder said:
This is silly, there are few people that actually see themselves for how they truly are. Of course everyone thinks that they are "quick and agile", though that's often not the case. It's like asking someone if they're a bad driver, of course they're not, it's just everyone around them.
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I disagree because I think the type of people that would bother to post in this thread are alert enough to understand how they walk and how it may affect others.

The truly ignorant, inconsiderate types would never even bother having a discussion like this because they don't even concern themselves with thinking about how the way they walk may impact others.
 
toshison said:
I disagree because I think the type of people that would bother to post in this thread are alert enough to understand how they walk and how it may affect others.

The truly ignorant, inconsiderate types would never even bother having a discussion like this because they don't even concern themselves with thinking about how the way they walk may impact others.
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If you ask anyone if they're ignorant, are they going to say yes?
 
regder said:
If you ask anyone if they're ignorant, are they going to say yes?
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If they are really ignorant, they won't say anything. Thats sort of what Im trying to say, an ignorant walker would probably not elect to respond to the poll.
 
I would have to add a category: large, slow, and considerate. I have to be considerate because basically, being tall and wide, I can really hurt people and I mean really hurt. This I do not want to do. I have found that the most effective way to navigate crowds is to look for the holes. In other words, I don't really look at people but the gaps between them. This is a variant on the "you go where you look" method of avoiding accidents.

When no gap exists, I make eye contact, and I negotiate by turning sideways (unfortunately, that is not so helpful anymore) and I extend my hand to indicate that I am passing them on one side (preferably to my right). And I smile. For the most part, this works. One time in a hundred, people don't see me (hard to understand that though) and we collide. At that point, I am either picking them up or I am apologizing because they will feel it. My best score was a bicycle riding agressively through the walk way in an intersection. I don't think he realized what had happened until I picked him up.

Mr.Azim said:
Working in one of the busiest areas of downtown Toronto (Yonge/Dundas), it's always a mad house in the morning, lunch and at day's end. The one thing I've noticed, is how different and in most cases, arroangtly idiotic people walk.

Basically, there are a few types:

Quick and Agile: I'll walk normally, keeping a low profile... but if I see a hole in a subway car or in between people, I'll slip in between without bumping or making contact if it's possible for me to do so. If there isn't room, I'll wait or take the slightly longer way around

Bigger than you think: Those who think they can fit in a space fit for a 12 year old.... even though they're the combined spatial mass of 5-6 12 year olds.

Arrogant and Pushy: The 'throw 'dem elbows' people you see pushing people in the back even though there's a cesspool of people around and it's impossible to take a step longer than a foot in length. They don't care if you're there, they will trample over you.

The kings and queens: The only way to describe this is that I think the one thing going on in their head is "Maybe if I walk around swaying my arms as far out to my sides as possible, smacking randoms in the process, people will think I'm as important as I think I am....."


I'm the quick and agile. If I have to wait for an extra train or walk-light, I will. It isn't the end of the world if my trip gets delayed by 5-10 minutes. I value my personal safety and comfort over a rude, body contact-required shortcut. I value my personal space bubble and will keep it intact as much as possible.
Click to expand...
 
Definitely a mix of 1 and 3. But depends on the situation. I've let zombie texters bounce off of me before without altering my direction.
 
There's a type in the system that is probably not on this forum... the pig lady.

She's the one standing on the escalator that doesn't let anyone by (escalefter)
She's the one that waddles through narrow spaces, winds into oncoming traffic, and checks the contents of one of her four bags in the middle of the path.
She's the one that will cut to the front of the platform and charge into a car before anyone can get out, or blocks access from the door to get out.
She needs a few seats for her bags. Only about 1 in 10 are this lady, but they really hold things up.
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