tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post6246696476686003074..comments2023-10-08T08:33:55.549-04:00Comments on Unsuck DC Metro: Metro: Bullhorning the Elderly since 1976Unsuck DC Metrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02752056661298716293noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-83424696637197139672010-04-23T17:43:07.516-04:002010-04-23T17:43:07.516-04:00Why not tell the Metro employee with the bullhorn ...Why not tell the Metro employee with the bullhorn NO. "We're staying here, thanks." What was she gonna do, have you arrested for deciding to sit on the bench you were already sitting on?<br /><br />And why is the writer plaintively asking if someone can be identified, without information to help in that process?<br /><br />Folks: get a spine, stand up for yourself (or sit down, in this instance) and TAKE NAMES if dealt with rudely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-80664489750890374302010-04-15T13:43:13.006-04:002010-04-15T13:43:13.006-04:00If you don't have the $15 for a taxi, you can ...If you don't have the $15 for a taxi, you can always call Metro Access and they'll pay someone $100 to drive you around for your $1.50 fare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-24995812274476491772010-04-14T16:40:28.408-04:002010-04-14T16:40:28.408-04:00Anon @ 3:44:
It's great that you as a 23 year...Anon @ 3:44:<br /><br />It's great that you as a 23 year old have the ability to pay for a personal taxi to chauffeur you around town, but did you consider that maybe this family couldn't afford the $15+ a taxi may have cost, and instead opted to take the vastly less expensive public transportation that their tax dollars already go towards? If there is one thing worst than saying she should have a wheelchair it's that she shouldn't be using it at all!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-23526014808835645142010-04-14T15:44:50.923-04:002010-04-14T15:44:50.923-04:00An old lady in the metro on one of the highest tra...An old lady in the metro on one of the highest traffic days should have taken a taxi. I personally am young, 23 but have a broken foot. And it is hard to move around in the metro, and people don't move for people with disabilities, this is not the metro's fault. Its the tourists! Take a taxi since part of the metro is being able to walk distances, and if you are not able too, take a taxi!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-88629688062757558772010-04-14T14:24:42.248-04:002010-04-14T14:24:42.248-04:00The story doesn't say that anyone "dragge...The story doesn't say that anyone "dragged a diabetic old woman around downtown." I would assume the lady in question wanted to go see the cherry blossoms, which is perfectly within her rights. Handicapped people in wheelchairs, with guide dogs, with canes, etc., have a right to use the system. So I can't see why a more mildly handicapped woman doesn't have just as much right to use the system, even if she doesn't actually need a wheelchair but just needs to move more slowly and rest more often than other people. In fact, as others have suggested, putting her in a wheelchair would not have lessened the congestion or moved the crowds any faster, since a wheelchair typically takes up the room of several standing people. Accommodating this woman's disability by letting her sit and rest was not only the right thing to do, but the common-sense thing as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-49623355953544996032010-04-14T10:47:45.312-04:002010-04-14T10:47:45.312-04:00Agree with 9:53. Suggesting a wheelchair might be...Agree with 9:53. Suggesting a wheelchair might be a bit blunt, but it is fantastic advise that the whiner should have considered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-45339774545068650122010-04-14T02:24:30.359-04:002010-04-14T02:24:30.359-04:00@ Anonymous 9:53pm
Yes, that asshole would be you...@ Anonymous 9:53pm<br /><br />Yes, that asshole would be you. Thanks for playing. Oh, and is that your bag?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-23190750412693132522010-04-13T21:53:55.199-04:002010-04-13T21:53:55.199-04:00Two sentences telling us how you dragged a diabeti...Two sentences telling us how you dragged a diabetic old woman around downtown -using mass transit no less- and the rest of the message explaining what big assholes Metro is for not parting the sea and giving you exclusive treatment?<br />There is a bigger asshole in this story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-24950590429472493822010-04-13T21:01:14.553-04:002010-04-13T21:01:14.553-04:00i fully agree with metro's response. the famil...i fully agree with metro's response. the family didnt have to walk ALL the way down to the end to find another bench. they could have stopped somewhere in the middle. if those benches were occupied they should have asked someone else to get up and not have taken no for an answer.<br /><br />the alternative answer is they shouldnt have moved at all. what is the metro employee going to do? call the cops on a grandmother?<br /><br />if my 75 yo father was as tired as this grandmother we wouldnt get on the metro with a huge crowd. we'd find a taxi and if one wasnt available, we'd take a long rest before getting on the metro again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-19343760074169709102010-04-13T20:54:49.979-04:002010-04-13T20:54:49.979-04:00I dont understand why the entire metro system in g...I dont understand why the entire metro system in general sucks at providing benches. Ive had to wait 19 minutes where both (thats right, only two) benches were taken. I sat on the floor of course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-62175978120121558882010-04-13T20:52:35.406-04:002010-04-13T20:52:35.406-04:00We are conditioned to obey "authority figures...We are conditioned to obey "authority figures", even if their only authority is a megaphone or a reflective vest, and even if it obviously hurts others.<br /><br />And people in authority rapidly lose empathy for those "below" them.<br /><br />This incident is like the Stanford Prison experiment and the Milgram experiment all wrapped into one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-60593707289134108342010-04-13T20:51:38.781-04:002010-04-13T20:51:38.781-04:00Honestly, if 12 minutes is such a big deal, she sh...Honestly, if 12 minutes is such a big deal, she should have been in a wheelchair. All. Day. Otherwise, suck it up, buttercup.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-23028006636335535812010-04-13T20:08:40.756-04:002010-04-13T20:08:40.756-04:00Wow. I don't know why I'm ever surprised ...Wow. I don't know why I'm ever surprised anymore. The upshot of this is, "It's your fault for not taking proper care of the elderly diabetic with swollen feet. We wash our hands of responsibility." Nice job Metro, now you know why you are pretty universally maligned.WashingTinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17987548913994006257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-89018141372307427432010-04-13T19:32:26.720-04:002010-04-13T19:32:26.720-04:00Not surprising, but sometimes fellow riders are ju...Not surprising, but sometimes fellow riders are just as rude/clueless. It would be interesting to know if someone allowed her to sit down once she boarded the train. I have been on trains where blind passengers with guide dogs end up standing because young, perfectly healthy and "seeing" passengers sit in the seats reserved for seniors and those with disabilities - and yes, they notice the blind passenger (hard not to with a dog thrown in for good measure)! Rudeness in the metro system appears to be contagious - it starts with the metro employees, facilitates general rage among passengers, who then pass it along to one another.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-9337239058834492312010-04-13T19:24:28.694-04:002010-04-13T19:24:28.694-04:00I wouldn't have moved. and certainly would hav...I wouldn't have moved. and certainly would have welcomed the confrontation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-33904857291339665262010-04-13T17:24:50.600-04:002010-04-13T17:24:50.600-04:00Put Grandma's old ass in a wheelchair? That&#...Put Grandma's old ass in a wheelchair? That's supposed to cause less congestion? Wait ... I'd like to see Grandma get one of those Rascal scooters with a big plow on the front and have her roll down the platform like a demon on crack. Now that would be some funny sh*t to watch, especially if a bunch of Metro employees got in her way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-70015586811353910032010-04-13T15:20:53.804-04:002010-04-13T15:20:53.804-04:00The point is that woman, elderly or not, is an Ame...The point is that woman, elderly or not, is an American. It is her God-given right to ride Metro without expecting harrassment. There was no reason to ask an elderly person to move from a sitting position. In fact, her having to move, slowly no less, only made the "flow" worse, not improved. The bullhorn employee is an idiot, a moron, and a socially inept humanoid.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-47617374939084274002010-04-13T14:55:00.444-04:002010-04-13T14:55:00.444-04:00Are you serious, Marjorie?!? Asking a passenger t...Are you serious, Marjorie?!? Asking a passenger to bring and use a wheelchair?? As many people on this blog have pointed out, YOU’VE MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY!! While it may help Aru's girlfriend's grandmother get around a little bit easier in the future, thus making it only a small part of the solution you did NOTHING to address the IMMEDIATE problem!! Yes, Ms. Bullhorn, it is important that everyone move to the end of the platform, but you try it when you're feeling lousy and see how you feel when you get yelled at through a megaphone.<br /><br />@ April 13, 2010 2:30 PM: Are you serious?!? You too, are missing the point! Yes, no doubt about it! The cherry blossoms always bring out hoards of people whether they are natives or tourists! There are some people who are willing to "ignore" whatever it is that is not making the well (such as diabetes, a bum knee, etc.) to make sure everyone is enjoying the family outing. To tell them that it’s crowded and that they shouldn’t go is ludicrous! A better suggestion would be there are other blossoms in other parts of the Metropolitan area to view. If Aru’s family is a local, I’d like to make the suggestion of see some blossoms where it’s not quite as crowded. There was in an article about this in WaPo. Sure it’s not the same as seeing them at the Tidal Basin, but it’s only a suggestion.<br /><br />UnsuckDCMetro, you’re too kind to call this post “Bullhorning the Elderly”. Perhaps you should have called it “BULLYING the Elderly”!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-82377291074079513032010-04-13T14:49:02.403-04:002010-04-13T14:49:02.403-04:00@2:30: I don't think the author was complainin...@2:30: I don't think the author was complaining about the crowds - he's complaining about the behavior of a metro employee.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-42971502970721961552010-04-13T14:30:06.287-04:002010-04-13T14:30:06.287-04:00Maybe it wasn't a good idea. It shouldn't...Maybe it wasn't a good idea. It shouldn't be a surprise to you that there were going to be tons of people there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-10300370835630809502010-04-13T14:22:29.346-04:002010-04-13T14:22:29.346-04:00the problem with these situations in metro is that...the problem with these situations in metro is that the employees feel ever-so empowered to tell people what to do. they give orders that they believe should be obeyed and feel free to mistreat anyone who doesn't immediately hop-to. while that may be the legal situation inside of the metrorail system, it's not helpful customer service.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-45576216076569278992010-04-13T13:31:22.815-04:002010-04-13T13:31:22.815-04:00Are you effing kidding me? Majorie, honey, SHAME ...Are you effing kidding me? Majorie, honey, SHAME ON YOU. Sitting on a bench is not blocking anyone from moving. I am so flabbergasted by metro's idiotic official response, and yet, at the same time, really shouldn't be surprised, as this is yet ANOTHER example of how this system is just plain broken. Its the crappiest corporate culture of any organization I have ever witnessed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-53919450953939576362010-04-13T12:06:45.485-04:002010-04-13T12:06:45.485-04:00Sounds like something the American Diabetes Associ...Sounds like something the American Diabetes Association should be alerted about:<br /><br />http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/know-your-rights/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-64989280844156256192010-04-13T10:46:56.299-04:002010-04-13T10:46:56.299-04:00I agree with 10:29. Having a wheelchair in the sy...I agree with 10:29. Having a wheelchair in the system would have been even more of a headache for everyone involved. I don't see why they couldn't just let them sit on the bench. I would have refused to move. It's not like they can kick you out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-57367114188844258422010-04-13T10:37:51.432-04:002010-04-13T10:37:51.432-04:00I think what's really sad is that this woman r...I think what's really sad is that this woman readily admits she doesn't know the name of the employee who pushed them along.<br /><br />All she is looking for is an "I'm sorry," which WMATA could offer as coldly and simply as it wants.<br /><br />And yet they can't even do that. It's as if they like appearing on this blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com