Guy on NYC subway refused to move his satchel from the seat next to him so I can sit. AITAH for sitting, anyway?

A person on Reddit recounted an awkward experience on the New York City subway. According to the user, a man wouldn’t move his bag from the adjacent seat, even though they needed to sit down after a tiring workday.

Following a heated argument, the individual remained firm and eventually took a seat, which resulted in a dispute. The person then made the situation worse by using offensive and disrespectful language. The original poster is asking if they were in the wrong for demanding the seat. Find the complete account detailed further down.

‘ Guy on NYC subway refused to move his satchel from the seat next to him so I can sit. AITAH for sitting, anyway?’

Following my workday, I got on the train amidst the rush of commuters. I spotted what seemed to be the sole remaining spot in the carriage. A sharply dressed man occupied a pair of seats. He was sporting stylish trousers, expensive leather footwear, and an overcoat. He was seated centrally, with his bag occupying the adjacent space to his left.

The spot to his right was open, but it wasn’t big enough for me to sit without feeling cramped. I wanted him to scoot over, so I tried to catch his eye. Even though I waved, he kept looking forward with his earbuds in. I was sure he saw me, so I leaned in a little more to get his attention.

He slowly raised his gaze to meet mine. Gently, I requested that he make a small adjustment to his position to allow me to sit. He scrutinized me from head to toe, making no attempt to conceal his assessment, and then responded, “I’d prefer not to, especially for you.” I work as a diagnostic medical sonographer and had just completed a ten-hour shift at the hospital.

TheWorstGirl: My day was draining, discovering an 8-year-old’s advanced cancer. All I wanted was to sit. So I politely asked if the seat was available, since it wasn’t meant for bags or for hogging. He gave me a nasty once-over before retorting that he wouldn’t argue about a seat, “especially” with someone who looks like me.

My appearance? Exhausted, and my hair was thrown up in a disheveled bun. I have a fairly normal physique, sturdy legs, and I’m tall. In case you were curious. So I remarked: “I had a lengthy workday, same as you, and you can’t seriously suggest that your bag should take a seat before someone who bought a ticket.”

The aura he projected strongly suggested: “You are beneath me and unworthy to even be near me, let alone share a seat with me, commoner.” I must admit, I was quite surprised. He stated, “As I mentioned before, I will not dispute over seating,” and then resumed staring blankly into the distance, seemingly trying to disregard my existence.

Username: @igname

That’s when she went off the rails 🤷🏽‍♀️ There was an open spot on his right, and I made up my mind to squeeze in there, no matter what. As I was trying to get settled, he moved over, causing me to accidentally brush against his lap. Then, he tried to shove me from behind, trying to make me fall forward.

He was acting childishly, and I was willing to engage. He was physically smaller than me, and I knew I was stronger. I refused to let him push me around. He kept trying to make me move, but I stood firm.

During the commotion, his satchel dropped, and the seat beside him became empty. I quickly took the opportunity to sit, much like in a game of musical chairs. He was clearly unhappy that I had claimed the seat. He picked up his satchel from the ground and chose to stand directly in front of me.

I assume to try and assert his frail male ego, I mean, “dominance”, over me. After a shouting match in which he quickly realized that I wasnt going to back down from.

He then continued to go on a whole rant to himself about “bitches gotta respect when they’re not given a seat” and “a b**ch like me is probably ran through and no man wants bitches like that” oh, and the “fat bitches like me should be walking home, not taking a train”
Sorry I consume food and not crack, sir???

I stared directly into his eyes, chuckling throughout. That irritated him as well, but I certainly wasn’t about to let him believe I wouldn’t beat him if necessary. I was raised with males, and I absolutely could have handled his small stature.

He ranted on and off throughout the entire 35 min train ride. Before he got off he said: “Don’t get passed around too much this holiday”
And I laughed and said: “you must have me confused for your momma sir, have a nice Thanksgiving”. Am I the a**hole for making my way into a seat I essentially paid for?

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

Harvard_Diplomat −  You two know how to flirt! LMAO

Silent_Cash_E −  Once someone puts hands on you, it is acceptable to be their ass up and down the length of the train. Edit: beat

azorgi01 −  I call AI, mainly because if this was in NYC in a full train car, the second someone would have waved a second time for attention, 50 cameras would be recording looking for content, especially after an argument developed.

puffpastrysweet −  You paid for that ride just like he did, and you had every right to claim that seat. If his bag wanted to sit, it should’ve bought a ticket.

KingsCountyWriter −  As a lifelong NYC subway rider, this took too long. Refused to acknowledge you when asking for a seat? Don’t ask again; just sit, especially after a long day.

He deserved that, since he didn’t recognize you at the start. I’d have checked out what he was wearing, looked at his fists, put in less effort than you, and been set to fight. Have a good holiday!

TheRandom6000 −  This sounds completely made up.

bruce_cocker −  No conversation between strangers on the nyc subway lasts this long. Good daydream though

EldritchAnimation −  It’s like an alien wrote what it thinks a human subway conflict could look like with it’s only input source being snarky Reddit comments. YTA for the weird fantasy.

jeyrey2000 −  Fake post!

Away-Investigator353 −  NYC has had stuff happening like this my entire life, I’ve been in similar situations before and I’ll straight up just sit on peoples bags if they don’t move em. NTA and have had even crazier stuff happen to me in the subway before, even if the story is fake these kind of things actually do happen in NYC

Was the individual on Reddit within their rights to maintain their position and occupy the seat they were eligible for, or did they amplify the issue without need? What would your course of action have been in that underground train scenario? Let us know what you think in the comments!