Allow me a moment to stand on my soapbox

The train has become a never ending nightmare some days. I dislike the train. I dislike that I am tied to the time of something else. I dislike that it cost $6 a day to ride it. I dislike how crowded it is (I'm lucky to get a seat). But most of all I DISLIKE (on the verge of hate) men that fail to remember the manners their mom taught them. A couple points of support:

• The man who takes up two seats. I have many names for this fellow. He thinks he is too tall to sit on one-half of the seat like the rest of the riders, so he lays over the two seats with his bag on one edge. He refuses to move no matter how crowded the train gets. Totally rude
• Everyday at the University stop two elderly women get on the train. By this stop there are not any available seats left, and they are lucky to find good standing room. If possible I offer them my seat. But, somedays I'm in the middle of the car and to scream over 20 people in front of me to offer these women my seat seems a little too much. However, I'm shocked still everyday that the men on the train don't see these senior citizens and offer their seat up.
• Finally, yesterday, I was in a pod of 3 other men in my seat bunch and we get to the second stop on the line (no open seats) and a VERY pregnant lady, I'm talking due today pregnant lady, and not a single peep from the men to offer their seat. So I ask her kindly if she would like to take my seat and of course she is so overly relieved that she won't have to stand the 30 minutes. I'm to the point I want to start offering up the seats of those around me.

Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't an issue women's rights, blah blah. It is an issue of common curiosity for those around us. I'm not asking a man to give up his seat the moment I step on the train, what I am asking is that those fellow train riders pay attention and become more compassionate and generious. I only hope that one day when I'm about to give birth on the train that someone offer me their seat, or when I am in my 80's that some college kid be kind enough to know that I would like to sit down too.

I'm done, thank you for listening to my rant.