Some Asshole Posted This Open Letter in Defense of Manspreading at a Subway Station

At this point in our history as a society, it's likely more than fair to say that "manspreading," or the act of being an inconsiderate asshole on increasingly packed subway trains, is a serious and legitimate problem that should be shunned accordingly. That's why it's hard to comprehend why anyone could so strongly, and so openly defend such madness, as demonstrated in a printed letter (we have a photo of it below!) posted to a stairway at the Broadway N/Q station Wednesday night in Astoria.

The letter, which has since been removed (we didn't touch it), is all kinds of entitled meninist crazy -- titled "IF YOU WANT MY SEAT TELL ME AND I WILL GET UP AND MOVE." The author, who is courageously anonymous, makes a series of very convincing health-based arguments in defense of some mens' apparent need to take up way more space than everyone else when they sit. It all basically boils down to this line, "Testicles are painful to squish" and doing so causes "discomfort." But, oh yes, it gets worse.

After concluding that shaming people for manspreading is "counterproductive," the author ends his masterpiece by -- get this -- calling out women: "By the way some of you ladies take up as much space with your wide ass, as men do with their knees apart... But nobody goes around calling it 'broadiness' or something like that." Yeah, um, good one. Of course, there are simple solutions to manspreading, you know, like being a considerate person, but we shouldn't have to get into them. 

Here's the full text of the letter, as transcribed from the image below:

IF YOU WANT MY SEAT TELL ME AND I WILL GET UP AND MOVE, even though I was here first, I would rather stand than to sit uncomfortably in a position that is unnatural for me and bad for my health.

I know you may be skeptical however the reason men sit with their legs apart is anatomical; external genitalia is a factor, but bone structure is also part of the issue

- Testicles are painful to squish, it is also unhealthy for them to be kept at body temperature, thus the issue is discomfort and health.
- Ischium bones in men, the bones you sit on, are closer together, meaning men have a smaller point of contact.
- The inferior pubic rami, used to balance when you sit, is 20-30 degrees narrower in men, resulting in less stability; additionally, it makes sitting with one’s legs apposed unnatural.
- Men have cylindrical thighs, as opposed to conical thighs, further compounding the issue of sitting with one’s thigh’s apposed.
- Men have narrower acetabulum, meaning their thighs are closer together, resulting in less space between them, further compounding the above, the issue of external genitalia, and reducing the amount of balancing leverage available when sitting with one’s thighs apposed.
- Men have more lateral facing acetabulum, meaning their legs swing forward, backward, and out; women have more anterior facing acetabulum, meaning their legs not only have a greater ability to swing inward, but do so naturally when moving forward, like when sitting or walking (thus the swaying hips).
- Men have wider, heavier upper bodies, thus require more stability.

For men, sitting with one’s legs apart is not only biologically natural, it’s biologically necessary to attain the same level of stability as women.. Most guys will move if you ask nicely. Using stupid-ass terms like “manspreading” and assigning non-existent anti-social motives out of paranoia is counterproductive.

P.S. By the way some of you ladies take us as much space with your wide ass, as men do with their knees apart, then you think you’re not taking up space because in front you’re not, but people have to scrunch up to fit next to your big ass. But nobody goes around calling it “broadiness” or something like that.

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and is very conscious of his own subway etiquette. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.