How to handle manspreading (self defense implications) Part 1

I already mentioned before that from time to time, I read a feminist online journal. Not that I would agree with everything written there but it is indeed interesting to see different views on some, often very controversial topics. Last time there was published a whole issue about so-called manspreading and how to deal with it. If you are not familiar with the expression, in short, men tend to spread their legs wide open when sitting, which especially on busy public transport causes problems by occupying limited space for other passengers. Because I commute every day, I have noticed this, but it has never come to the point it would bother me much or that it would offend me. Tom also likes to sit on our sofa like that when we chill out or watch a TV.

However, the author of the main article—a famous local feminist—claimed that manspreading is a serious societal misconduct and one of the typical signs of toxic masculinity. It is a very inconsiderate behavior, and we all should make a great effort to put an end to men thinking it is acceptable to shamelessly expose their filthy crotches to everybody and limit scarce sitting space for female travelers. As you can imagine there was a very heated discussion in the comment section.

Men are trying to defend themselves by claiming this is an anatomical necessity to prevent the discomfort of their testicles being compressed between their thighs. This was concurred by a female physician who wrote a comment that also the peculiarity of male anatomy of the pelvis and hips is responsible for this phenomenon. However, she also claimed that there is no justifiable reason to do this on public transport, and men should simply withstand those usually short rides in a normal posture with their knees together. Most female commenters agreed that manspreading combines men's laziness, lack of attentiveness and consideration for others, and the continuing urge to display their male dominance (and crotches). This male misconduct is putting women in a very awkward position, they are usually anxious and embarrassed to say something to a stranger in a crowd.

Spreading legs put this young man's
exposed testicles in serious danger. 

There were some very interesting accounts in the discussion and many women shared their sometimes very unpleasant experiences. One woman wrote: “Once I was sitting on a train in front of a man wearing a cyclist outfit, and at some point, he just assumed a pose like he was relaxing on a couch at home. The outline of his penis and testicles was so apparent, it almost looked like he had no clothing on. I had to look through the window the whole journey to avoid this disgusting sight...Why these guys cannot behave and be decent in public spaces?” she added.

Another woman said: “A young man sat next to me and immediately spread his legs. He was acting like I was not just there, with zero attentiveness, and zero consideration. With his right thigh, he pushed me against the wall of the cabin. Obviously, I did not want to make a scene, so I just made a gesture, angrily looked in his face, and then down there expecting him to get the idea. But nothing, no response at all! Then I saw one of his filthy dangly hairy testicles slipped from his loose shorts and was ‘proudly presented’ to all the passengers!  Bugger!!!…, he just kept paying attention to his smartphone. I was so upset that at the next station, I got off the train and took the next one…” 

Some women know how to effectively
 handle the issue of manspreading.
A heavy bag and stilettos is all it takes. 

How to solve this unpleasant issue? One woman posted a comment in which she explained a very effective (and to some hilarious) way she invented to deal with manspreading on the commuter trains, she takes every day to and from her job. This is how she does it: She carries a big handbag, in which she puts a lot of heavy books. This appears very innocent, just makes her look like a hard-studying student or a young teacher. She also wears stiletto shoes. When she spots a ‘manspreader’, at the right moment she walks by, pretending she is looking for a free seat or wants to get off the train at the next stop. The moment she is in the right position, she suddenly plays out an act that her stiletto heel slipped or got stuck in the floor and she drops. At that moment a bag full of heavy load lands on the slayed crotch of the misbehaver. Of course, she mastered aiming very precisely so that the corner of her bag hit directly the highly sensitive and the same time fully exposed bulge. According to her, the sharp edges of the books always do the intended job. She then innocently apologizes and quickly leaves. The man is, however, left in great discomfort, and his dramatic pathetic response and even cry, of course, draws the unwanted and embarrassing attention of all travelers. She finally added that this way men can quickly learn that exposing their private parts is inappropriate in public and doing so can sometimes cause their testicles more harm than good. She claimed that after a couple of such ‘interventions,’ the manspreading on her train line was almost eliminated! You can imagine she got a lot of likes from female readers.

I attended Linda’s course so have learned how sensitive the male gonads are in their awkward position hanging between their legs and frequently getting compressed. So, from my point of view, I understand and probably valid are the arguments that when a man spreads his legs it is just to give his testicles enough room and maybe some rest and air to breathe—something we women often find difficult to sympathize with because of the obvious differences between our anatomies.

Although a complex and controversial issue, manspreading has been discussed by Linda as it has some very important implications for self defense.  A sex attack can often happen when sitting, and a man for instance demands oral sex. In this case, a man often gets comfortable with his legs apart which means fully exposing his testicles. Good for us, we can conveniently utilize this situation when willingly provided unrestricted access to the scrotum. Linda used Bob and Peter to show which is the best approach in these situations and which techniques are the best and we even learned a new nasty technique called a ‘toast maker’…. To be continued…