I have been noticing a not so serious problem being taken WAY too serious, and that is manspreading. Now, if you don't know or understand what this silly term is, manspreading is identified as a man spreading their legs while sitting, which often happens on public transport. And when I heard that in New York, they decided to make a law to stop guys from spreading their legs on public transport, I couldn’t let this case go. So since I am a man, I didn’t want any bias looks in the problem so I began to do some research on the problem and by looking at all the reasons why men shouldn’t be allowed to manspread was just ridiculous and no evidence or explanation why it is. I will also well explain how manspreading isn’t too big of an issue to make it to a law.

Now, before we even start talking about my reasons why that these people reasoning for manspread make no sense, the biggest problem I have with others people’s standing on against manspreading have barely any evidence proving their accusations on this problem. Basically making them invalid arguments on the case.

The first website I looked for reasons why manspreading could be bad is a very inadequate blog website. The blog was made by a feminist that go by the name of and the article name was, “Manspreading is an Important Feminist Issue, Not Just Bad Social Etiquette”. The biggest arguments I have a problem with this is one, “ Are you more likely to go up to the woman and say, “Excuse me, could you please move your bag so I can sit down?” or are you likely to go to the man and say, “Excuse me, could you close that gap between your legs so I can sit down?”,” like it's our fault that you didn’t want to ask us to make more space and rather make a law just not allow us to get our baby makers some air,(Khan Sarah). This argument doesn’t work because you basically saying it’s my problem if you don't want to tell me to make space for you.

Another problem I had with the articles I research was called, “Why ‘Manspreading’ Is Definitely a Serious Issue, as Explained by the Feminist Internet” made by Katherine Timpf, which I thought it was going to be a good article with evidence to back up its claims against manspreading, wrong again. Now, the biggest problem with this article was the information was just full of opinions with nothing to fully back up her claim and the only outside information she gave us didn’t explain her point and wasn’t even cited. For example of this, one of the reasons Timpf thought manspreading is a major issue is by the quote “Manspreading is saying, “Who gives a f*** if you can’t sit, [we] are men. See [our] balls.”,” which was a claim and mind I tell you, and big one, not back up by a lot. She attempted to support this idea by referring to another blog about a guy who thinks manspreading was empowering, and never even says how it supported it. I have to read the article just to know how it helped. The biggest claim though was “Manspreading is “an assertion of male dominance,” and “every one” of the manspreaders does it because he feels like he has to “claim [his] territory and [his] manhood in this public space, even at the discomfort of all the other passengers.”,”(Katherine Timpf). This application is a pretty huge one, and all we get as to prove this is true is she referring the same guy saying, “Another great point by Smith. Who, by the way, also wrote: “When I stand, I sometimes cross my legs.” Sexy, sexy, sexy! Amirite ladies,” she couldn’t even explain how this help to push the fact that guys manspreading is an assertion of male dominance.

Furthermore, unlike some people, I can show and explain my evidence on my take of this. Laws, they are made to protect us, help us to feel safe. But to make a law for something so simple as I spreading my legs is just ridiculous. My reasoning to not make a law base on manspreading is mainly because how simple it is to stop it from happening. If a man is leg spreading all you have to do is easily ask him to make some space, the fact that you going to kick him out of the train just for making space for his baby makers is just ludicrous. Laws are there just to solve simple problems. I do understand that some men do take up too much space by spreading their legs but if they refuse to close them, simply ask a officer or someone that is in control of the train to have him make a little more space. No need to create a law on just a guy spreading his legs. Also if you look around you a bit more you will notice most men spread their legs. You essentially inventing a law base on something that will just create more problems occurring then solving them, and seeing how most men do spread their legs you could say that they’re doing it Subconsciously. If this is the fact, numerous men will be either arrested or kick of trains for doing something they find comfort in.

To sum everything up, manspreading can be annoying, and take up a lot of space, but not to the point of making a law for it. The creation of the law will start bringing up more problems like arresting or kicking off countless men on trains for just doing something subconsciously. And as I see it, for now, there not a lot of reasons or you could say good enough reasons to support the fact that spreading your legs should be illegal on transport.

Work Page citations:

Khan, Sarah. “Manspreading Is an Important Feminist Issue, Not Just Bad Social Etiquette.” Gender Focus Manspreading Is an Important Feminist Issue Not Just Bad Social Etiquette Comments, 13 Feb. 2016.

Timpf, Katherine. “Why 'Manspreading' Is Definitely a Serious Issue, as Explained by the Feminist Internet.” National Review, National Review, 16 Jan. 2015.