Should pregnant people pay a premium for travelcards?

[Brendan]

Loz Wrote:

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> I disagree Brendan. Men were expected to give up

> their seats to women and hold doors open, etc,

> etc, because at the time, men considered being

> female to be a disability. Happily, we're more

> enlightened these days.

If that?s they way people thought about it then no wonder everyone?s such a cunt all their lives.

What I was taught is that women do a more important job in society than men and it is our little nod of appreciation.

[fairylamb]

JRussell you seem to assume a) that everyone who has children has planned to have them and b) can easily afford any extra cost associated with having a child. While this may be true in an enclave of affluence and liberal thinking like ED this simply isn?t true elsewhere. And what you are saying is if you can?t afford the extra fair you deserve to faint at my feet.

Yes you should be ignored for the simple fact there?s a lack of humanity in your argument that isn?t even worth arguing against. Society should protect the vulnerable (unborn children) where possible.

[KidKruger]

jrussel I am surprised, I had no knowledge that the NHS were now doing compassion bypasses, when did you have yours ?

[pk]

fairylamb Wrote:

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> you should be ignored for the simple fact

> there?s a lack of humanity in your argument that

> isn?t even worth arguing against

so why have you and many others taken the bait? russel's come on here to have a bit of 'fun' and people that take his/her posts seriously are providing it

edited of typo

[fairylamb]

I actually think Jrussel is serious - he will not give up his seat to others and I was hoping he might realise/I could shame him into doing it (extremely doubtful I know). Howevere he's probably scribbling a note to Boris asking that we take the 'public' out of transport and introduce a first and cattle class sytem. Allowing more affluent mothers and hung over people the opportunity to sit on the tube whil the oinks stand! Rah-Rah!

[Brendan]

No he isn't. He?s a wind-up merchant. He does this every few months. It can be a bit of a distraction when the forum is quiet.

[Moos]

jrussel Wrote:

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I suggest that pregnant people pay a 30% premium to compensate the extra strain they place on pubic transport.

this is my favourite part of the thread so far. Bold marking mine.

[jrussel]

fairylamb Wrote:

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> I actually think Jrussel is serious - he will not

> give up his seat to others and I was hoping he

> might realise/I could shame him into doing it

> (extremely doubtful I know). Howevere he's

> probably scribbling a note to Boris asking that we

> take the 'public' out of transport and introduce a

> first and cattle class sytem. Allowing more

> affluent mothers and hung over people the

> opportunity to sit on the tube whil the oinks

> stand! Rah-Rah!

Another arrogant person who has failed to read what I have actually written.

[Loz]

Moos Wrote:

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> jrussel Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> I suggest that pregnant people pay a 30% premium

> to compensate the extra strain they place on pubic

> transport.

>

> this is my favourite part of the thread so far.

> Bold marking mine.

[Ali G]

Dems wiv da shavin haven can be walkin'

[/Ali G]

[citizenED]

My favourite part of the thread so far was in the opening post when jrussel barked, "...they made themselves pregnant."

[Brendan]

I?m astounded that this forum doesn?t recognise the well established Ali G tag.

[mockney piers]

Ooh. 8/10.

May not have the surreal quality of previous work but there is real verve and panache about this one, not to mention juuuust enough dash of plausability to reel them in.

But yeah, family room might have made this a torville and dean!!

[jalapeno]

"Now can we return to the point please" - yes, let's unravel your puzzle.

"What do they do, wave their bellies at you"

No Moos, the man was reduced to "half his size" when he wittingly refused a very tired, heavily pregnant lady his seat, hence the purpose of his post which explains his animosity towards the latter and indication of exhausting the already strained NHS.

You've got to allow him a little margin given the state of affairs he's had to deal with - forum is his only vehicle for venting frustration so do empathise with him. The sight of pregnant women can only add further to his indignation and self awareness of his own frustrations - what he's missing out on...!

"And what you are saying is if you can?t afford the extra fair you deserve to faint at my feet"

He has a toe fetish, I know it's pretty sick, isn't it? But you can't blame him - this is his only form of excitement as he has a decreased capacity for any other "engagements"

That said, I see a procession of heavily pregnant ladies with large hedge cutters marching down the road - oops..!

Prepare for retaliation!

Ps, the only premium payable is on your own health insurance!

[Brendan]

As if life in the city was not beset with enough peril as it is now we have to live in fear of the scourge of bullying pregnant women hell bent on taking our seats and ruining our mental health whilst bringing the infrastructure of our health service and public transport network tumbling down around us.

[Keef]

What are pregnant women doing on the trains and buses during rush hour anyway? Surely they've got no bussiness going to work!

[fairylamb]

Oh god wish I?d never strayed in here but I have now (will I ever work again?)

Going back to the original post then...

Point 1) ?I count myself lucky if I get a seat? ? exactly you are lucky and you should view pregnant people as a stroke of bad luck. Choosing to have children isn?t a rational decision, it?s largely hormone driven craziness - people can't be held accountable for becoming pregnant You?re the sane healthy non-pregnant one please stop pregnant people from disrupting everyone?s journey.

Point 2) Why do they get priority? As discussed there may be more serious medical issues than just sore feet (I?m not sure sore feet is a common pregnancy problem but fainting when pregnant is). Better the pregnant person faints while sat down, people will assume she?s asleep and everyone?s journey can continue.

Point 3) Actually people are suppose to be considerate about noise levels while on public transport. Hence the poster campaign with the little chubby cute people say I won?t do this, I won?t do that. You could also get some ear protectors to reduce background noise (pregnant people can?t use portable seats).

Point 4) 30% for the strain ? strain is only caused by mishaps that occur when people don?t give up their seats and pregnant people are left standing. If people give up their seats no strain is incurred. Also I?m not sure how you have arrived at this figure or how the policy could be implemented. Does the person show their pregnancy ticket to you? How do you stop the fraudulent use of tickets by over-weight women of child bearing age?

Point 5) Oh no ? you also have classes for the deserving immobile (?through no fault of their own?) and immobile. I don?t know what to do about that ? ?brought it?/?didn?t bring it on myself? health certificates which allow deserving seat use.

Only middleclass cr?ches? I simply don?t believe cr?ches have a class admissions policy.

Yes IQ does temporarily dip post-baby due to a number of factors. Hence the reason I?m replying to this thread. Tsk!

[RosieH]

I was on crutches for a couple of months last year. Entirely (though accidentally) self-inflicted (Alice Cooper related living-room dancing injury)

Now then Jack, was I more or less deserving of a seat than someone who went out (or stayed in) and got themselves deliberately knocked up? I'm wondering about the Russell Hierarchy of Need.

I also suffer from vertigo, and might have an attack every couple of years or so. During such an attack (not self-inflicted) it might be more difficult for me to stand than say an old person (also not self-inflicted) or a pregnant woman (in all likelihood not self-inflicted but probably intentional). But there's no outward sign to indicate my seat-need.

What oh what is the order of priority? Should I renounce my seat because I can't prove I need it? Help me oh wise one.

[jrussel]

Having thought about this a bit further - some back-of-envelope calculations suggest that a premium approaching 50% rather than 30% would be more reflective of the true costs.

I may have to do a little more work on this before settling on a definitive rate, though.

[jrussel]

RosieH Wrote:

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> I was on crutches for a couple of months last

> year. Entirely (though accidentally)

> self-inflicted (Alice Cooper related living-room

> dancing injury)

>

> Now then Jack, was I more or less deserving of a

> seat than someone who went out (or stayed in) and

> got themselves deliberately knocked up?

More deserving, because your injury was not pre-meditated, nor were you presented with an opportunity to reverse it the next morning.

[Brendan]

As it was Alice Cooper related you should have actually been carried around in a sedan chair until your foot healed. But hey-ho, there is no justice in this world.

[Jeremy]

Next week's installment: "Should old people be banned?"

[Loz]

Solution: Raise the cost of public transport until number of seats = number of people who can afford it. This would naturally exclude most pregnant people, old people and poor people. People with skiing injuries would probably still be able to afford the ?10 a trip. Or stop. Or something.

Or just not allow any standing whatsoever. Turnstyle counting at every tube door.

I should so be President of Everything. Next problem please...

[fairylamb]

Hmm, some of these solutions would deprive JRusel of the pleasure he feels when he stands next to the old and infirrm relishing how privileged he is not to be like them. He's after all 'happy' to do that...

[HonaloochieB]

Scene: Bertie Wooster is leaning against the bar at the Drones, mouth agape staring into middle distance in what his old house master would have termed a 'brown study'.

A familiar figure hoves into view.

JRussell - What ho Bertie!

Bertie Wooster - What ho JRussell! Haven't seen you round these parts in an age. Tincture?

JR - Yes, I'll have a glass of whatever vile muck you're polluting yourself with. And you haven't seen me because I've been working...

BW - You, work JRussell, surely not?

JR - As I was saying, I have been applying my intellect to a scheme, one of my ripest yet. Do you wish to hear about it?

BW - Of course, tell on, old sardine.

JR - When a popsy finds she has got herself, how shall I put it? 'In pod', I find they take up the most damnable amount of room about the place, but particularly on trains. I have written to the transport minister and suggested a tax of a shilling per journey on any female in a delicate condition who inflicts herself on a train. Good, eh?

BW - Have you been spending more time than is healthy with Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps?

JR - What, what do you mean?

BW - This idea of yours is blether pure and simple. What's more it's caddish blether.

JR - It's revolutionary I grant you, but...

BW - Caddish is what I said and caddish is what I meant. Kindly leave me JRussell, I would be alone.

*JR slinks away to join Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps who is flicking playing cards into a top hat*

BW - (Thinks) And you think you know a fellow. Next time I'll ignore the bounder.

Edited: BW - Sorry, took a bit of a smeller and left a word out. English Lingo, not my strong point, frankly. More of an RE man myself, won a prize for it once, dashed proud of it actually.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Oh, Hb, my heart is a-flutter.