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“How’s It My Problem Who Knocked You Up?”: Pregnant Woman Gets Physical Over Seat Swap Denial
“How’s It My Problem Who Knocked You Up?”: Pregnant Woman Gets Physical Over Seat Swap Denial
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“How’s It My Problem Who Knocked You Up?”: Pregnant Woman Gets Physical Over Seat Swap Denial

Interview With Author

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Giving up your seat for a pregnant woman is customary in public transport, such as buses and trains. Most of us stand up and let them have our seats if we see them standing right? But seating etiquette on planes is a wholly different beast.

Still, this pregnant lady expected a passenger to give up their seat so she could sit beside her husband. However, the man refused, since his partner needed company next to him. And, because she was barely even showing and her husband wasn’t really protesting, the man questioned whether she really needed the seat.

Bored Panda reached out to the man who refused to give up his seat to the pregnant lady, u/gayboythrowaway25. He kindly agreed to tell us more about how the interaction impacted him and his fiancé, and what he would say to the woman now if he ever met her. Read our conversation below!

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    Two men in business attire sitting on a plane, discussing seat arrangements.

    Image credits: coffeekai / Envato (not the actual photo)

    When a pregnant lady came over and demanded he switch seats with her, he flat-out refused

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    Text description discusses a flight scenario involving a decision about a plane seat and a rude pregnant woman.

    Text about fear of flying and need for proximity.

    Text about panic and travel limitations on a plane.

    Text from a plane trip description with a focus on seating arrangement.

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    Airplane seat refusal text exchange about switching seats for a pregnant woman.

    Woman seated on a plane, looking forward, with passengers in the background.

    Image credits: winnievinzence / Envato (not the actual photo)

    Text discussing a plane seat dispute involving a pregnant woman.

    Text exchange between passengers on a plane about seat refusal, mentioning fiance and flight anxiety.

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    Text of a conversation about refusing to give up a plane seat to a pregnant woman.

    Text indicating a tense airplane situation involving a pregnant woman and seating issues.

    Text describing a flight experience involving a seat dispute with a pregnant woman.

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    Text questioning etiquette during a plane seat dispute with a rude woman.

    Image credits: gayboythrowaway25

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    The Redditor supposes that the husband might be used to his wife throwing tantrums in public

    Image credits: benzoix / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    There’s nothing inherently wrong or entitled about asking someone to switch seats on a plane. In fact, three-quarters of American travelers say they would do it. At the same time, the reason matters: if it’s to just sit next to a friend, people are less likely to switch compared to if people want to sit next to a younger family member.

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    Perhaps the biggest surprise in this story is how uninvolved the husband was. u/gayboythrowaway25 tells Bored Panda that the husband remained pretty stoic before and after the incident with his wife.

    “We started taxiing not too long after she sat down, but before that, [the energy in that row] was pretty varied,” the Redditor recalls. “I was miffed but busy making sure Jeremy had everything he needed. Jeremy was a bit on edge, I think, but it’s hard to tell if that was because of the whole plane about to take off thing or the interaction.”

    The netizen speculates that the husband might be used to his wife behaving this way.” After the interaction, he just pulled out a book and started reading,” u/gayboythrowaway25 tells us. Now that’s some real nonchalance!

    “Other than the guy who told her to move, the other passengers in line were getting pretty annoyed. She was kinda loud so people around us were turning their heads and all,” the Redditor adds. “The flight attendants were helping other passengers and the interaction was quick enough that there was no time to help.”

    The netizen thinks it’s best to avoid these kinds of people: “She’s clearly got way more issues than I do”

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    Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    u/gayboythrowaway25 agrees with other Redditors that his last comment to the pregnant lady wasn’t that nice. “I don’t regret keeping my seat,” he reiterates nonetheless. “It was an early flight and I didn’t sleep too well so I was a little irritable. I recognize that the ‘knocking up’ comment was kinda coarse and I should have been a bit more eloquent, I think.”

    Now, the netizen thinks that saying something along the lines of ‘You being pregnant doesn’t mean I didn’t buy these seats’ would’ve sounded more polite. As far as his fiancé’s reaction, he says it wasn’t bad at all. “My fiancé missed half the conversation so I don’t blame him for saying to be nicer.”

    If the Redditor had the unfortunate chance to meet the woman again, there’s really nothing he would like to say to her. “Frankly, I think if I saw her again I’d avoid her. I don’t have too much animosity towards her and she’s clearly got way more issues than I do,” u/gayboythrowaway25 says.

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    He also suspects she might’ve been a tad homophobic. “I did refer to Jeremy as my fiancé when I pointed to him, I said ‘My fiancé loses it’ or something to that effect, and she got considerably angrier at me after that. I don’t know if it was homophobically motivated but I wouldn’t be surprised,” the Redditor tells us.

    He also clarifies that the shove the woman gave him after the flight wasn’t as aggressive as some commenters made it out to be. “I said ‘shoved’ but it wasn’t an open palmed two-handed shove or anything. It was more of an extra rough shoulder check that caught me off balance and my fiancé stopped me from falling. He yelled after her but she didn’t respond,” the Redditor recalls.

    Many people sided with the man: “She asked and you answered politely”

    Reddit comments discussing plane seat etiquette and cultural differences.

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    Reddit users discuss a pregnant woman's request to swap plane seats; skepticism arises over the situation's authenticity.

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    Text exchange about refusal to give up plane seat; fiancé comments on rudeness.

    Reddit comments discussing a wedding, showing support and excitement from users.

    Text screenshot discussing refusal to give up a plane seat to a pregnant woman.

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    Reddit comment discussing refusal to give up a plane seat for a rude pregnant woman.

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    Comment discussing refusal to give up plane seat for a rude pregnant woman.

    Reddit comment discussing refusal to give up a plane seat to a rude pregnant woman.

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    Comment discussing seat refusal on plane, highlighting personal choice and autonomy.

    A comment on a forum about refusing to give up a plane seat for a pregnant woman.

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    Text comment discussing a situation involving a pregnant woman on a plane and seating arrangements.

    Comment discussing refusal to give up airplane seat, mentions rudeness.

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    Text discussing seat refusal on a plane, addressing rudeness and entitlement, and supporting a partner's anxiety needs.

    Text screenshot discussing pregnancy effects and seat refusal on a plane.

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    Reddit comment about refusing to give up a plane seat for a pregnant woman.

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    Comment on plane seating refusal for a rude pregnant woman.

    Reddit comment about booking plane seats together, related to refusing seat for a pregnant woman.

    Reddit comment discussing refusing a seat change for a pregnant woman on a plane.

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    Reddit comment discussing a refusal to give up a plane seat to a rude pregnant woman.

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    Others, however, agreed with his fiancé: “YTA in this instance for that insult at the end

    Reddit comments about a plane seat incident involving a pregnant woman, mentioning fear of flying.

    Reddit comments discussing refusal to give up plane seat for a rude pregnant woman, with varying opinions.

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    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hi there, fellow pandas! As a person (over)educated both in social sciences and literature, I'm most interested in how we connect and behave online (and sometimes in real life too.) The human experience is weird, so I try my best to put its peculiarities in writing. As a person who grew up chronically online, I now try to marry two sides of myself: the one who knows too much about MySpace, and the one who can't settle and needs to see every corner of the world.

    Read less »
    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Hi there, fellow pandas! As a person (over)educated both in social sciences and literature, I'm most interested in how we connect and behave online (and sometimes in real life too.) The human experience is weird, so I try my best to put its peculiarities in writing. As a person who grew up chronically online, I now try to marry two sides of myself: the one who knows too much about MySpace, and the one who can't settle and needs to see every corner of the world.

    What do you think ?
    Trillian
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The whole back story is not needed. It's your seat, you sit in it. Even when you are pregnant you should be able to sit for yourself for the duration of a flight, or if you can't you need to pay for seat selection.

    Mark Childers
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I hate flying, but not to that degree. It makes me incredibly anxious after I experienced some unrelated trauma. I think it was the whole control thing. I can understand forcing yourself to fly because the occasion is important, and people are relying on them. Sometimes, regardless, you have to suck it up and do everything in your power to be part of the event. It helps to have someone you trust with you.

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    Offbeat Quinoa
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    BP really, really likes using AITA stories about seat swapping on planes 😂 there must be hundreds of them on this website by now

    Load More Comments
    Trillian
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The whole back story is not needed. It's your seat, you sit in it. Even when you are pregnant you should be able to sit for yourself for the duration of a flight, or if you can't you need to pay for seat selection.

    Mark Childers
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I hate flying, but not to that degree. It makes me incredibly anxious after I experienced some unrelated trauma. I think it was the whole control thing. I can understand forcing yourself to fly because the occasion is important, and people are relying on them. Sometimes, regardless, you have to suck it up and do everything in your power to be part of the event. It helps to have someone you trust with you.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    Offbeat Quinoa
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    BP really, really likes using AITA stories about seat swapping on planes 😂 there must be hundreds of them on this website by now

    Load More Comments
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