NationStates

I... have no words for that. For those not wanting to read the whole thing (although it's fairly short), a British artist named Laila Laurel created gendered chairs with the purpose to stop manspreading as part of her final-year graduation project, and briefly after a design organization awarded her creation with the Belmond Award. This is how they look like...

Now, as even the proper artist denotes, I hope that's not to be taken seriously by anyone, although it does make me wonder about whether 'manspreading' can be even considered relevant -- and, if so, if any legal action (cf. NYPD) should be taken. My two cents on the matter are that men spreading their legs reasonably is not only natural as well as it should be encouraged: testicles tend to hang out of the body for the purpose of cooling as they work optimally below the natural body temperature, and squeezing their space (sitting tightly or crossing legs too often) not only is oftentimes a painful experience, as well as it can go to the extent of stunting the effectiveness of testosterone production, as well as decreased fertility and worse semen quality. Now, the unfortunate issue is that public transport is usually crowded, so even 'normal spreading' (say, occupying the space of 1.5 person) might seem exaggerated -- making men subject to criticism by women, even though their gonadal health depends on it.

What do you think though, NSG? Is manspreading unacceptable at any degree, is it okay for men to spread their legs or should it be further incentivized to guarantee higher hormonal and fertile performance?

Screw this stupid chair. I prefer not sit on my balls or have them smothered by my thighs. The boys gotta have some room so yes, I will spread a little.

Jesus, the things people are concerned with these days.

Scomagia wrote:Screw this stupid chair. I prefer not sit on my balls or have them smothered by my thighs. The boys gotta have some room so yes, I will spread a little.

Jesus, the things people are concerned with these days.

And the major issue imo is that this is an actual necessity: men need to spread their legs in order to assure their testes are cooled off, ensuring healthy hormonal production and better sperm. The latter isn't something that you can just "shrug it off" either, as the sperm production cycle lasts nearly three months, and fucking up just for a while ends up stunting its quality for a long time.

Great Minarchistan wrote:

Scomagia wrote:Screw this stupid chair. I prefer not sit on my balls or have them smothered by my thighs. The boys gotta have some room so yes, I will spread a little.

Jesus, the things people are concerned with these days.

And the major issue imo is that this is an actual necessity: men need to spread their legs in order to assure their testes are cooled off, ensuring healthy hormonal production and better sperm. The latter isn't something that you can just "shrug it off" either, as the sperm production cycle lasts nearly three months, and fucking up just for a while ends up stunting its quality for a long time.

I didn't know that it mattered quite that much. Welp, given that Mrs. Scomagia and I are trying for a baby, I'll definitely be mindful to keep spreading....

I’d go for a conservative approach. Yes, men need to spread their legs, testicles and all. Just don’t spread them to the point that you’d put a daddy longlegs to shame.

Scomagia wrote:

Great Minarchistan wrote:And the major issue imo is that this is an actual necessity: men need to spread their legs in order to assure their testes are cooled off, ensuring healthy hormonal production and better sperm. The latter isn't something that you can just "shrug it off" either, as the sperm production cycle lasts nearly three months, and fucking up just for a while ends up stunting its quality for a long time.

I didn't know that it mattered quite that much. Welp, given that Mrs. Scomagia and I are trying for a baby, I'll definitely be mindful to keep spreading....

The general rule is to avoid heated testes, so it's not healthy to take too hot showers and the like too

So, basically... WTF
Men need to have room there. Simple as that.

.....

Yeah, I'm done with clown world for the night.

its like some people just don't understand basic male biology.

Catsfern wrote:its like some people just don't understand basic male biology.

Because they don't.

Thats not only completly absurd its also an attempt to restrain and atrophy masculinity. Whats concerning isn't that silly chair but rather the spirit behind this.

Unless this is some form of joke (and to be fair thats what i use to take always when something like that comes up) but I am afraid some people might be very serious about it.

That's ridiculous. I don't think this is serious, though.

This idea is dumb and this is just appealing to the progressive feminist ideology. We need the extra space because we don't like our junk scrunched up as it gets uncomfortable.

Geneviev wrote:That's ridiculous. I don't think this is serious, though.

I hope not.

Nakena wrote:Thats not only completly absurd its also an attempt to restrain and atrophy masculinity. Whats concerning isn't that silly chair but rather the spirit behind this.

Unless this is some form of joke (and to be fair thats what i use to take always when something like that comes up) but I am afraid some people might be very serious about it.

Madrid has already banned it on public transport, and the NYPD has already come to the extent of arresting men that were practicing manspreading on the subway. It's sadly getting that bad, yes.

"Manspreading" is in my experience a nonsense. I often commute to and from work and I've found that women are at least as likely to take up excessive amounts of space, particularly by using the seats either side of them as storage space for their shopping bags rather than putting them on the floor (and then developing that peculiar type of self-entitled blindness where all the people around them who are having to stand up fade from view).

Yeah, occasionally men take up 1.25 seats by stretching their legs out. Maybe this reflects a biological/physical need for them. I don't know enough to comment, though it strikes me as very plausible thinking back and using my...uh, unusual insights from both sides of that fence. But whatever, public transport space-hogging is definitely not a male only thing, and to selectively pick one element and turn it into a talking point about bad man invasors of womyn space? It's pure ideology, radfem wank that's been given far too much popular attention by supposedly serious commentators.

Chernoslavia wrote:

Geneviev wrote:That's ridiculous. I don't think this is serious, though.

I hope not.

It seems too ridiculous that the person who made this was serious.

Great Minarchistan wrote:

Scomagia wrote:I didn't know that it mattered quite that much. Welp, given that Mrs. Scomagia and I are trying for a baby, I'll definitely be mindful to keep spreading....

The general rule is to avoid heated testes, so it's not healthy to take too hot showers and the like too

But I like hot showers.

Bummer.

Geneviev wrote:

Chernoslavia wrote:
I hope not.

It seems too ridiculous that the person who made this was serious.

Yeah, freebleeding was ridiculous too. Until it got taken seriously.

It is totally unacceptable to touch a woman or sit next to her if she isn't family or spouse, I can understand the concern.

Scomagia wrote:

Great Minarchistan wrote:The general rule is to avoid heated testes, so it's not healthy to take too hot showers and the like too

But I like hot showers.

Bummer.

Think of the children!

Al Mumtahanah wrote:It is totally unacceptable to touch a woman or sit next to her if she isn't family or spouse, I can understand the concern.

Oh fuck that noise. Hard.

Great Minarchistan wrote:

Scomagia wrote:But I like hot showers.

Bummer.

Think of the children!

Goddamn it!

Looks like I'm stuck taking mild showers.

Al Mumtahanah wrote:It is totally unacceptable to touch a woman or sit next to her if she isn't family or spouse, I can understand the concern.

I think a simple knee to knee contact in a small space can be excused...

Scomagia wrote:

Geneviev wrote:It seems too ridiculous that the person who made this was serious.

Yeah, freebleeding was ridiculous too. Until it got taken seriously.

I never heard of that before.

Al Mumtahanah wrote:It is totally unacceptable to touch a woman or sit next to her if she isn't family or spouse, I can understand the concern.

That's a little extreme.