I know we’ve covered this subject before, but it bears repeating, because it’s clear that folks just aren’t paying attention.
The other day, I was doing a professor a favor by returning one of those heavy, hard-to-steer TV carts to the place from whence it came. The class was in Cramer Hall and the TV place is in the basement of Smith Center. Normally, I take the stairs in Cramer, unless my asthma is acting up, because I am a healthy 25-year-old.
However, I had to wait 20 minutes because the elevators were full. Did they have people in wheelchairs or on crutches inside? No. They were perfectly healthy individuals, staring dumbly at me and another person with a TV cart.
This Monday, I had yet another rude elevator experience. Only this time it involved backpacks with wheels. I have had a rage simmering inside me about these “backpacks” for a long time. I honestly think that unless you have some sort of condition that requires you not carry things on your back, you should not use one of these.
Why do I hate the rolling backpack? It is yet another symbol of American laziness. I know backpacks can get heavy, but come on, it’s not like you’re running through PDX airport with several pieces of luggage. They simply allow the user to skip the step of going through the effort to lift the bag up and slip an arm or two through the straps.
Not only do I consider these bags an annoyance, but I also think they are dangerous. I can’t count the times I’ve been nearly tripped by someone dragging one along and suddenly stopping or changing direction, or just laying in the way (particularly on the MAX).
I digress. Monday I had yet another cart. I don’t mind running these errands for my professor. I got to the elevator and two women with rolling backpacks stared me down, as if God himself had ordained their position on the elevator above anyone with legitimate business, not to mention any elderly or disabled person.
The elevator finally arrived. As we all know, the Cramer elevators are SLOW. These women, who appeared to be the age of my mother (were she not life-impaired), crowded the entrance of the elevator and pushed their way on to the already full car. Did I mention we were on the second floor? Anyway, they elbowed the passengers to make room for their precious backpacks that, had they picked them up, would have saved a great deal of space.
Rude, rude, rude.
What do you do when you see a handicapped or elderly person needing to get on the elevator? Do you make room for them, or step off if need be? And to those of you with the rolling backpacks, I suggest getting help for your dependency and starting to lift weights if you’re concerned about how heavy your load is.
And maybe because I have to do this so often, get out of the way for the people rolling the TV carts around. They have places to go, too.
Shame on those of you who take the elevator up for one flight. Try the stairs. They don’t hurt.