Man sparks controversy after refusing to give up his seat for a pregnant woman: 'Entitled'

A man's refusal to give up his seat to a pregnant woman has ignited a fierce debate online, with some labelling the woman's actions as 'entitled.'

The incident unfolded when the American man attended his nephew's high school graduation and brought his own camping chair to the event to avoid standing for an extended period before the ceremony.

Sharing his story in a viral Reddit post, the man recounted how the pregnant woman politely asked if she could use his chair since she anticipated difficulty standing for the duration. However, citing his own health issues with "bad feet and knees," he refused to give up his seat.

"I wanted to sit up front so I camped out a bit in front of the entrance," the man explained in his post, saying he brought provisions to keep himself entertained and comfortable while waiting. Around 40 minutes before the school allowed entry, a pregnant woman, who had been let into the line, stood next to him.

Explaining his perspective to the group, he recounted, "She asked me within 5 minutes if she could have my chair as she was going to have trouble standing the whole time." He clarified that he declined her request due to his own need for the chair.

"She asked me again within 2 minutes and the answer was the same," he continued, "She got a little mad at me and said that she was going to be struggling the whole time and asked her partner to tell me."

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Despite the woman's repeated appeals, the man stood firm, suggesting alternatives such as waiting in their car or sitting on the ground. As the woman's partner joined the conversation, tension escalated between the parties involved.

"At this point the husband directly called me an a**hole but left me alone," he concluded.

So far, the post has garnered over 23,000 reactions and received comments from more than 3,400 Redditors.

Within the group, differing opinions emerged regarding the man's decision and the pregnant woman's situation. While many expressed sympathy for her, the majority concurred that she should have taken responsibility for arranging her own seating.

"She's not dying, she's pregnant. While I was extremely pregnant, I stood in longer lines for longer stretches of time," one person responded, with another adding "Need a chair? Bring a chair."

Acknowledging the man's perspective, another commenter noted: "You refused to give up the chair you brought because you needed it due to your own health conditions. I do feel for the woman, but she and her partner should have brought their own chairs and not assumed they were entitled to yours."

"Health condition or not, it’s his chair that he brought with him," someone else pointed out. "The entitlement some people have is just amazing to me."

"If she didn't have a ride home, would he be obligated to give her his car?" Another person joked.

Amidst the discussion, the group agreed asking for help is not inherently wrong, but the problem arises when someone refuses to accept 'no' as an answer.

"They asked politely, then didn't take 'no' for an answer and became abusive. This is a very dangerous line to take. No must mean no," one person warned.

Taking the conversation to a more general level, some group members expressed broader frustration, suggesting a perception of entitled behaviour among pregnant women in general.

"I am so tired of pregnant women thinking the world revolves around them just because they got knocked up," one person complained. Echoing a similar sentiment, another commenter stated: "The arrogance and audacity of a pregnant woman demanding someone else's seat just because she's pregnant is unfortunately not surprising."

Adding perspective, another group member stated: "You give a pregnant lady a seat on the bus or train because it's not her fault that she doesn't have a seat. However, in any other situation, it's entirely your fault if you didn't prepare for there to be a seat. You can't expect to take someone else's."

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