T etiquette question: How do you get door-blocking dumbasses to move?

Unfortunately, V in the case of the T is, to use a technical term, pathetic.

Force = mass x acceleration

momentum = mass x velocity

But i hearken back to my Red Rover days. While saying "excuse me!" as cheerfully as i can.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QWQVm9J5DM[/youtube]

Throw dem 'bows.

Americans, everywhere, are assholes.
In cars and they are aggressive assholes.
On the T they are oblivious assholes.

Unless you lead with the shoulder to start with.

My preferred move would be to say “excuse me,” wait 2 to 3 seconds, then lead with the shoulder.

And this is different from the example you cite. There was a good reason why the woman was crossing the street. There is no good reason to stand at the door to a subway car, with shoulders parallel to the door, when the door is open and people are trying to exit and enter (and yes, this should be the order, but that’s another gripe for another day.)

Like all our mothers taught us, or should've taught us, treat others how you want to be treated. A lady with a seeing eye dog and a jerk blocking the door on the train are apples to oranges. If you choose to be disrespectful and uncourteous to your fellow passengers, there's no reason for them to show you any level of respect.

In this case, the two door blockers are being rude by blocking people from exiting and/or entering. They are the etiquette dolts.

Try passing through the hole when either one or both has ear buds in. Yes, you also baepp, will result to, as you say, "assault", to make your way through.

Look. Saying "excuse me, coming through" in a loud voice is their first warning. If they do not move, they get a body check. Simple as that.

(And, no, I would never beep at anyone walking in a crosswalk to get them to move faster.)

You're probably the same people I saw yesterday beeping impatiently at a woman with a seeing eye dog, just because she was taking a few extra seconds to cross the street in Longwood. Only in Boston.

I've stopped a driver from honking at someone with a seeing eye dog just prior to their hand hitting the wheel. Once they realized it was not a woman out walking her pet, they were glad I stopped them. The issue in my situation was two-fold: a) the streetlights weren't very bright at this intersection and 2) The woman waiting to cross needed to feel confident that cars had stopped prior to stepping of the curb. Thankfully we were definitively stopped.

OK, enough about me. :)

I'm amazed how many people think an etiquette issue should be resolved with assault.

I know that playing "who started it?" is a fool's errand, but deliberately positioning your body so as to physically block another person's path constitutes assault. And a person of normal intelligence understands that a subway door is a passageway that people want to use, so blocking it extends well beyond the territory of "clueless" and into "deliberate"

I'm amazed how many people think an etiquette issue should be resolved with assault.

I'm amazed that you can ride the T and think that this is some kind of theoretical "etiquette issue". Hint: if those people don't move and you don't move 'em, and you're standing where you started as the train pulls away.

You HAVE ridden the T, right? It couldn't be that you're just being preachy?

...for GOD'S sake, at least don't block me with your privates.

In any city that has a well used subway system. You think they don’t do these things in New York?

I appreciate people who make their way to the doors sooner than later--especially when a train car or bus is extremely crowded. The flip-side are the people who sit until the train/bus comes to a complete stop, then nearly knock over the people standing in front of them--as happened to me yesterday-- then start pushing through a thick crowd that assumes no one is getting off. By the time they get to the doors, the doors are just about to close. I'll concede that anyone that has trouble standing or walking on a moving train/bus should be considered, but 95% of the time that's not the case--people just assume that the doors are going to stay open as long--however long--it takes for them to want to get off the train/bus.

In one case, a few weeks ago on an Outbound D Line, it happened to a group 4-5 people and then they were shouting at the train operator to reopen the doors as if it was his/her fault. The thing is, the train wasn't even that crowded at that point so really, what took so long to get to the doors?!

Go to NYC and look at the island platform express-and-local shuffle that occurs hundreds of times a day, such as as between the (4) and (6) at 42 St-Grand Central--those people are ready to go once the trains pull in and they move!