On umbrella etiquette
Ok, so it’s a rainy (hail’y, actually) day here in NYC and I braved the streets. Now that I’m blogging I’d like to vent a little bit about people and their umbrellas. Apparently when 99% of people on crowded sidewalks open up their umbrellas they feel much like they’ve stepped into their own personal tank. And while it may not be an explicit goal, collateral damage is certainly nothing they shy away from.
If you are in a crowded space and having an umbrella - just be aware of people. Behave as though you are carrying an apparatus with pointy metal protrusions at eye level in a 360 degree radius around you. Notice that the people diving out of your way are not just practicing their acrobatics, they’re moving the eyes away from your pointy apparatus. They’re moving their clothes away from the soaking wet shield you just tried to dry off on them. The onus is on you to move your umbrella not them for moving their bodies out of your way. Seriously.
