Q&A with Bob Levey
Bob Levey
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, December 12, 2003; Noon ET
"Levey Live: Speaking Freely," hosted by Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, appears every other Friday. It is a live, open-agenda discussion offering washingtonpost.com users around the world the opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics of their choice with Bob or his guest.
Fearless Bob takes your questions about virtually everything, from sports and politics (there's a difference?) to world events, Metro area traffic and issues raised in Bob's columns.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Bob Levey: Good afternoon, folks, and thanks for hopping aboard that smooth-running machine called "Levey Live: Speaking Freely." For the next 60 minutes, the floor is yours. Anything is fair game--especially including recent columns and my recent announcement that I'm retiring (yes, Virginia, it's true) in a little more than a month. Let's get cooking....
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Tampa, Fla.:
Being this is the 1st OPEN Levey Live, you have had since you dropped the bombshell that you were taking off to what hopefully be greener pastures, I just wanted to take the time to say "Thank You", for everything you have done for the DC community, and doing what you can, to make the DC life more rewarding for its area residents.
When I Lived in the DC area, I had just gotten out of the NAVY in late 1980. And had spent time as a DC based Taxi driver/dispatcher/Taxi Driver Trainer, and for a while, even drove a transit bus, for one of the area buses. Heck, you've even ridden my bus a time or two. (I wont say where from, or where to, to protect your privacy).
I am one person who ALWAYS, even when in the DC metro region, no matter what was going on elsewhere in the world, would ALWAYS start reading THE POST, with a dose of Bob Levey.
What I wanted to ask, is ...
Who will take over your, or I mean, who will be the next person to occupy what is considered your space in the comics page?
Also, whats the skinny on the book you are trying to get published?
And when you leave The POST, you aren't gonna just vanish into the obscurity that surronds the DC area?
Best of luck, in your future endeavors, whatever they may be.
Bob Levey: You're so great, Tampa, and I'll miss the likes of you more than I can possibly express.
Let me tackle your questions oen by one:
1) Someone will take over my column and my space. I don't know who and I don't know exactly when. But the job has been advertised for two weeks and the bidding closes today.
2) The book I've been trying to get published (a novel about the news biz) is still trying to get published. In English: No takers so far.
3) I don't do obscurity. I'm spending all sorts of hours looking into new careers. Don't worry. You'll be hearing from/about me.
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Take The Money And Run!:
So, Robare, where are you going with the "luscious" buyout cash from the Post? Fiji? Bora Bora? Or are you going to buy a yacht or racehorse?
Bob Levey: It'll be "luscious" only if I get a new job--which I'm trying to do. Otherwise, what I'll do with it is what I always do with money--pay the mortgage, pay the credit card bill, sigh a few times, pay some more bills, sigh some more.....
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Takoma Park, Md.:
Bob, you've said that as you leave the Post before the door hits you on the way out, you want to continue to work "in the world of ideas." What do you mean by that?
Bob Levey: Academia, writing books, working on community issues, raising money, maybe some combination.
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Long Beach, Calif.:
Any truth to the rumor that you are to become Freddie Adu's Man Friday and Media Rep? You'd be PERFECT for the job, by the way. At least consider a job with the UNITED team, as you've been such a great proponent of soccer. It's either that or the METRO, am I wrong?
Bob Levey: Freddy is my main man, and has been for ages. But no way he needs me any more.
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Kingstowne, Va.:
Bob, I can't believe your taking the easy way out. I remember reading where you said you would come into the Post every day until you couldn't type anymore. Can you please reassure us that you aren't disappearing forever?
Bob Levey: I am absolutely not disappearing, Kingstowne. For one thing, I'll be hacking columns for at least another month. For a second thing, I have no plans to leave my marvelous home town. This is where I live and where I want to live. You'll never find me picking up conches in Key Largo. For a third thing, I may type somewhere else. Negotiations are underway. Stay tuned.
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Greenbelt, Md.:
How are we gonna hear from you in the future? Clearly radio producers are not tripping over each other to get to your door. Can we look for a new Bob Levey's Washington, in the Washington Times?
Bob Levey: I would say the chances of that are somewhere between zip and zip
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Washington, D.C.:
Happy Friday Bob,
I get a kick out of my local Express distributer who says "You can pay for someones opinion and commentary, out you can get facts for free right here!". Does not sound like a ringing endorsement for the POST. How do you regulars feel about the Express?
Bob Levey: Well, he isn't necessarily referring to The Post when he says that, is he? Still, it's a lame sales pitch.
As for The Express in general, my mouth hangs so far open that speech fails me.
It is pitiable. It is insulting. I can't see any reason why a sentient young reader would go within 100 yards of it. Here we sit, in a city where well-educated young people have come for centuries because they care about serious issues. And The Express gives them four inches a day on Iraq?
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Arlington, Va.:
So, you're really doing it? Good for you! I've been reading you since I was in college in the mid-1980s and while I haven't always agreed with everything you've written, I've always appreciated your candor and honesty and ability to write about just about anything.
Good luck in your life after retirement and if you're like my parents, you'll find you have no time to rest!
Bob Levey: Thanks so much!
Let me clarify it one more time: This is "retirement" only because that's what I had to call it when I signed the papers.
I hope and plan to end my career at The Post on a Friday and pick it up somewhere else the following Monday. I'm 58 years old. I had always planned to work until 70 (at least). I have one-fourth of career ahead of me. Give me a cup of coffee and watch me go!
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Breezewood, Pa.:
Dear Bob,
Your warmth, compassion and wit make you the Post's brightest star, as far as I am concerned. I doubt anyone will be able to fill your space in the Post. They should just retire Levey's Corner for good and leave it a blank space.
We'll miss you online too. Your quick typing fingers and your willingness to express your opinions make your online chats the best. Wishing you all good things.
Bob Levey: You're just great, Breezewood. Thanks so much!
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Arlington, Va.:
Hi Bob. I love your column, but I hate Metro. Today is the last day I will ever step foot on a MetroBus or MetroTrain. I'm just fed up with what should be a 30-minute commute from near the Balston stop in Virginia to Farragut West turning into a 90-minute ride. First, there are the busses which run anywhere from 5 minutes early to 45 minutes late. Today there was a suspicious box in the Stadium-Armory stop, so the entire Orange line (an much of the Blue line) came to a halt. I find it hard to believe that they couldn't have dropped people off at Metro Center (a safe distance from Stadium-Armory). Short of that, how about telling the riders BEFORE they enter the station that there are serious delays. My guess is that they don't want to lose the morning fares. Not only that, but they were telling WTOP that the problem was an isolated one between Eastern Market and the Stadium stop and a shuttle would take people between the two. They didn't mention that the rest of the line was essentially shut down. The breakdowns and incidents are happening frequently, at least once a week. Count me as one more commuter polluting the air and clogging the streets; Metro has left me no choice.
Bob Levey: I really hope you'll reconsider, because this was an extraordinary day. What will you say the first time you are delayed on the roads?
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Annandale, Va.:
Robare, not to be alarmist here, but what if you can't find work? You know firsthand (unfortunately) what a brutal market this is for ink-stained wretches. Where do you expect to wind up?
Bob Levey: I have many, many balls in the air, but none have landed yet. I'm acutely aware that I may not land a job right away. But one glass-half-full way of looking at that is that I can be patient until the right fit comes along.
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Washington, D.C.:
From your picture on the Web site, you look tanned, rested and ready ... to be the next mayor of our great city! Do it, Bob!
Bob Levey: I'd have to wear a bow tie. I haven't done that since my Mom made me wear one at the age of 8.
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The World Of Ideas:
Hmm ... is this code for perhaps a speechwriting gig in The Dean White House? (Please say yes!)
Bob Levey: You're a dreamer--perhaps in two ways
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Arlington, Va.:
Any word on what happened to Marc Fisher? He's missed his last two discussions. I was worried the the Post has decided to abandon the free-for-all themed discussion altogether.
Bob Levey: Don't worry about a dump of free-for-alls. It won't happen, and hasn't.
I'm not sure what's with Marc. I do know he's laboring to finish his big radio book. That may account for his absence.
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Washington, D.C.:
Bob, Did you see the debates on Tuesday?
I tuned into the debates on Tuesday night hoping to hear the candidates opinions on the crucial issues. What I got was an complete ego trip by Ted Koppel. He seemed more concered with candidates opinion of each other and attemted to embarass the candidates he deemed unworthy of being there. Koppel seems to have lost his way as a journalist.
Bob Levey: Koppel certainly understands how to produce buzz about Koppel. But hasn't it already been superceded by the real issues in the campaign? Sure looks that way to me.
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Arlington, Va.:
Best wishes as you enter the next phase in your career. You will be missed.
When will we begin to hear word of others at the Post who have accepted the buyout offer? Will an official announcement be made, or is it up to each individual to share the news?
Bob Levey: I doubt that an official announcement will be made, although I suppose that's possible. I suspect that word will trickle around. In the case of columnists and famed beat reporters, you'll know the news when you don't see the column or the byline any more!
Thanks so much for the kind wishes and words.
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Laurel, Md.:
So How did the bridge tournament go?
Bob Levey: This referes to my recent trip to New Orleans, where I took part in the North American Bridge Championships.
We missed qualifying for the finals of the Life Masters Pairs by cruel fate. Bob Levey bid a slam that required a finesse to work. It failed. If it had worked (a straight 50 percent shot) we would have qualified easily.
We played the next day in a standard pairs event and finished sixth. So there's some life in the old dog yet.
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Washingotn, D.C.:
Who else took the buy out package? You are the only one I have heard about so far, but I may be living under a rock.
Bob Levey: I don't feel comfortable "outing" others. It's their business. But take it from me--many, many familiar folks will no longer be here as of Jan. 1
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Alexandria, Va.:
What made you finally decide to accept the severance package?
Bob Levey: This is so, so complicated, and so, so much a matter of my personal situation.
The short answer: The package was irresistible. It gives me a very large hunk of cash, my full pension starting right away (at age 58) and it gradfathers me, my wife and our son in the health care plan. Plus more. The question wasn't whether I should take it. The question was whether I could come up with a reason not to take it.
The long answer: This was a passport to taking a swing at something else. I had never seriously entertained this possibility. But once it became possible to leave The Post with a fluffy cushion underneath me--and security for my family--I began to wonder what else might be out there.
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Sprawl, Va.:
Bob,
Instead of spending four billion dollars to extend the Metro out to Dulles, which by the way has its own toll road that is perfect for buses, how about looking into extending Metro to BWI. BWI is an under utilized airport sitting adjacent to a railroad right-of-way. This might even slow down the HOV state’s scorched-earth real estate development west of the beltway.
Bob Levey: Metrobus already goes to BWI--and to judge from Lyndsey Layton's superb story on the Metro front this morning, Maryland believes that bus is the answer to all traffic woes.
I don't.
I'd love to see Metrorail go to BWI. I suspect our greatgrandchildren may have the privilege. I suspect you and I never will.
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Arlington, Va.:
Even though you are leaving, is there any chance the Post could contract with you to keep these discussions alive?
Bob Levey: I hope, want and plan to do that. Negotiations are underway with all relevant cheeses at washingtonpost.com
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North Carolina:
Hi Bob,
As part of your "early retirement" agreement, do you get to tell us where you're going in 1 of your columns? I hope so; otherwise, it could be tough for us out-of-towners to find out where you land.
Best of luck to you!
Bob Levey: My finale--actually, I may write two or even three finales--will contain all that info.
Plus, through the miracle of modern science, I've already arranged to have all my Postie e-mail forwarded to my home e-mail account starting Jan. 24. So you won't be able to lose me even if you try.
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Washington, D.C.:
You will have much more time now to head to the local cineplex and catch up on all those movies you've missed!
Good luck.
Bob Levey: Somehow, I don't expect this to happen. More bridge, yes. More biking, for sure. More movies? Ehhhhhh.
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Washington, D.C.:
Bob - God Lord! I can't believe you are leaving - you are a DC treasure. Hope you can settle a Metro dispute for me. I ride the Orange line, my friend rides the Blue. I think there are 1.5 orange trains to each blue, and the blues are rarely full. She says there are three oranges for every blue and the oranges are rarely full. What do you think? Best of luck to you.
Bob Levey: I believe it's two orange to one blue, although I'm not sure--and I'm not sure that holds throughout the day. I believe they tweak this ratio during rush hours, although I'm not sure which way.
Since when are the oranges never full? You need to answer my phone for a week. I hear endlessly from orange commuters who try to board at Dunn Loring and West Falls Church and can't get a seat--at 7:15 in the morning!
Of course, this boils to a discussion about eight-car vs. six-car trains. Give us cars 7 and 8, and everything in orange-land will be hunky-dory--for at least six months!
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For your retirement::
Try out to be a contestant on Jeopardy. I think you are one of the smartest, most aware columnists in the entire Post. With you gone, I don't even know if I will keep my subscription. Depends on who else is leaving. I don't feel I should pay my good money for the 'B' team.
Bob Levey: Y' know, that's not a bad idea. I hear their money is green! Thanks. And thank you for the sweet words.
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Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.:
Bob,
Sorry to hear your leaving, your column has always been a favorite of mine. I wanted to ask, what advice you would have for young writers who want to follow in your footsteps? I've been out of college for a few years, and been only able to obtain secretarial positions and am getting very discouraged. Any advice from a pro?
Bob Levey: Write, write, write, all the time. Doesn't matter for whom. Doesn't matter whether you get paid (although it would be nice if you did, I realize). Above all, believe in yourself. It's just like practicing medicine: the more you do it, the better you'll get.
Also, get serious, early editing. No one can evaluate his own weaknesses effectively. Listen to constructive criticism.
Then be sure you're reading--daytime, night-time, every time. To hear the ebb and flow of sentences is to make you better at creating them.
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Washington, D.C.:
I will most defnitely miss you when you leave the post. I have really enjoyed reading your column and joining in on the online discussions.
I look forward your new career!
Bob Levey: Thank you!
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Fairfax, Va.:
Bob,
I live in a condo in Fairfax County. There aren't any sprinklers. I just purchased two formerly live Xmas trees. One 16 foot tall and one 12 ft tall. I live in the penthouse.
The folks at the tree lot did not ask any questions. There are few tree lots who stock trees this tall. So Mr Fairfax County Fire Marshall I am calling you out! Come cite me or arrest me. I dare you. See you in court!!!
Bob Levey: Macho at work in deepest, darkest Fairfax!
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Del Ray, Va.:
One week ago today, as our community was struggling to grasp the reality of the death of our friend and neighbor Nancy Dunning, we turned to local TV news for information. As I watched the Fox5 reporter question a police spokesman, I was stunned to hear her first question -- "Was the sheriff a suspect?" At this point on Friday no one knew even a cause of death, there were no suspects and very little information. All we knew was that the body had been discovered by her husband Jim, Alexandria's sheriff, and their son Chris. What possible reason could this reporter have to ask that question at that time? This is the "Do you still beat your wife? Have you stopped lying?" type of question. It does not gather information, it merely injects a whiff of scandal which is not dispelled by a negative response. Journalists have a legitimate responsibility to seek the truth and broadcast the facts, but all too often they seem to seek the ugliest rumor and broadcast their guesses, with the apporpriate number of "so-called, allegedly, unconfirmed, unnamed sources", etc. I have known the Dunning family since 1990. Nancy was a lovely person, well known and well liked by all. Jim is a good and honorable man. His performance as sheriff over almost 20 years in office has resulted in a series of unopposed elections. Had I been present when that question was asked, I would probably have smacked that reporter into next week.
Bob Levey: Smacking that reporter into next week would not have solved a thing. I'd be interested in knowing what the response to the question was--or whether there WAS a response.
I agree with you that the question was totally out of bounds. The key is to let the reporter know that such an approach ain't going to cut it, in the best possible way: By not responding, by making him return to his office without the answer he sought. The idea is that, next time, he'll learn his lesson.
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20008land:
Do you honestly expect anyone to be able to replace you as the official and unquestioned arbiter of Washingtonian culture?
Bob Levey: I'm going to assume you're not tweaking me and say----
Sure I do.
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Poolesville, Md.:
No question. Just needed a quick way to comunicate about 12-9's column.
The lady at USPS should NOT wear rubber gloves day in and day out to protect herself from germs. This can lead to a rubber or latex allergy/ sensitivity which can have far more serious implications. A better choice of gloves would be vinyl,best would be cotton.She should also keep alcohol hand cleaner close by to use often. Another option is to have those old fashioned small dishes that contain a moist sponge handy with a sign that directs people to use. In this day of emerging illnesses and a terrible flu season, she can help educate the public in her own way.
Bob Levey: Correction accepted. Thanks
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Arlington, Va.:
My wife is an immigrant with limited English skills. Until recently she depended on Internet sites in her native language to keep up with the news. Now she can read Express. As her language improves, my hunch is that she will be a loyal Post reader. And if you were familiar with the area's demographics, you would know that there are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands just like her.
Bob Levey: I'm very familiar with the demographics of the area, and I hope you're correct that your wife will "move" from The Express to The Post. But there's no real reason she should. They are totally different products, aimed at totally different markets. The Express is aimed at young readers who are fluent in English and who don't have the daily newspaper habit--period. It isn't aimed at people like your wife.
Worst of all, there is no "bridge" inside The Express that steers people to The Post. At the very least, you'd think some editor would stick a line at the end of a four-inch story that says, "For more information, see The Post or washingtonpost.com." Apparently, that's too much heavy lifting for the cheeses at Express.
If your wife eventually "graduates" to The Post, it'll be because she chooses to, not because we made it easy for her.
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Arlington, Va.:
Isn't it sad that one nut can call in a threat and bring the whole city to its knees? If one bomb threat can create so much havoc on Metro what happens if there's ever a large scale attack or event? Isn't this one more example of how woefully unprepared we are to deal with emergencies?
Bob Levey: I'm afraid the answer is clearly yes
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Metro to BWI:
Why extend Metro to BWI when MARC already runs there for $5.00 each way?
Bob Levey: MARC runs about 12 times a day. Metro would run about 50 times a day--for less than $5.
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Berryville, Va.:
Bob,
For as long as I can remember, yours is the only column I feel I cannot get through the workday without reading first thing in the morning. You will be sorely missed.
Good luck!
Bob Levey: Kisses!
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The District Line:
I didn't think anyone could replace Bill Gold -- and in the same vein, I don't think anyone can replace you either. (That's intended as a compliment, of course.) Best Wishes!
Bob Levey: More kisses!
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Greenbelt, Md.:
Whatever happened to "The Clarry"? Please don't tell us it's still on the desks of the top six puublishers in New York. That's tantamount to slow rejection, and unfair to you and your agent.
Bob Levey: "The Clarry" is my novel about the news biz, which I wrote in 2002 and sent off to my book agent with high hopes.
It's now doing the rounds among a fourth crop of NYC editors. The others have liked it--but not enough to bite.
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Dallas, Tex.:
Bob,
I have no idea why I read you, or why I'll miss you.
But I do, and I will.
Tuning (clicking) in from Texas, your column has little practical to offer me, as it deals mainly with D.C. culture and some wondrous miracle called Metro.
But I find that, over the last few years of reading, I've become accustomed to your typeface.
Know that your fanbase extends far beyond the Beltway, and that we all wish you the best. And please, once you drop anchor elsewhere, be sure to send up a link.
Bob Levey: You got it, as we say up here in the frozen north
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Washington, D.C.:
A question for the producers of the online chats!!
Is it possible to create an archive search for the discussions, rather than just links to archived chats?
It would be great and would most likely reduce repetitive questions if people could easily search,say the home front discussions for "persian rugs", rather than having to open each week's discussion and search fro mthere and have to repeat each search by opening again and again the archived discussions?
This also would help tremendously with the other topics such as Sietsema. We could simply plug in "Jaleo" and get all the discussions that mentions Jaleo, or search for "hamburger" and get all mentions of it in previous chats!
I know this would give Sietsema and other regular hosts tremendous relief from answering the same question and allow them time to answer original questions.
How about some help friends???!!!
Bob Levey: I post this to see if the chat-meisters would care to respond. Heaven knows I a) lack the technical expertise to even take a whack at thisand b) lack the appropriate stripes on my arm
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Bridge from The Express:
I read The Express occasionally when I forget to bring a book on my morning commute. Just about every time I've read it, there has been some sort of ad for upcoming stories in the Sunday Post. Bob, have you even read The Express???
Bob Levey: Sure. But let's be clear. I wasn't talking about house ads that promote something in the Sunday Post three days from now. I was talking about a "refer" at the bottom of a short piece on, say, rutabagas that steers you to more info in that day's Post. In other words, an effort to make you migrate toward the mother ship, where we can charge you!
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Springfield, Va.:
Bob, I have British pounds and Maltese lira -- all bills, no coins --that I would like to contribute to the Childrens Hospital campaign. But the instructions say these must be delivered in person to the Washington Post. I live and work in NoVA and just don't have time to travel to the Post to deliver these to you. Any options? Can't I put them in an envelope and mail to the general address we've been given for checks?
Bob Levey: No, because they might not reach me. We are still under full "anthrax alert" here for suspicious mail. If your package has lumps, I'll never get it. It'll be quarantined. If you can figure a way to mail it in a box with standard corners and no lumps, it might work. But no guarantees.
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Wash DC 20001:
Metro should most definately alert people when coming into the station that there are delays so that people can make alternative plans. Metro needs to wake up and understand that people have to work for a living and if they can't get to work on time, many people risk consequences from their employer!
Bob Levey: This is an oldie: If Metro kiosk attendants were truly interested in serving people, they'd come out of those kiosks THE SECOND there's a disruption in service to tell people so. Many is the time I would have welcomed such news so I could go back to the surface and choose a bus, a cab or my feet
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Somewhere under K Street:
Can I have your job?
Bob Levey: Not until you stop sleeping under pavement
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Derwood, Md.:
Bob -
You're a guy who is going to be coming into some early retirment money soon. You're also a big fan of Metro.
Why not offer some of your petty change to cover the expansion to Dulles?
Bob Levey: If the buyout were that good, I'd consider it. Alas, I need it for groceries.
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Northwest, Washington, D.C.:
Bob, EVERY day this week I have been delayed on Metro. What the heck is going on? I'm a single guy with relatively little responsibility, but being delayed can be a significant issue for my friends with children. They have to get their act together. Also, this morning I sat on a train at metro center for 10-15 mins -- and our driver never said a word to indicate what was going on. In the future, what info would I need to make a report to Metro officials?
Bob Levey: This is another olide: EXTREMELY poor communication between drivers and trapped passengers. This would be so easy to fix, forever, it would seem. But it's very hard to make individual drivers execute complicated announcements.
So why make them try?
Another oldie: Bob Levey's ancient idea to make all announcements canned, or piped in from central control. We wouldn't need to rely on the good will (or language skills, if any) of a driver. We'd get a professional voice imparting info in a professional way.
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Levey for President!:
Now that you have the time...
You'd be better than ANY of the candidates, including the current occupant!
Bob Levey: You just like my gray hair better than you like Wesley Clark's....
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Laurel, Md.:
Any possibility of returning to talk radio?
Bob Levey: I'd sure love that. I wish I could say it's likely, even possible. No encouraging signs yet.
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Somewhere under K Street:
Nope. I just work down here. I sleep above ground in the land of smoke-free eating.
Can I have your job?
Bob Levey: Well, you obviously have enough wit. Can you hack 240 col-yumes a year, and do it when your teeth are bothering you, when your horse finished second and when your mother-in-law just spent five minutes bitching to you on the phone about how you don't take life seriously enough?
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Burke, Va.:
Bob, if DuPont circle wants to be taken seriously as a writer, should he/she work on spelling/grammar? I counted at least four errors in one little post.
Bob Levey: Amen.
But sauce for the goose.....
It's "Dupont Circle."
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I feel jilted!:
Here you lose all the weight, get svelte and tanned, and you;re off to better pastures, leaving us behind without dreams! We want half the severance pakcage! Seriously, good luck with all that, Fridays will never be the same.
As for the Express. I read it. I confess. Why? My metro commute is only 15 minutes, I don't have time to read the entire Post. When I do (Weekends) I buy it, but during the week, it's simply adding tons of paper to the recycling pile, without ever being used. I get the rest of my news online, including your work, of course (which is easier to read surepticiously at my desk than a broadsheet)
Thanks again for so many years
Bob Levey: Thanks for this insight. But let me point out one thing. If you read The Post on the subway--as do I, as do thousands--and you drop the paper in that brown rack as you leave the system, the paper is re-used by.....
The Washington Post.
So yoy're not contributing to the desecration of the planet by choosing the fatter, fuller Post. All the paper is used, used, used again.
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Washington, D.C.:
Hi Bob,
Maybe one of your next jobs could be as a consultant to Metro so they would actually LISTEN when their CUSTOMERS suggest improvements!
Bob Levey: They could listen to their customers without my telling them to do. Heck, I HAVE been telling them to do so--across 23 years and more than 5,400 columns!
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Washington, D.C.:
I'm starting my 9th month of pregnancy, and am, needless to say, showing pretty obviously. On the metro the other morning, no one offered me their seat, even the two people who pushed pass me to get to the remaining open seats, even the people who made eye contact with me (one of which was sitting in the seats reserved for people with special needs and studiously reading a bible). After a couple stops, a woman who had three pieces of luggage with her walked halfway down the car to offer me her seat. I was so grateful I could only mutter my thank-you, but what I meant was, "Thank you so much, kind lady, for giving me your seat and keeping me from bursting into tears in public. You're my hero." I hope she reads this.
Now for my question: In the months that I've been unmistakably pregnant and taking the metro twice a day every work day, I've noticed that women are much more likely to give up their seats, and that men in suits will almost never let a pregnant lady sit down. (This has happened to me a grand total of once, and it was only after a woman sitting next to him on the inside of the car offered me her seat, meaning we'd both have to crawl over him.) Why do you think this is?
Bob Levey: I wish I could explain the memebrs of my sex. I can't.
I've written about this problem often. I'm afraid you're just going to have to resign yourself to ASKING for a seat. As much as it may go against the grain.
Thanks for the chat, gang.
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