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Okay, maybe it’s because I’m not from the city, but it really pisses me off when people let doors slam in my face. You do not need to get anywhere so fast that you do not have time to look behind you and see if there is anyone coming along after you.
–Buck up SMU!!!
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2009.
24 Comments
Stop looking at your crackberry/feet/invisible friend and pay attention to me holding the door open for you.
I love standing there like an ass as you dodder towards the door, not even making eye connect.
There needs to be some sort of door-holding rules and etiquette if there isn’t already. In general, I hold the door for someone if they’re within either approximately 10 feet or three seconds of reaching the door. Anything outside of that I don’t feel like being patronizing or wasting my time, unless the subject happens to be an attractive female, at which point the distance and time naturally increases to 15 feet and five seconds, respectively.
qpmzwonxeibcruv – I agree wholeheartedly (except gender makes no difference, as I am not on the prowl). :).
I do the same, and most people just turtle on up like I have nothing better to do than hold the door. To those people who are pleasantly surpirsed and thank me, you’re welcome, just do the same for someone else…
I honestly don’t like when people hold the door for me when I’m 10 plus feet away. It makes me feel like I need to hurry up, even if I don’t feel like doing so. Not a huge deal, though 😛
My door holding rules are as follows:
Friends/Old People/Hot Females: hold it until they get there.
Kids: 15 feet
Teenagers: 10 feet
People who look like assholes: 5 feet
Someone who I’ve already held the door for who didn’t say “thank you”: 0.5 feet
Sometimes, if I think holding the door puts me in that awkward timeframe where if I don’t hold the door, it will slam in their face but if I do, it’s going to take too long for the person to get to the door, I just shove the door wide open after I pass through to give it a little extra closing time so it’s not completely shut by the time the other person gets to it. But usually I’m not in so much of a hurry that I can’t stop for 2 seconds to be polite and hold the door open. I’m a real bastard for holding elevator doors though…once they start closing, you missed your chance…sorry.
I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I actually agree with Never Wrong (except the hot females part – that makes no difference to me). 😉
Three (attractive) males held the door for me yesterday at SMU — like, they were on the inside going out and opened the door and held it until i went through and then went through themselves. Two even smiled and said hi.
And they say chivalry is dead! 😉
Too bad I’m too much of a social retard when it comes to the opposite sex to mutter anything but “thanks” and blow them off and then afterwards have that “d’oh” moment. Oh the perils of being shy 🙁
I don’t know what circles you travel in, but I find almost everyone holds open the doors here. Sometimes, like others have said, I find it a little awkward when someone 3 minutes away has the door open for me cause then I have to break out into a run.
And, it’s not like I find opening doors all that hard, but I do like the kindness/friendliness behind the action.
I also find it a little weird how men over 60 will “hold open” the elevator door in situations where the door would never have closed in the first place, but then I guess their intentions are also kind, so I say thank you.
I really hate when you do the ‘pull the door open and allow the following person to go through first’ routine and the person who follows just walks through without eye contact, on their devices, and/or makes the eye contact but says nothing nor smiles and then I end up stuck in a line after them to get whatever it was I came there for.
Of course, being behind them in such a line gives me the chance to let out loud sighs packed with heavy breathing every 8 seconds, right into the back of their heads.
PK: Chivalry is not dead, but it is an endangered species and women with a sense of entitlement have hunted it to near extinction. 😛
I always try and hold the door open, and yes the attractive ladies will get extra special preferential treatment 🙂 Or old people. I find though, a lot of times, people just don’t give a shit either way, won’t say thank you and just give a dumb cranky look instead – I will usually offer a sarcastic “You’re welcome” to those people, just as a little f-you to their ingratitude for me taking the five seconds out of my day to make life easier on someone… sorry!
But most people are gracious enough about it, and I think it’s like a karma thing. You get what you give, right?
Occasionally I get the feeling from some women though that they think by my action of holding the door for them that I am implying they aren’t capable of doing it themselves… how can such a friendly thing be warped into something like that? Who knows what goes on in some peoples minds!
I like it when a guy holds the door open for me, but it annoys me when a guy has a problem with me holding the door open for him.
good one ml…invisible friend…me thinks there be lots of those roaming the streets…but i digress hold the door open,say excuse me, thank you and take those fucking things out of your ears
HKM, my thoughts exactly. I’ve had a lot of older guys seem genuinely uncomfortable, as if I’m emasculating them by holding the door open for them.
I haven’t noticed this happening much at SMU. I know I always hold doors open for people when I can. I’ll hold the door open for you! lol
Wow, I agree with Never Wrong again… either I’m losing my sanity, or he’s *actually right* about the state of affairs in this particular case. 🙂 (She said with tongue in cheek).
When I went to the Mount (about a million years ago), I watched some psycho neo-nazi “feminist” bitch scream at a guy who opened the door for her when her hands were clearly full. So the guy slammed the door in her face making her drop her shit, and she lost it even MORE. And we women wonder why chivalry is all but dead…
Male or female, when someone does you a kindness, say “thank you” and pass it on. If you *expect* someone to do you a kindness, it no longer has meaning…
Miles I have pretty much the same etiquette as you, especially with the throwing the door open as far as possible move.
It’s funny that the OB mentioned SMU because I used to notice this happened a lot at the DAL library where there are all those small doors. So maybe it’s mostly rude university students.
I always say thank you for people who hold doors for me, although I am confused about the proper etiquette for when there are two sets of doors to a building ( like in Park Lane) and the same person holds both doors one after another for you, do you say thanks twice? Or is the first thank you enough?
If, anything, I think a woman who EXPECTS chivalry has a sense of entitlement.
Hey, if the chance is there, just sacrifice those five seconds and shell out a bit of help and kindness….regardless of who may catch-up or pass by. It doesn’t even matter if they look up, it’s about helping others out with no expectations.
“…I’m too much of a social retard when it comes to the opposite sex to mutter anything but “thanks” and [blow them off]…”
Well, you’re obviously not THAT shy, Pretty Kitty.
Couldn’t resist the perverted comment, sorry.
I hold doors for people and hope for a polite smile and ‘thank you’. What I do not like is people who waltz by and don’t make eye contact. They’re usually the recipient of a very loud and sharp, “YOU’RE WELCOME!”
And often a glare if they choose to look back. Wanna get lippy then prepare for a taste of the backside of my hand.
Does it taste like donairs too?
NGF really does make it a point to hold doors for people…often I’m half way into a conversation when I look back and realize I’m talking to myself because he’s still holding to door for folks.
Also: qpmzwonxeibcruv *blush*