'Take up 7 seats?': 40-year-old Karen lets kids take up too much space on crowded train, passenger gives Karen a tough time for the next 20 minutes

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 31, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

It may seem impolite to criticize someone else's parenting choice, but every once in a while, it's necessary… especially if other people are being impacted by said choices.

Here, we have a 40-year-old entitled Karen who, along with her two kids, was taking up seven entire seats on the train. This would not necessarily be an issue if it was a quiet, empty subway car. However, in this particular situation, there were more folks who were standing than sitting, including several elderly people who should have been given at least one of those seats. Since the Karen refused to teach her kids a valuable lesson on decent human behavior, the Redditor who was standing right in front of her decided to enact some petty revenge by making the subsequent 20-minute train ride a living nightmare for the Karen. By the time he left, the two made eye contact, and she became fully aware that all the so-called "accidental" bump-ins were actually done on purpose. 

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from other petty folks in the comments section. When you're done, feel free to take a look at this post about a new employee who was ghosted on their first day at work.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10422110720
    via Chang Hsien

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Take up seven seats with three people? backpack.
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 03
    I might have posted this story somewhere on Reddit when it first happened but to clarify this was a few years back in the pre-Cd age just before Christmas time.
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  • 04
    Everything that's about to happen is done with a cast and background characters all dressed for winter in heavy clothes.
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    The Story. I was on my way home after spending a few months living at a boarding school at the time and was taking the commuter Train from the capital to my parents
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    house. I'd already been traveling by long- distance train for close to five hours and was understandably tired.
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  • 07
    The train arrives, packed up already and the horde of people pour in, I could have waited fifteen minutes for the next train but it wouldn't have been much better.
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  • 08
    I get onto the train and spot Karen (40+F) and her two kids (<8M) were taking up a total of seven seats on a train that would have been crowded
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  • 09
    even with four more seats free. She made no effort to stop her kids from LYING ACROSS TWO AND THREE SEATS RESPECTIVELY even as
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    the train was bursting at the seams with more people standing than sitting.
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  • 11
    I declared an oath of vengeance, thankfully wearing a big coat and clunky backpack as I was traveling home from boarding school and took
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  • 12
    up spot right in front of her, holding on to one of the handles whilst shoving my backpack and in her face. I was probably blocking at least part of the view of her phone.
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  • 13
    Could I have taken my backpack off? Absolutely. It'd have been crowded but I didn't have to keep it on in a hot train.I then proceeded to make that
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  • 14
    20+ minute train ride as miserable as I could for that Karen.Any shaking or rumble of the train I *accidentally* bumped my backpack into her face, stepped on her toes or swung it in front of her face.
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 15
    About five minutes in she tapped my back and I heard her say "excuse mE! Your backpack is hitting me."
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    As fake apologetic that I could I turned around (sweeping the straps. across her again) and said "Yeah it's pretty crowded here. Not a single seat left." Felt
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  • 17
    amazing to just turn back around ignoring any response she might have given, I didn't care, I was trying to see if I had a furt in store but sadly I'd eaten healthy that day.
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 18
    I made sure she did not get to enjoy the next fifteen minutes of that ride, even as seats opened up I kept the spite up. Could I have tried diplomacy?
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  • 19
    Yeah. But I felt like she didn't deserve the chance to make things right at the time. She had been on the train longer than I had and it was already full before I got on at the capital.
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 20
    Once my stop came up I remember considering following the train until she got off too, there were only three or so more stops but it would
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  • 21
    be more time to try and Super Saiyan some gas through my but I decided to just get off and head home instead.
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 22
    I did notice her glaring at me through the window as I left so I flashed her a smile... and my middle finger.
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  • 23
    When I told the story at home I got mixed responses, Dad was proud, younger siblings praised me as a hero and Mom thought I was justified until I flipped her
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    off (Which tbh I don't understand. I was stepping on her toes and shoving my public transport backpack in her face but a finger was too far?)
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    So I'll accept any judgement here. I've heard from friends "Oh you don't have kids, she was probably tired too, you can't just assault someone for being r de" but they're the minority.
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  • 26
    Fine-L... 13h ago. • Why would we judge you here? You were amazing, excellent example of petty revenge!!
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  • 27
    todob... • 12h ago. . I'd have a kid on my lap to sleep, the other beside me on the other seat. Horrible person who might raise horrible kids
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 28
    Armore... 13h ago • Eh, mothers are sensitive to direct surface level hostility like swearing but somehow allow actual hostility like judging people's appearance or choices in life.
    via Dr_Ukato
  • 29
    My strategy would've been to just directly demand for a seat as loud as possible as soon as I saw the group.
    via Dr_Ukato

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Tags

karens petty-revenge-reddit petty revenge petty entitled people karma karens in the wild entitled reddit thread Reddit karen entitled people
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