Black Man Demands Seat in Train and Calls Himself 'Karen' – Now He Wonders If He Was Right

While scanning his ticket at the busy train station, a man was relieved to know he wouldn't have to travel while standing because he had a seat booked for himself. To his surprise, a woman was already sitting in his place and refused to stand up.

After spending the weekend outside his hometown, the man had booked a ticket to return home on a busy Sunday evening. Unexpectedly, most trains were delayed because of an accident.

In hopes of getting back home on time, the man scanned his ticket amidst the rush. I'll sit back and listen to my favorite music during the journey, he thought to himself. Little did he know what was about to happen inside the train.

A Reddit user named GreXlxL revealed that his ticket was refunded, so he bought a new one to go back home. Purchasing a ticket meant he had reserved a seat, but a lady was sitting in his place when he entered the train compartment.

He took a deep breath and politely approached the woman, informing her that she was sitting in his seat. To his surprise, the woman refused to move, saying:

"Sorry, I was here first. You can find another seat."

The man told the lady that he had bought the seat and had the right to sit on it. He added that if it were the other way round, he would also leave the seat for the person who bought it.

She said, "Someone like you shouldn’t harass an innocent lady like her."

The woman again refused to stand up and argued with OP (Original Poster) until he got annoyed. OP told the woman that everyone had bought a ticket, but his ticket came with this seat, so she needed to get up. His angry tone caught everyone's attention.

Other people in the train compartment started taking sides. Some people believed OP was correct, while others thought he was being rude to the woman.

Since their argument had gathered people around them, people from other compartments also joined in. A lady from another carriage started shaming OP for being mean and asking a woman to stand up. She said:

“Someone like you shouldn’t harass an innocent lady like her.”

According to OP, the woman said so because he was a tall man with a dark complexion and had a voice that "was deep enough to make Darth Vader jealous."

Finally, the lady got up and sat next to someone else, dismissing the crowd that had gathered around them while the train was still at the platform. OP quickly put his luggage in the overhead compartment and sat in his seat.

As the journey started, he put on his earphones and listened to some calming music to give his mind a break. When the train stopped at the next station, the lady got down while giving OP a "dirty look through the window."

Confused by the woman's reaction and how some people supported her during their argument, OP decided to post his story on Reddit to ask strangers on the internet if he was the "Karen" for demanding his seat.

Most users supported OP and believed that the seat belonged to him since he paid for it while the other woman had no right to sit in his seat.

They agreed that the other woman was at fault and should have left the seat when OP approached her. One user said, "Plain and simple. She was the one causing a scene." Most users believed there was no need to argue and create a scene.

However, some of the bystanders did not support OP making him think he was at fault and could have reacted better. But users refuted the idea and assured him that he was not the "Karen" in the situation but that the other woman was because her reaction was unjustified.

Many users also expressed their dissatisfaction with people who steal other people's seats in trains and airplanes and felt if someone has booked a seat, then other people don't have the right to use it even if they notice no one is sitting in it.

Some users went on to point out that the people in the train who supported the lady because of her gender were also wrong. They felt that the bystanders who judged the man based on his physical features and believed he was guilty were also at fault.

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