Posted on June 19, 2008 by Kathy McManus in All, Ethics, Law, Sports Comments (5)
Spinning: Out of Control in the Gym?
Silence may be golden, but its recent pursuit in a New York City gym has set off a loud debate about entitlement and personal responsibility.
It started in a spin class, when a 49-year-old Wall Street investment partner named Stuart Sugarman began yelling and grunting comments like “You go, girl!” and “Good burn!” as he cycled.
Another participant in the class—45-year-old stockbroker Christopher Carter—was offended by the loud outbursts. He twice asked gym instructors to silence Mr. Sugarman, who continued to shout his self-encouragements.
Mr. Carter exchanged words with Mr. Sugarman, whose retort, “Make me” struck Mr. Carter as a call to arms—and biceps, triceps, pectorals, and deltoids. He grabbed Mr. Sugarman’s handlebars, tipped the bike backwards, and sent the grunter into a wall.
Mr. Sugarman was hospitalized for two weeks with neck and back pain. Mr. Carter was charged with assault.
But while the injured Mr. Sugarman awaited his day in court, the court of public opinion issued a surprising verdict in favor of Mr. Carter. “Don’t know Chris Carter, but can we give him a medal?” was typical of the comments left on a blog and a newspaper website.
Another backer of the alleged assault-er over the assault-ee sized up the situation as “a small part of a much larger issue,” explaining his theory in a comment to The New York Times: “Many Americans have an increasing sense of entitlement. That is, what they want to do is more important than anyone else.”
A Times columnist picked up on the “outsize sense of entitlement,” calling it a phenomenon that helps explain “ballpark loudmouths” who don’t care who their drunken swearing offends, people who answer their cellphones in movie theaters, and “dog walkers who block sidewalks with their long-stretched leashes.”
Did a jury agree? Mr. Carter was found not guilty of assault after jurors expressed reasonable doubt that he had caused Mr. Sugarman’s neck and back trouble. One juror made a point of commenting on Mr. Sugarman’s gym etiquette: “I was like, why must he be obnoxious and disrespectful to the others?”
Tell us what you think: Was justice served? What’s the responsible way to deal with annoying behavior at the gym, the ballpark, the movie theater, or any other public place?
Comments (5)
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Justice served???
I don’t believe so. I strongly believe that no matter how obnoxious one may be it does not justify becoming physical with someone. If the people in charge could not handle the situation then the police should have been called. We may not like someone elses behavior but that does not mean we can force our wants or needs on them. My only other thought?? Was there testimony in the trial from medical experts that showed his injuries could not have happened as a result of being thrown off the bike? How could Mr. Carter be innocent??? He caused Mr. Sugarman to fall off the bike. Mr Sugarman was being punished for being obnoxious.
Entitlement
I do not think justice was necessarily served. Mr. Carter acted violently, and as Mary Flanders said [above], I don’t see how he can possibly be innocent of causing Mr. Sugarman’s injuries. The issue of entitlement is rather intriguing. Are we truly entitled to others complying with our wishes in public places? Is it responsible to be disruptive—even if we do have the right to answer our cell phones in movie theaters? Is it responsible to rudely refuse to comply with someone else’s request? Is it responsible to react in anger/irritation/annoyance? It seems both men acted irresponsibly. The responsible way to deal with annoying behavoir in public places would be to respectfully ask that the behavoir be modified—and if it is not, to notify the proper authorities or just suck it up and deal with it. How selfish are the American people?
RE: Entitlement
Just WALK AWAY!
I think Mr. Carter should have walked away. No matter how inspired he was to strike Mr. Sugarman, that’s not the way to go. Sugarman was acting like a jerk, and Carter should have recognized this and left it alone. However, the staff at the gym should have asked Mr. Sugarman to be more considerate of his surroundings and place.
Where has common courtesy gone?
Rude, discourteous and socially disruptive behavior is often ignored and passively accepted because people fear confrontation and the possibility that violence may ensue. As a martial arts instructor, I teach my students to be socially responsible without being passive, yet if challenged, to walk away unless they must protect life or property. Carter’s motives appear good until he lost self-control, and thus his behavior was as wrong as Sugarman’s tasteless, loud and obnoxious comments.
Vigilante justice?
It is unfortunate that the case devolved into a school yard brawl. Why weren’t the instructors or gym owners more involved? After several complaints about the unappreciated comments, Mr. Carter felt compelled to take matters into his own hands. I would hate to think that such behavior is necessary at other gyms across the country.