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?
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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.
mary flanders | 1 year, 9 months ago
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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?
Jessi Chelle | 1 year, 9 months ago
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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.
Judith A. Eisner | 1 year, 9 months ago
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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.
judith cooperman | 1 year, 8 months ago
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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.
nac | 1 year, 8 months ago
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Justice Served
I think Mr. Sugarman got just what he was asking for. If someone baits an individual, it’s just like framing him for a crime. The baiter is operating on the premise that the baitee will hang himself with his own actions. And in the case of Sugarman v. Carter, no matter what Mr. Carter decided to do, he would have come out injured. If he backed down, he would have lost face and Sugarman would have learned that he truly can do whatever he wants and probably would have become more obnoxious in the future, yet by reacting, Carter found himself in legal trouble. If we continue to live by the advice we sadly give our children “Use your words, not your fists,” we continue to encourage the kind of entitled behavior Mr. Sugarman exhibited. It’s getting worse and worse. I can’t even enjoy a movie in the theater anymore, and even if I ask nicely for the rude behavior to stop, I’m treated like I’m the one acting entitled. The truth is, walking away doesn’t solve problems; it enables them. Passive resistance has its place, but putting up with the behavior of someone like Sugarman hurts everyone. Shame on the gym employees for not using their authority to curb his behavior. I think they left Mr. Carter with no choice. Everyone knows that in some situations, a punch in the nose is the only thing that works. In some cases, it’s the only way you’ll get any respect.
B | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Pushing Limits
Too many people feel they can get away with saying anything they want and not have to suffer consequences. So they speak their minds believing no one can touch them without being sued.
I believe everyone has the freedom of speech, but at the same time, other people around that person have the right to enjoy not being harassed by rude comments. Mr. Carter’s reaction may not be appropriate, but if people were allowed to respond the way he did, I’m positive we would have less people speaking their minds so rudely in front of ladies and children…
And once they begin curbing their language, there would be less of a reason for reactions such as Mr. Carter’s.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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David
I guess it is a shame that there even HAS to be a moderator making sure people ask responsibly. Indeed, too many do not even know what ‘responsibility’ is. One cannot even seek refuge from loud, obnoxious behavior in libraries as they are no longer the quiet, peaceful venue they once were. To post on this forum is, in a way, self-defeating because we all know that the true offenders would never bother with this ‘triviality’ spoken here. I wish that I knew the solution but I am too busy dodging bicycles on the sidewalks of Philadelphia (where they are not supposed to be).
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Obnoxious Consent
The obnoxious one gave the other one his consent to physically stop his obnoxious behavior when he said, in public, “Make me”.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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How was this offensive?!
If I was a man in a mens gym and heard a male grunting “you go girl”, I’d laugh hysterically and it woudl make my workout better by burning more calories! How can a man can be offended by this? Was he a homosexual? There are not enough detials to this article….this article just makes me want to go to the gym with a camera and start grunting!
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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