by Christopher Null / September 16, 2002
On Elevator Etiquette.
I am a firm believer in not holding the elevator door for stragglers. I am especially annoyed by people who hold the door when the car is full of people waiting to go. Think about it: You’re act of kindness for one person is actually slowing down a dozen other people waiting to go. Your net karma: You screwed 11 people, very bad! As well, you are screwing people who might be waiting for the elevator at its destination floor; in fact, you could be screwing people on multiple floors, just because some chump is too lazy to run to catch the elevator and too impatient to take the next one. Ergo, I never expect anyone to hold the door for me and I will not hold it for you (this is why when I get in an elevator I immediately move to the back of the car — so there’s no way I can be expected to reach the Open Door button). It’s nothing personal, it’s just rude to the rest of the world.