Manspreading on the subway.

Is It Ever Okay to Take a Picture of a Stranger on the Subway?

By
Shumita Basu
WNYC News | Jul 31, 2017

You've probably seen them: pictures of the manspreaders, the bag-splayers, or the generally uncourteous subway riders, showing up in your social media feeds after being surreptitiously photographed by a fellow straphanger.

Usually it's to shame people  for breaking some unspoken rule of conduct.

Rarely, it's to exemplify some kind of gold standard. (But again: it's unclear whether these people gave their permission to be photographed, or whether they were aware of the camera at all.)

According to the MTA, photography is allowed on the subway as long as there's no professional equipment involved, so technically you aren't breaking the law by snapping a picture.

So where do you fall in this debate: is it ever okay to take a picture of a fellow subway-rider to post on social media? Tweet using the hashtag #MyWrongOpinion.

This is part of a new series of low-stakes debates called "You're Entitled to Your Wrong Opinion." Have an idea for what should be debated next? Tweet @shubasu with your suggestions.

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Shumita Basu

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