The Penn Station Shuffle

I've just read that one in five American pre-schoolers is obese. That comes as no surprise since Nm_obese_baby_080818_mn
their parents are mostly sedentary and allow the little darlings to vegetate in front of computer screens and stuff their mouths full of fast food and soft drinks.

I actually experience a small part of the obesity epidemic in my everyday commute.

Each day, after my chronically-late 7:28 am NJ Transit train has lurched its way into Penn Station, I fight my way through the hordes of fellow commuters towards the Seventh Avenue exit ramps. And, that's where I witness the Penn Station Shuffle.

As I approach the stairs and escalator, I always make a beeline to the left, because there's always an enormous line on the right. That's where the escalator is. And, that's where sedentary, lazy commuters patiently wait in line to board an escalator that covers the equivalent of perhaps 50 small steps. I always shake my head in bewilderment, wondering why so many obviously harried and frazzled commuters are nonetheless more than willing to wait on long lines just to avoid a little exercise.

Having just toured Scotland and listened to news reports, read newspapers and spoken to countless locals, I can tell you our country's image and reputation is at an all-time low. It's not just the senseless carnage in Iraq or the global credit crunch that many see as being our fault. It's also our self image. Many Scots see Americans as lazy, spoiled and obese. And they like to kid about our nationwide obesity problem.

Obesity isn't a laughing matter, especially when it's becoming an albatross for future generations. But, what hope do our kids have when their role models continue to inhale Big Macs, wash them down with calorie-rich colas and wait on line to do the Penn Station Shuffle?

9 thoughts on “The Penn Station Shuffle

  1. The worst part about that line (for those of us who no longer work in Gotham) is trying to get into Staples in case I forgot a pen or a pad of paper for my meetings while there. Yes, I should be better prepared, but the meeting doesn’t start till I arrive, suckas!

  2. I really appreciate everyone’s feedback on the Penn Station shuffle blog. It’s been bothering me for quite some time now and I do find it truly amazing to see how sedentary so many of us have become. That said, what adults choose to do to their bodies is their business, but passing along those horrific habits to their kids is a national disgrace.

  3. Art, you have my sincere apologies. There are, obviously, predetermined causes of obesity that cannot be controlled. I, in no way, meant to include those individuals in this blog. Rather, it was the generation of otherwise healthy adults who choose to take the easy way out and set a poor example for their kids by consuming mass quantities of junk food and lazing on the sofa when physical activity is a smart and healthy alternative.

  4. I take exception to this post, Steve–not because of the content, but because of the arrogance and mean-spirited tone behind it. I’d love to write a longer response, but don’t have the time at the moment. Let me just say that not all of us can be marathoners, or climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, and not all of us find that a wonderful way to live our lives. I applaud your healthy lifestyle, but I have a really hard time with you calling the obese “lazy.” I’ll share my own story re: obesity with you when I have a moment. It’s a story of depression, regret, anxiety, and a host of other issues not related to my relative ambition. As a blogger–and as a PR professional who I have come to admire–I expected better of you in a blog post. And I think you owe those people–people like me–who you painted with such a broad brush an apology.

  5. Great post but Bubbles you’re obviously not a parent of a small child. Most parents choose to deposit an “able-bodied” child in a stroller for safety reasons, especially in a public place. And so what if they are talking on the phone?? We’re a nation of multi-taskers, does that really mean a child is being neglected?
    I’ll be the first in line to watch you navigate down 5th Ave, or the like, hand-in-hand with a 3 yr-old, holding a meaningful conversation and then make it home with your sanity and nerves intact.

  6. Very timely, yesterday I wrote a letter to my daughter’s 3rd grade teacher asking that she not be constantly rewarded with candy at school. She was always walking out of school with a lollipop in her mouth. Why do schools teach children that all rewards should come in the form of food? Pretty bad precedent to set. Love/reward = food. I have to admit, I’m a foodie, but there are limits.
    Not only do the Scots think that Americans are lazy, so does this American. Whenever we travel to visit family in Austria, dinner is followed by a long (usually uphill) walk. Getting a dog was the best thing for our family, everyone gets the chance to take our energetic Terrier on a daily walk. Glad that the Chicago winter is almost over, we are looking forward to getting outside!

  7. I have to agree. I’m on the commute into the city for 1.5 hours. Yes, an hour and half by electric rail. When the train stops I NEED to get off and get going to get my circulation going. But alas, I must move into between people who are literally waddling. It’s like march of the Penguins – so many people struggling to move from their obesity. A sad state indeed.

  8. I am amazed at how many “able bodied” kids I see being pushed in strollers… kids who are 3, 4, 5 years old. Not only are they not getting simple exercise, and not being encouraged to do something as simple as walk…. but also they are detached from their parents. It’s a sad state to see one (or more) kids in the stroller- some old enough to play video games- proceeding down the sidewalk while mom (or dad) talks on the cell phone. What ever happened to walking hand-in-hand with your child, and talking to them?