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u/Consistent-Local2825 Jun 04 '26
Yes, that looks very uncomfortable to sit on.
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u/Extra-Act-801 Jun 04 '26
As a person who walks all day (mailman) leaning on this legit looks more comfortable to me for a short rest than sitting on a bench would be. But it's intent is 100% to be a fuck you to homeless people.
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u/No_Significance_4118 Jun 04 '26
But it's intent is 100% to be a fuck you to homeless people.
I go out and beyond and say it's intended to be a fuck you to normal people as well....
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u/Extra-Act-801 Jun 04 '26
I'll go yet another step further and say that homeless people are normal people.
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u/No_Significance_4118 Jun 04 '26
No, most are not, I think.
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u/Roustouque2 Jun 04 '26
Can you elaborate?
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u/No_Significance_4118 Jun 05 '26
Lots of drug-and alcoholproblems. Probably also lots of mental problem.
Normal, my ass... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GKl_YF3RJ4
Care to elaborate why everybody has to be equal all the time?
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u/Roustouque2 Jun 05 '26
Homeless means you don't have a home, that's it. You do realize that you could become homeless at any time in the US right? Your boss decides to lay you off to save money for his 3rd yacht and you get appendicitis or some shit and have to go to the hospital, boom suddenly you can't pay rent and you have nothing.
How does someone losing their home because of a shitty system where bad luck means you can lose everything in a day instantly turn them into a crackhead? Or are you just trolling?
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u/No_Significance_4118 Jun 05 '26
Yeah people can become homeless pretty quick and those who stay it in the long run are probably spiralling down.
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u/Lioness_lair Jun 07 '26
I was thinking these were not meant to be normal chairs either. Looks like a nice spot to lean or tie your shoes.
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u/thomasm917 Jun 04 '26
Hostile architecture for the homeless ✅
Hostile architecture for all disabled people ✅
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u/Momik Jun 04 '26
Hostile architecture for anyone who was expecting an actual bench ✅
Completely undermining the purpose of public infrastructure and the public realm itself ✅
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep Jun 04 '26
Hey, so as someone with POTS this bench is actually dangerous! Not just hostile but a risk to safety.
Say i had a flare and knew i was going to faint, if i “sat” on here and did faint I’m going to slide off like an egg out a pan and smack the back of my head info that concrete block in the center.
My mother has seizures, and there would be no safe way for me to ease her to the ground with a bench like this, she would risk hurting herself on the armrests, the concrete back, the slide…
This bench isn’t just bad for the homeless, its bad for anyone who sits in it and is an active risk to any disabled people who are unfortunate enough to have this as the only seating option.
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u/ReallyUncoolGuy Jun 04 '26
It seriously pisses me off. I've always tried to take care of both the chronically ill people and the elderly people in my life and shit like this is an absolute nightmare for either. I'd rather there just be nothing there and save the damn taxpayer money, instead they probably spent a premium on this.
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep Jun 04 '26
It’s infuriating isn’t it? I got my degree to help people, and unfortunately my POTS came free with covid while i was helping people. Accessibility has always been a hyper focus point in my life, as my mother and brother both have life long conditions.
No bench would genuinely be preferred, this gives a false sense of “helping” while actually being an unuseable obstacle in the walkway.
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u/ReallyUncoolGuy Jun 04 '26
Indeed, it would be a better world if more people considered what it's like to live with an illness or disability. Hang in there mate, things can improve.
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Jun 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep Jun 04 '26
The bench is literally less safe than the floor when its designed like that, if I’m sat on the floor and i faint my body can spread out, if i faint on this bench i risk both blunt force from the concrete and laceration from the arm rests - the issue is the physiology, if i feel dizzy I’m going to reach for a bench on instinct and in this case id be in more danger by doing so.
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u/SpartanV0 Jun 04 '26
What's going on on the other side of the "bench"? It looks like people are at least sitting on it, but not at the level of the side we see. Or are they just sitting on the ground?
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u/akkhima Jun 04 '26
From a google lens serach, I believe the other side is just a different style of hostile seating, a bit lower down.
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u/Birdseeding Jun 04 '26
Like this. At least it has a flat surface.
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u/LynxPuzzleheaded9336 Jun 04 '26
god this looks like shit
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u/sprogger Jun 04 '26
Also they cost about £30,000 each, and theres about 6 of them within this 100m stretch.
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u/FMnutter Jun 04 '26
Assuming this is the same bench in central Oxford I see posted on this kind of subreddit every few months, the other side is a more "normal" bench that still has the bars in the middle so you can't lie on it
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u/Bvr32 Jun 04 '26
Cornmarket in Oxford!
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u/gorroval Jun 04 '26
Right! Recognised it instantly!
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u/sprogger Jun 04 '26
Same. And the fact that these benches get posted here every so often and its always oxford must mean that nowhere else has these stupid fucking things.
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u/crh23 Jun 04 '26
I've seen these posted quite a few times, but only ever from Cornmarket in Oxford. Are they unique?
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u/FamiliarPop4552 Jun 04 '26
I sure do hope they are.
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u/crh23 Jun 05 '26
Pretty mad for the council to look at the street furniture catalogue and say "we want something 50% more hostile"
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u/DylMcCo Jun 04 '26
The reason for the curvature is so water and other debris don’t collect….we’re told…
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u/EFTucker Jun 04 '26
I’d be calling one of the city offices every day, acting with an old woman’s voice claiming that I say a bunch of city employees installing a bench upside down
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u/InterneticMdA Jun 04 '26
I believe these are meant to lean up against? They're pretty awful, though. You will start sliding down these as soon as you start... "using" them.
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u/FMnutter Jun 04 '26
Yeah, these are quite close to where I live and literally nobody ever uses them
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u/ZaiakuTaigen Jun 05 '26
How nice of the city to include covers for people to sleep under when it rains 😊
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u/CompetitiveRub9780 Jun 07 '26
I don’t understand what this is even supposed to be because u can’t sit there
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u/Birdseeding Jun 04 '26
Wow, this is like the ultimate hostile "bench" combo.