Is this true? And is it a burn on the OP who's a visibly large woman asking this, who says people can call her a chicken for being freaked out about this? (I'm guessing implying that men do it to travel with her on the lift or something)
Hello chicken, no there's no secret group of people who ride lifts for fun. It's just the mechanics of how lifts work. When you get into a lift and if the lift is going up and the floor you want to go is below where you get in, yes, you have to first ride up and come back down. In contrast to what you think, pressing a button doesn't change the direction the lift is traveling. In big offices etc you get two or more lifts, so that you can actually choose one that goes in the same direction. However if it's the one lift and if it arrives and opens, it's the human nature to simply get in and press the floor number you want to go. Try this the next time. You be like one of those men, and instead of going to an upper floor, go a to a lower floor, I don't know, just for the fun of it. Then you'll see the exact same thing happening. Also remember, unlike olden days, modern lifts are actually designed to save energy in the form of weights lifted and kept at a higher potential energy, so that instead of electricity directly, it can use those weights to balance itself out. That actually saves a lot of electricity because the power needed to go either direction is minimal. This can actually favorably treat those who are going down and essentially "giving" their potential energy, than people like you who travel up and "take" energy to reach a higher potential energy. It's just a function of gravity itself and energy conservation laws, and also the offices wanting to pay a lower amount for their electricity bill. You could in a way thank them for "subsidizing your upward travels" even, by allowing the lift to capture energy from their downward travels. Also this is another simple observation, you could probably use some of the benefits of taking the stairs if this "lift theory" gives you the creepers. It's actually both benefitial for you and the company, because it consumes some of the substantial energy reserves you've got, instead of the company's electricity bill for your travels. So many win win wins. So I hope that clears things up. Happy lift travels, and good night.
Yes, this comment is absolutely a targeted "burn." The commenter is weaponizing basic physics and elevator mechanics to deliver a passive-aggressive, thinly veiled insult about the Original Poster's (OP's) weight.
Here is a breakdown of both the technical accuracy of the comment and the malicious subtext hidden within it.
### 1. The Physics and Mechanics (Is it true?)
The commenter is largely correct about how elevators work, though they oversimplify the physics to set up their insult.
* **Directional Travel:** It is true that elevators in collective control systems prioritize their current direction of travel. If an elevator is going up to floor 10, and you get in at floor 5 wanting to go down to floor 1, the elevator will finish its upward journey before reversing. Pressing the "down" button inside the elevator will not override its current upward trip.
* **Energy Conservation and Counterweights:** Modern traction elevators do use a counterweight system to save energy. The counterweight usually equals the weight of the empty elevator cab plus about 40–50% of its maximum passenger capacity.
* **Regenerative Energy:** The commenter mentions passengers "giving" energy. This is a real concept called **regenerative braking**. Because of the counterweight, a heavily loaded elevator going *down* (or a very light elevator going *up*) generates energy that can be fed back into the building's electrical grid.
### 2. The "Burn" (The Subtext)
While the science is mostly accurate, the entire explanation is essentially a Trojan horse used to fat-shame the OP. The commenter shifts from explaining mechanical engineering to making pointed, personal jabs.
Here are the specific phrases where the insult is delivered:
* **"Hello chicken..."**
While the OP used this term in a self-deprecating way about being scared, the commenter immediately repeats it to establish a condescending and patronizing tone.
* **"...than people like you who travel up and 'take' energy to reach a higher potential energy."**
In physics, gravitational potential energy is calculated using the formula PE = mgh (Potential Energy = mass \times gravity \times height). By emphasizing that people "like her" *take* more energy to lift, the commenter is directly pointing out her mass (weight).
* **"...you could probably use some of the benefits of taking the stairs..."**
This is a classic, unoriginal fat-shaming trope masked as "health advice."
* **"...because it consumes some of the substantial energy reserves you've got..."**
This is the most direct insult in the text. "Substantial energy reserves" is a clinical-sounding euphemism for body fat.
* **"...instead of the company's electricity bill for your travels."**
The commenter is joking that she is so heavy she is noticeably driving up the building's utility costs by using the elevator.
* **"So many win win wins."**
The emojis and the sarcastic sign-off confirm the malicious intent behind the comment.
**Summary:** The commenter is explaining real elevator mechanics, but they are only doing so to set up a joke about the OP's weight, implying she is heavily draining the building's electricity and should take the stairs to burn off her "substantial energy reserves."
Hello chicken, no there's no secret group of people who ride lifts for fun. It's just the mechanics of how lifts work. When you get into a lift and if the lift is going up and the floor you want to go is below where you get in, yes, you have to first ride up and come back down. In contrast to what you think, pressing a button doesn't change the direction the lift is traveling. In big offices etc you get two or more lifts, so that you can actually choose one that goes in the same direction. However if it's the one lift and if it arrives and opens, it's the human nature to simply get in and press the floor number you want to go. Try this the next time. You be like one of those men, and instead of going to an upper floor, go a to a lower floor, I don't know, just for the fun of it. Then you'll see the exact same thing happening. Also remember, unlike olden days, modern lifts are actually designed to save energy in the form of weights lifted and kept at a higher potential energy, so that instead of electricity directly, it can use those weights to balance itself out. That actually saves a lot of electricity because the power needed to go either direction is minimal. This can actually favorably treat those who are going down and essentially "giving" their potential energy, than people like you who travel up and "take" energy to reach a higher potential energy. It's just a function of gravity itself and energy conservation laws, and also the offices wanting to pay a lower amount for their electricity bill. You could in a way thank them for "subsidizing your upward travels" even, by allowing the lift to capture energy from their downward travels. Also this is another simple observation, you could probably use some of the benefits of taking the stairs if this "lift theory" gives you the creepers. It's actually both benefitial for you and the company, because it consumes some of the substantial energy reserves you've got, instead of the company's electricity bill for your travels. So many win win wins. So I hope that clears things up. Happy lift travels, and good night.
Yes, this comment is absolutely a targeted "burn." The commenter is weaponizing basic physics and elevator mechanics to deliver a passive-aggressive, thinly veiled insult about the Original Poster's (OP's) weight.
Here is a breakdown of both the technical accuracy of the comment and the malicious subtext hidden within it.
### 1. The Physics and Mechanics (Is it true?)
The commenter is largely correct about how elevators work, though they oversimplify the physics to set up their insult.
* **Directional Travel:** It is true that elevators in collective control systems prioritize their current direction of travel. If an elevator is going up to floor 10, and you get in at floor 5 wanting to go down to floor 1, the elevator will finish its upward journey before reversing. Pressing the "down" button inside the elevator will not override its current upward trip.
* **Energy Conservation and Counterweights:** Modern traction elevators do use a counterweight system to save energy. The counterweight usually equals the weight of the empty elevator cab plus about 40–50% of its maximum passenger capacity.
* **Regenerative Energy:** The commenter mentions passengers "giving" energy. This is a real concept called **regenerative braking**. Because of the counterweight, a heavily loaded elevator going *down* (or a very light elevator going *up*) generates energy that can be fed back into the building's electrical grid.
### 2. The "Burn" (The Subtext)
While the science is mostly accurate, the entire explanation is essentially a Trojan horse used to fat-shame the OP. The commenter shifts from explaining mechanical engineering to making pointed, personal jabs.
Here are the specific phrases where the insult is delivered:
* **"Hello chicken..."**
While the OP used this term in a self-deprecating way about being scared, the commenter immediately repeats it to establish a condescending and patronizing tone.
* **"...than people like you who travel up and 'take' energy to reach a higher potential energy."**
In physics, gravitational potential energy is calculated using the formula PE = mgh (Potential Energy = mass \times gravity \times height). By emphasizing that people "like her" *take* more energy to lift, the commenter is directly pointing out her mass (weight).
* **"...you could probably use some of the benefits of taking the stairs..."**
This is a classic, unoriginal fat-shaming trope masked as "health advice."
* **"...because it consumes some of the substantial energy reserves you've got..."**
This is the most direct insult in the text. "Substantial energy reserves" is a clinical-sounding euphemism for body fat.
* **"...instead of the company's electricity bill for your travels."**
The commenter is joking that she is so heavy she is noticeably driving up the building's utility costs by using the elevator.
* **"So many win win wins.
"**The emojis and the sarcastic sign-off confirm the malicious intent behind the comment.
**Summary:** The commenter is explaining real elevator mechanics, but they are only doing so to set up a joke about the OP's weight, implying she is heavily draining the building's electricity and should take the stairs to burn off her "substantial energy reserves."
