old is not necessarily gold
"Please give up this seat to someone who needs it more than you do."
-- A sign we normally see in the MRT trains or buses, especially at the seats near the doors.
I still remember the old woman who used her umbrella to 'poke' a guy away from the seat she wanted. I was sitting down in the train on my way back from town. When the train reached one of the stations, the doors opened, an old woman(possibly 65-70 years old) entered from the door on the left, and a guy( entered from the door on the right. There was one vacant seat, and the guy was already there, just about to sit down, legs already bent, when the old woman hurriedly came from the other side and pushed(more like poked, really) his butt away with her long umbrella, then pointed & stuck her umbrella at the seat as if saying 'The seat's mine, get lost!'. The look on the surprised guy's face was one that said 'What the fuck??!' Apparently noone expected old women with umbrellas poking their butts in trains. Of course, the guy had to stand and the old woman got her precious seat, sitting with an air of triumph. She didn't utter a word to him. No smile, no thanks, nothing.
I felt like asking her 'Excuse me Madam Old Woman, but who the heck do you think you are? How would you feel if someone else does that to you??'
Elderly people are /supposed/ to be wiser, better, because they have lived many years compared to the rest of us. Sure, we know you need the seat more, but poking someone's ass and taking his seat without even saying sorry is an act that can be classified as rude.
While alighting from trains, I've also been pushed real hard by old women(yeah, it's always the old women; the old men behave better somehow, or maybe I just haven't met them yet) who were too eager to get inside and will not let other people alight first. It happened not once, not twice, but many times. Ouch.
Of course the elderly should have priority over train and bus seats - I will never deny that - but so do pregnant women and the sick & injured. I've never seen a pregnant woman asking someone to give up their seat for her, even though she may be 6-9 months pregnant already, but I've seen the elderly asking young people to give up their seats, even though they seem perfectly healthy and energetic. Why? Because they're old, and they use that fact to their advantage.
Then you may think, 'Oh but if it's YOUR own parents, you would probably be singing a different tune.'
Excuse me, but my parents will never behave like that. I too, will never want to be like these ridiculously rude old people who think they have the right to do anything just because they are old. I want to age gracefully, just like my parents. I don't want to be anywhere close to being like those uncivilised old creatures.
I mean hello, just because you are old, doesn't give you the right to poke someone away from his seat, or to push someone while she's alighting from the train. Why is it that so many old people have no manners nowadays? I'm not saying that young people have better manners, but how do you expect the young ones to respect the elderly when their behaviour is such? Being older, they have to show good examples and be nice people so that others will respect them, not behave in an uncivilised manner and have others see them as nightmares.
So everyone, lets respect one another, young and old.
If you are sitting in the train or bus and are tired or sick or simply need the seat, then go ahead and have your seat. If you see someone elderly and think that you want to give up your seat for that person, go ahead and do so. If you find yourself already old and needing a seat which is not available, ask nicely. Or put on one of those pitiful looks that many old people have when they board a bus or train, so that someone gives up a seat for them.
Just don't poke anyone's ass for that.
-- A sign we normally see in the MRT trains or buses, especially at the seats near the doors.
I still remember the old woman who used her umbrella to 'poke' a guy away from the seat she wanted. I was sitting down in the train on my way back from town. When the train reached one of the stations, the doors opened, an old woman(possibly 65-70 years old) entered from the door on the left, and a guy( entered from the door on the right. There was one vacant seat, and the guy was already there, just about to sit down, legs already bent, when the old woman hurriedly came from the other side and pushed(more like poked, really) his butt away with her long umbrella, then pointed & stuck her umbrella at the seat as if saying 'The seat's mine, get lost!'. The look on the surprised guy's face was one that said 'What the fuck??!' Apparently noone expected old women with umbrellas poking their butts in trains. Of course, the guy had to stand and the old woman got her precious seat, sitting with an air of triumph. She didn't utter a word to him. No smile, no thanks, nothing.
I felt like asking her 'Excuse me Madam Old Woman, but who the heck do you think you are? How would you feel if someone else does that to you??'
Elderly people are /supposed/ to be wiser, better, because they have lived many years compared to the rest of us. Sure, we know you need the seat more, but poking someone's ass and taking his seat without even saying sorry is an act that can be classified as rude.
While alighting from trains, I've also been pushed real hard by old women(yeah, it's always the old women; the old men behave better somehow, or maybe I just haven't met them yet) who were too eager to get inside and will not let other people alight first. It happened not once, not twice, but many times. Ouch.
Of course the elderly should have priority over train and bus seats - I will never deny that - but so do pregnant women and the sick & injured. I've never seen a pregnant woman asking someone to give up their seat for her, even though she may be 6-9 months pregnant already, but I've seen the elderly asking young people to give up their seats, even though they seem perfectly healthy and energetic. Why? Because they're old, and they use that fact to their advantage.
Then you may think, 'Oh but if it's YOUR own parents, you would probably be singing a different tune.'
Excuse me, but my parents will never behave like that. I too, will never want to be like these ridiculously rude old people who think they have the right to do anything just because they are old. I want to age gracefully, just like my parents. I don't want to be anywhere close to being like those uncivilised old creatures.
I mean hello, just because you are old, doesn't give you the right to poke someone away from his seat, or to push someone while she's alighting from the train. Why is it that so many old people have no manners nowadays? I'm not saying that young people have better manners, but how do you expect the young ones to respect the elderly when their behaviour is such? Being older, they have to show good examples and be nice people so that others will respect them, not behave in an uncivilised manner and have others see them as nightmares.
So everyone, lets respect one another, young and old.
If you are sitting in the train or bus and are tired or sick or simply need the seat, then go ahead and have your seat. If you see someone elderly and think that you want to give up your seat for that person, go ahead and do so. If you find yourself already old and needing a seat which is not available, ask nicely. Or put on one of those pitiful looks that many old people have when they board a bus or train, so that someone gives up a seat for them.
Just don't poke anyone's ass for that.
<< Home