Kinda hit me today that I’ve noticed so many Taiwanese dont give theirvseat up to the old. On MRT today, stood next to a withered old crone with a stick. Closest seats are a fatass teen, a hipster, a phone addicted girl and a secretary looking hottie with nice legs.
Zero offered the crone a seat. Has this always been the case, or are people just more ignorant now? Im sure before people used to give their seat up before.
Have seen the exact opposite on a bus a few weeks ago. So I guess it depends on the individual
I have noticed this as well. Every time when I give my seat to someone who needs it more than me, they are very surprised, sometimes stubborn to sit down. In Europe it is pretty normal thing, in here not really.
Just call them out about sitting in priority seats, just like not wearing a mask when masks are required.
Entitled youth and elders not wanting to make waves are normally the issue, neither are easy to change.
I’ve noticed people won’t give their seats up to old people who look like they are going to and from work. Maybe they think if they are fit enough to work they are fit enough to stand, maybe it is a lack of respect for poor people. Probably a mixture of both. When my wife was heavily pregnant she often had to stand on the metro. My wife said that lots of people think pregnant women should be taking taxis instead, which is why they don’t offer their seat. You will find people suddenly close their eyes and pretend to be asleep when people who need to sit down get on the metro. If it looks like you didn’t notice you aren’t being rude. For me it is more proof that the belief that Taiwanese are extremely polite and respectful is wrong. People like to be seen as respectful and polite by their peers, but when nobody is watching they’ll step all over you to get what they want.
To a large part it’s an unfortunate side effect of adding “priority seating” on public transport. People no longer feel to the need to offer their seat as there are “priority seats”. There have been some discussions on it in the past, I’d support the idea.
I still remember many years ago travelling from Xindian to Taipei city hall and seeing a mother get on holding and infant somewhere around Jingmei. I stood to offer her my seat but unfortunately communication issues got in the way, I took a step forward to try to better understand what she was trying to communicate and some suited young *&^$# pushed in behind me and sat down…Turns out she was getting off at the next stop (or did so out of embarrassment!) so didn’t need the seat, I had to stand in the packed carriage all the way to TCH…
Yea it really is about the priority seat situation.
Although the bus priority seats are not as strict as the MRT. I’ve seen people sat in them with headphones on so they don’t need to move…
Happened to me many times, but I just tell the person the seat isn’t for them.
I’ve had somebody attempt that with me when I tried to give my seat to some old geezer. I had to swing my bag in the way as a makeshift barricade to stop him nipping in before the old boy hobble over. He, predictable, glared at me as if I was the one who did something wrong.
It doesn’t seem to be just the younger generation either. The ones I saw today were a variety of ages, from the fat high schooler to the mid-20s hipster to the hot secretary who looked in her 30s.
I’m sure people used to do so, here. I remember thinking that people were more polite when I first came here 7 years ago … but I guess over time, that’s declined and I just haven’t noticed.
I’ve also noticed there is a hell of a lot more litter on the floor than usual. But that’s a moan for a different thread.
Informal survey of the college students I’ve taught (last two or three years) seems to indicate an increasing dissatisfaction with priority seating schemes. Some blunt opinions given:
Personally, I never sit (on the rare occasions that I take the MRT/KMRT), unless the train is nearly empty. I also notice the trend noted by the OP. As a prof, I want my students to be vertical critical thinkers and challenge authority. Be careful what you wish for!
I think some of it is people becoming less polite, a lot of it is also the “newbie” eyes fading and reality dropping in as you become a resident rather than a tourist.
If you are in a blue seat you should be giving it up to pregnant women. It’s the rule.
As for elders it depends I think.
Middle aged under 60s… I don’t think so. Unless they’re really ill they can stand.
If they are hunched over, walks with a cane, or walks slowly, if I am a blue seat I will give it up. If not, and I see a youngster in a blue seat, they should give it up.
This is why people often avoid sitting in a blue seat whenever possible. Not that you can’t but you have to give them up for elderly and pregnant women.
Same goes for women carrying babies, stroller, disabled people (except wheelchairs… they have a chair already).
All the seats are blue.
Only priority seat is visibly blue. All other seats are teal.
I see moms with toddlers to 10 year olds take the priority seats 10 fold over any gummers
Which is fine with me
When in Taiwan with a baby or toddler, it seems like people on mrt and bus offered up a seat pretty consistently. More so on buses - people will practically fight to see who gets to offer up a seat- almost as bad as picking up the check.
Sounds like a social experiment.
I’ve don’t recall ever seeing an Asian anywhere (Asian country or not) give up their seat to old, infirm, pregnant. I’ve seen them sit in the seats plainly marked for old infirm pregnant and not yield. I’ve given up my seat for old, infirm pregnant Asians. In San Jose, my Taiwanese girlfriend and I went to the subway stop. There was no security mechanism to force people to pay before getting on subway. Trust was the only thing the system could rely on. We paid. My gf, a practical woman not given to tears, wept on seeing the trust system, “It would never happen in China or Taiwan”
Which San Jose are you talking about?
There aren’t any subways in San Jose, CA. There are some regional transport option, BART doesn’t go there. I think VTA might serve that area.
None of them go on the trust system. There are turnstiles.
In Germany they have the trust system in both DB and local transit systems, however there are fare inspectors who will fine you for 40 euros if you get caught without fare. DB is less picky as long as you buy a ticket when you see a fare inspector (as you may be catching a train on a short notice and not have time to buy ticket beforehand), though there is a small charge for the convenience (not much though). FYI 40 euros is about the cost of a 10am month pass in Berlin if you take it after 10am of the day, so it’s a lot.
Transit systems aren’t dumb either. But I only seen trust systems used in Europe (everywhere in America there are turnstiles) but there are huge penalties if caught by a fare inspector without a valid ticket.
Vta
In 2006 it was trust