People and their phones. I’ve noticed the same thing. It’s the whole ignorance is bliss thing. And most people are losing their peripheral vision as they stare at their phones and screens all day.
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I’ve seen quite a few trust system stores (pastry shops usually). I don’t why his Tawianese girlfriend would cry 
.
A North American talking about social cohesion and trust, quite funny in the corona times.
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Pointing out the obvious here but that’s China not Taiwan.
Eh not just phones. I’ve been deep in a book and suddenly realized a pregnant woman was standing in front of me. Got up in a hurry, but no idea how long she was there.
That event is one of the reasons I often just seek out the racks in the end cars and lean there for the ride.
Aah but books are a different matter altogether. Getting lost in a book is only a bad thing if it detracts from your other everyday needs. Not often you see people with actual books anymore. Used to see it all the time here.
I remember thinking that when they first started the priority seat system, or when I first noticed it. People really did make more of an effort to give up their seats, priority or not. I’ve seen older people get embarrassed because another adult was giving them a seat and they didn’t think they were all that old. It used to be that on a crowded train, the priority seats would stay empty.
It’s understandable if the social stigma of sitting in a priority seat has lessened over the years, but I think people aren’t as polite as they used to be. But then, now I usually ride the MRT at peak times, so that’s not the best time to judge.
I remember once someone offered an old couple their seats and as they slowly made their way over I knew what was going to happen. The train started and the old gentleman would have been sitting in my lap if I hadn’t stood up and caught him. I’d seen it happen dozens of times before. The MRT starts at just the right time for a slow moving person to half sit down, right when they’re unbalanced. A few other times, I’ve just put my hand on someone’s back to steady them, but this old fellow was shaky. He was embarrassed and grateful and decided to have a conversation with me. One of the only times that has happened.
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we actually have diversity in N America, north of the rio grande.
It’s easy to tolerate the differences among people when there are no differences … eg super xenophobic Japan Korea China Taiwan
I’ve been offered seats multiple times. I guess I’m an old bag now. 
Then there was the time some harridan had the option of sitting in either of two open priority seats, but instead forced her way into the last regular seat on the entire train right next to them and then smirked at me. Thanks, you’re all heart.
I was in Vancouver in 1969 riding the Skytrain (MRT) and a young man of Chinese ethnicity in the priority seats got up to offer me his. I was quite indignant, as I wouldn’t be a senior citizen until…uh…that Thursday.
Between Vancouver’s Skytrain not opening until the mid 80s, and you apparently reaching age 65 over fifty years ago (well done! As a citizen of the Commonwealth, did you get a letter from the queen for your 100th birthday?), something about that date doesn’t track.
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Sorry. Should be 2019- must be getting old.
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