Excuse me as I Rant….

on

….let me pull over my soap box for this one…..

If there is someone older than you – say your parents or even grandparent’s age OR if someone has a young child, is pregnant or has an injury…..GET YOUR ASS UP AND OUT OF THE SEAT AND OFFER IT TO THEM!!

This is my #1 complaint about the train.

It bugs me that they even have to include a message that runs before and after each stop reminding people that priority seating (read the kind that does not require someone to climb stairs) is “reserved for seniors and people with disabilities.” But, to see people clearly pretend they don’t see the 8-months pregnant woman who has her shopping and her younger child with her is just fucking rude.

I guess it was the way I was raised. I was raised you hold doors open for those older than you. You offer them your seat. You treat them with respect. Why this seems to have flown out the window for many people is beyond me.

Today, an older woman got on the train. It is clear from the way she was dressed and her stuff that she is struggling to make ends me. An elderly woman who is trying not to fall victim to the economy (assuming she hadn’t already). And no one would give her a seat. She stood, somewhat hunched over, grabbing on the rail as the train jerked to a stop and start – all the while the youngsters in the seats pretended not to see her.  If I had been closer (and didn’t think it would have embarrassed her), I would have yelled at their ass to get up.

Where has this common courtesy gone? If you are a parent, do you teach this to your kids?  I’m just curious.

I guess in situations like these, I can’t help but hear my dad’s voice in my head saying “is YOUR leg broke? are YOU injured? No? Then get your ass out of that seat!”  And yes, he would have said it exactly like that – then apologized to the man or woman for his dumbass child. And yes, he would have probably used those words too.

For the record, I stand on the train because my leg isn’t broken.

9 Comments Add yours

  1. Babe Lincoln says:

    Funny you bring this up because it was one of my biggest irks when we were in Vegas and rode the various tram lines between the hotels. Not only would people refuse to give up their seat to older riders, they trampled past wheelchair riders in their hurry to get off the tram. And at one point, our daughter was violently shoved between two men trying to squeeze onto the already full shuttle. Nevermind that another would’ve arrived in two minutes. When I said something to them, they pretended not to hear me. Grown men too. Really, people can be so irritating.

  2. Dana says:

    Cam has been raised with MANNERS, including holding doors open and offering his seat to anyone over 30 (which usually winds up being anyone over 20 because 20 looks old to him).

    He does it without reminders and I hope (crosses fingers) would do it if I weren’t there.

  3. Topaz says:

    I cannot agree with you more. Ive actually heard people justify their rudeness (no one asked her to get knocked up and take the bus), which I truly have to wonder at their upbringing and hope they never spawn to pass on their own bad manners. But its a problem that comes with the metropolis… people just dont care as much as they used to.

  4. Maggie says:

    Same for the bus system here. Horrible.

  5. Just me... says:

    Oh, this sort of thing pisses me off to no end.. We were at Disney World during Spring Break and my 70 y/o mother had to stand on a tram while a man, his wife and their four spawn (ages about 13-20) sat sprawled out on the seats.. I said, “Y’all comfy?” Mom put her hand on my arm, gritted her teeth and said ‘shh’.. When we stopped, I waited until she and DD exited then stood in the aisle blocking this sorry lot from exiting until every one else got off the tram. One of the spawn bumped me in an effort to go around. Perfect opportunity to yell “Hey, teach your kid some manners! That is, if you have any yourself!”
    I love having the ability to be bitchy on command.. 🙂

  6. Manners are very important and I work hard to instill them in some good manners.

  7. Vixen says:

    Manners! Common decency! Courtesy! The fact that that fails so many people is amazing and so incredibly sad to me.

  8. Ms Scarlett says:

    Common courtesy, just like common sense, is now a superpower I think. It’s so rare to actually see it in action that I’m not sure it really exists anymore… and the lack of it today really pisses me off.

    Dropped doors, oblivious jackasses, people who won’t give up their seat – it all makes me crazy.

    I must be a huge bitch, cuz I would have bodily hauled one of them out of their seat – and damn the assault charge….

  9. Ms Scarlett says:

    Oh… and great quote. Perfectly said.

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