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Etiquette Police On Public Transit: The Best Idea I've Heard All Day
From the BBC: "(In Japan), newly appointed "etiquette police" will be asking travellers to turn down their headphones and give up their seats for their elders and betters. The move comes amid growing concern that etiquette is losing its hallowed place in Japanese society."
What a wicked idea! After taking public transit for the better part of a year, I have come to realize chivalry is, indeed, dead.
Here's a run-down of what goes in people's heads as they debate whether or not to give up their seat to a(n):
1) Obviously pregnant woman: "Is that a pregnant belly? Hmmm, too ambiguous to be sure. Better not get up. Wait, is that a tiny foot pressing through her sweater? Nah, she probably just had a bad egg-salad sandwich for lunch. That's probably why she's rubbing her stomach, too. Man, I'm so glad I got a seat."
2) Elderly person: "Ah geez, I guess I should get up. But it's so crowded in here - how's s/he going to get over here to take my seat? Actually, they could get quite injured in the move, so it's probably safer for them to stay where they are. Man, I'm so glad I got a seat."
3) Person in a wheelchair: "Man, these people take up so much room! And they really have it made - they have a built-in seat. I know the sign says these seats are reserved for wheelchair use, and to vacate and fold up the seat so the person in the wheelchair can move into the designated spot, but I never see anyone actually do that... Those signs are stupid. Man, I'm so glad I got a seat."
4) Mother/father and young child/baby: "Am I supposed to get up? Ah, forget it. S/he's looks like s/he's doing okay. I'm so glad I got a seat."
Disclaimer: I should point out that today, on the bus, a young guy actually got up and gave me a seat. I thought this was especially noteworthy because I am not pregnant, old, with a young child or in a wheelchair - I am just a girl. Well done, kind sir. I will not forget. Perhaps chivalry isn't entirely dead - just comatose for most of the time.
PS: I should also say that the reason he needed to give me his seat was because the only other one that free at the time was being taken up by a punk who thought his backpack deserved a seat too. Idiot.
I'd love to hear your public transit rants - post them here or write a story about your worst public transit experience! Let's share the pain...
Comments
Re: Etiquette Police
By johnhatch, June 21, 2008 at 23:20Peeves:
The 160 bus from downtown Vancouver to Coquitlam is an express; sometimes people get on without realizing that, and some drivers seem to enjoy refusing to let passengers off, so that someone (often elderly or minorities) wanting to travel only one or two stops end up in Port Moody. One driver tried it on a couple of young, able-bodied young men who got in his face and said 'Stop this f***ing bus. He did, pronto.
Drivers sometimes deliberately skip a stop to inconvenience Asian (or other minority) passengers. I've seen it happen too often for it to be coincidence.
Beefy, heavily armed skytrain goons hang around talking to each other in arrogant little knots while studiously ignoring the poor fools who pay their salaries.
Why do we need armed police checking tickets? It's offensive.
Many passengers have been Tasered for behavior which may be inappropriate, but is not violent or threatening. Charges of assault should be laid, and lawsuits launched.
Transit authorities should park their taxpayer funded SUVs once in awhile and attempt transit.
Buses should run on time. I think sometimes runs are eliminated to save money.
Skytrain should not be paralyzed by the appearance of a single snowflake.
I'm still pissed at the last transit strike which served no purpose (lose, lose, lose situation) and caused untold inconvenience to millions.
Rates seem to increase in inverse proportion to transit driver/employee civility.
Kids keep offering me their seat, and it pisses me off. Don't they know I'm still 14 (in my mind)?
Gertrude Stein said that 'One is always the same age inside.' I thought I'd just throw that in. Have a good public transit sort of week, if that's possible.
Re: Etiquette Police On Public Transit: The Best Idea I've Heard
By Michelle Kenneth, June 10, 2008 at 19:02That's weird. I've never heard of a not-so-obvious pregnant woman asking for someone else's seat (let alone telling another woman to just give her the seat).
But Heather...I would have given you my seat if I saw you were in stilettos. I know how painful heels can be and who knows if they're brand new and you're trying to break them in. I feel bad for all women I see wearing stilettos. I look at them and think PAIN for the sake of fashion.
I generally avoid sitting in designated seating areas. I don't think you should sit in the seats at all unless you fit under one of the categories for the designated seating. That should solve a lot of problems. It drives me nuts when I see someone sitting in those seats and it's obvious that someone standing right in front of them should be sitting there (elderly, handicapped, pregnant).
Re: Etiquette Police On Public Transit: The Best Idea I've Heard
By Heather Wallace, June 11, 2008 at 08:33Yeah - I was sitting at the back of the bus, where I thought I was safe. But in Vancouver you can board the bus on any of the three doors, so I guess that one can never really be safe.
Okay, okay, they weren't quite stilettos. I wish I could wear those, but life is too short for painful shoes. The shoes I was wearing were the maximum heel height I can tolerate, which is about 3.75 inches. They were fine to wear throughout the day, but standing in them for an hour straight does not work out so well.
Re: Etiquette Police On Public Transit: The Best Idea I've Heard
By Michelle Kenneth, June 11, 2008 at 18:10Ummm...that's still super high for me! LOL.
Re: Etiquette Police On Public Transit: The Best Idea I've Heard
By Heather Wallace, June 10, 2008 at 13:23So true...what about the "If I pretend to be asleep, I don't have to give up my seat."
I am usually the first one to offer to give up a seat, while people around me pretend to be asleep or too into their papers to notice...But I have one point of contention: If you are pregnant but not showing, if you ask for a seat, give the seated person the courtesy of knowing why you're asking.
I had one woman who did not look at all pregnant or feeble ask for my seat, point blank. I looked at her seemingly able-body with a confused look on my face. When I hesitated, she finally said, "I'm pregnant."
That awkward moment could have easily been avoided with, "Excuse me, I'm pregnant, (or not feeling well, or etc, etc,) would you mind if I took your seat?"
Maybe I should have given my seat up without hesitation just because she asked, but I was wearing stilettos and had 90 blocks to travel.
;)Heather
Re: Etiquette Police On Public Transit: The Best Idea I've Heard
By Robyn Stubbs, June 10, 2008 at 13:54Agreed. Pregnancy must be obvious, or stated by the pregnant woman ;)