Respect for the elderly

I was on the tube home the other evening after a very good night spent with a close friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a long time.  As I sat there in the tube thinking, ‘What a tip top, banterous night that was!’ as it included a nice little meal in Pasta Brown’s in Covent Gardens and then a lovely desert at Snog, the frozen yoghurt place and a trip to the cinema to FINALLY see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, an elderly couple stepped onto the tube.  It was surprisingly busy for an 11pm train but, it was a Thursday evening and apparently everyone goes out on a Thursday in London as it is the new Friday! I also think it had something to do with the theatre shows too. 

Anyway, there was nowhere for these poor old people to sit.  I usually without hesitation get up and give my seat, if of course I do indeed have a seat to give, away.  But, this time I thought, I will carry out a little social experiment.  I thought to myself I will not give up my seat just yet and see if anybody offers theirs.  Luckily the train did not move from Holborn for a minute or so and I was sat there looking at all these people with no class, politeness and respect for the elderly.  It was sickening.  I stood up and offered my seat to the sweetest old lady who was very obliged.  Her husband also offered his gratitude, despite him having to stay standing.  The looks I received from the remaining, still seated passengers, was just deafening.  To say I received daggers would be an understatement.  I think it was because I was subtly emphasising how dick headed they all were without even saying anything.  However, it had the desired effect.  Eventually as the train started moving, people got up and offered the man their seat.  Yes, more than one person got up to offer their seat! It was ridiculous. 

Have people no class or decorum left? It is pitiful to have witnessed that.  I did this little social experiment as I had the feeling that this would happen but I just wanted to confirm it to myself.  Its things like this that make me lose more and more faith in humanity.  I know I may be being a little dramatic about this particular happening but there are some things that people should and should not do JUST because it is the decent thing to do.  When we were younger we were all taught certain things like lying are morally incorrect and causing harm to others is as well.  Insisting an elderly lady takes your seat when she is forced to stand on public transport is just something that has to be second nature to us all.  The fact that we need to be reminded that priority seating goes to the elderly, disabled, and pregnant or those with a toddler is just shameful. 

Speaking of shameful, I was reading the metro on the tube this morning and I saw that there was a picture of a boy struggling to keep his head above water in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  There was a caption underneath it which described him struggling to escape his predicament of DROWNING(!) and they just take a picture of it.  Don’t help him….that would be too productive!

Seriously! What the hell is going on?!

Much love,

Jackson L.