Moral / Ethical Dilemma

[Zac Smith]

Earlier today on my way home from work on the bus, I was sitting at the back, in the 2 seats at the very front, sat 2 very old women. The particular buses I ride, have an area at the front, with 2 seats and space for a wheelchair or baby pram and this was the area where the 2 women were sitting. I watched as a young mother got on the bus with a very young baby in pram. The mother asked the 2 older ladies if they would moved to the seats just behind, which to be fair, were on the same level in the bus (British buses have steps down them to give height to the engine at the back) The 2 refused to move and the mother had to stand with the buggy in a awkward way for the whole journey trying to, and failing to keep the buggy steady in the isle . So in a situation like that, say the seats behind weren't available, who should sit?

In this situation, I think the older two should've moved, the seats behind had more then enough room for the two and I felt they were rude to not move.

What do people make of this?

 

[Generic_Username]

I've come to realize some old people are surprisingly sturdy for their age. Although I'm not saying all of them.
Anyway, even if the seats behind were taken, the mother and the baby should sit in the area where the old women sat. At least the women are old enough to know how to stand.

 

[Hipsy_Gypsy]

Snippity!

Geez. There's only room for one buggy on buses and the two wee women took up the seats where it was situated. That's pretty rude. Surely they weren't so old that they could barely get up with ease? I'm sure the mother didn't demand it either.

Generally, some elderly people are so "up themselves", getting on as though people should be treating them as superiors in some situations. Ugh. If that made the slightest bit of sense, lol.


x

 

[BishopofAges]

In a situation where the open seats would be unavailable I'd say it'd matter on the health condition of the two old ladies. If they were the oxygen can-carrying toothpick ladies then I would say... well I'd probably get up and try to offer or assist the woman w/ baby, because the ladies would probably not move. If they were the active-good health type old ladies I'd say they ought to move because respect is a 2-way street, you know.

I cannot say much for myself though, as I have never been on a British bus before, but I would rather stand for several blocks than let anyone else be unconfortable.

edit: Good rule for life - Never assume anything.

 

[Zac Smith]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emdjt42/3866347063/lightbox/

For those who don't know, this is what the inside of a bus in the UK looks, well in my area at least. You can see the seat in the bottom right is slightly back a bit to allow room for a buggy. The 2 seats behind and all on the left side are on the same level. Here you can also see where the floor raises the further down the bus you go, as I said, to accommodate the engine in the rear and rear axle/wheels

 

[Mr Thin]

As far as I'm concerned, taking a seat like that is just like taking a disabled parking space.

The fact that they were old women probably makes it even worse, since it's quite likely they weren't just being rude, but actually thought they were entitled to that kind of behaviour; that their age gave them a free pass.

Edit: And if all other seats were taken, the baby still gets priority. If the women were old enough for standing in such a situation to be a problem, they shouldn't (and in fact probably couldn't) have gotten on the bus in the first place.

 

[Woodsey]

They should have moved.

 

[Beryl77]

If they aren't so old that their feet can't carry them properly anymore, then I'd say the old women should move because this, the baby is endangered just so that the two women can have it comfortable. Of course I wasn't there so I don't know the condition of the women and I'm not sure how the situation on the bus is, since I've never been to britain.

There are some old people, just some of course not all, who deliberately act like dicks just because they can. There was once an old man who would come nearly every morning in the same bus as me and my friends when we went to school. I don't know where exactly he always went but he'd always demand a seat where someone young was sitting on. As soos as he's get on the bus, he always went straight for a seat where some teenager was already sitting and yelling at us, that he's an old man and we have to show some respect and then he'd push us away and he wasn's exactly some weak old guy who couldn't stand, he was rather a vital person. The biggest problem was that there were always lots of free seats on the bus where he could sit but he always chose the sit where we young kids were sitting.

I'm all for respect but I can't have respect for someone who doesn't respect me.

 

[Henrik Stavenes]

The fact that It would claim less then a minute of theit time, as compared to the discomfort of the mother through the trip (until one of said parties got of the bus) the old ladies where in the wrong no matter what ethical viewpoint I consider the situation from. They should have moved, and they were being hags by not doing it.

 

[Hipsy_Gypsy]

Ah, another reason they should move, besides what everybody else here has already stated, is that they are probably getting this bus ride for free as they are pensioners. The mother, on the other hand, is not.

[...]

There are some old people, just some of course not all, who deliberately act like dicks just because they can. There was once an old man who would come nearly every morning in the same bus as me and my friends when we went to school. I don't know where exactly he always went but he'd always demand a seat where someone young was sitting on. As soon as he gets on the bus, he always went straight for a seat where some teenager was already sitting and yelling at us, that he's an old man and we have to show some respect and then he'd push us away and he wasn't exactly some weak old guy who couldn't stand, he was rather a vital person. The biggest problem was that there were always lots of free seats on the bus where he could sit but he always chose the sit where we young kids were sitting.

I'm all for respect but I can't have respect for someone who doesn't respect me.

This is exactly what I was getting at in my previous post. Also, more specifically in regards to your post, the front seats are usually a priority for elderly and disabled people (or buggies, of course). I'm assuming you lot tend to go for about the middle? I usually go for that for... no apparent reason, lol, usually the first seats on the step or just before, haha.


x

 

[Beryl77]

-snip-

Yes, we mostly sit somewhere in the middle, sometimes in the back but never at the front.

 

[SckizoBoy]

snip

Good grief, that's an old looking interior, daan saaff, we've got an all plastic upgrade (still the same problem, but hey). And yeah, I'm with most peeps, they should've moved, though some old people act like dicks/bitches mainly because they can and get away with it (and they know it).

 

[yuval152]

They should've moved,if it were up to me i'd probably do it GTA style....

 

[Zac Smith]

snip

Good grief, that's an old looking interior, daan saaff, we've got an all plastic upgrade (still the same problem, but hey). And yeah, I'm with most peeps, they should've moved, though some old people act like dicks/bitches mainly because they can and get away with it (and they know it).

It's an old picture from the north east buses, and yes, the buses in the South are better, I'm from Kent in the south east, in a small town just outside Canterbury, but I couldn't find a picture of our ones. They look more modern yes, but the lay out is the same.

Took me a bit to work out "daan saaff" as well. lool