SINGAPORE: A TikTok user made a video about how seat entitlement on the train is real, and that reserved seats make usually well-behaved people act rather badly.
In her particular example, it was a group of elderly citizens who were not at their best.
In her video from March 10, the TikTok user who goes by @echoyq said, “Sometimes I feel that people feel entitled to a seat on the train.”
She had been commuting earlier that day, and on her MRT ride, was standing in front of the reserved seat of the train cabin. On the seat was a middle-aged woman whom she guessed was between 40 and 50 years old.
The post author said that the woman looked like she needed that seat, as she seemed to be really tired and “simply wanted to rest after a long day of work.”
However, a group of three elderly people got on the train at the next stop, and the bad behaviour began.
They walked over to the side where she was, and she said that “obviously, they wanted the seat,” but saw that the reserved seat was occupied.
And then they spoke loudly to each other, telling each other that it was fine because they were getting off in a few stops anyway.
The post author, who had been ready to intervene by requesting people to give up their seats if necessary, did not do so.
To her surprise, the group of elderlies then switched to Hokkien and began to complain about how they should have been offered a seat, but the woman in the reserved seat did not stand up, and neither did anyone offer them an alternative seat.
They even pointed “aggressively” at the reserved seat sign, almost hitting the post author in the face.
“I don’t know, guys, people are generally nice, but this ‘sacred’ seat brings out the worst in people,” she said, adding a message to commuters, especially entitled ones: “If you want a seat, just say it. If you need a seat, just ask for it nicely.”
Her story isn’t that unusual, based on the comments on her video.
“Happened to me once when I was on my way back home from the hospital after a day of surgery. I almost wanted to tell the elderly gentleman who was complaining about me to his friend AFTER I’d given up my seat to him, ‘Uncle, you’re lucky you get to grow old… Just because we look young and healthy to you doesn’t mean you know what we’re dealing with’,” wrote one.
“I’ve scolded an uncle once; he just came in and demanded my seat rudely. I was unwell. And yet he still pointed at the priority sign. So I told him, it doesn’t mean we younger ones are well, sometimes we also need to sit. He shut up,” added another.
“Some middle-aged commuters need the seats too, especially if they are weak/injured. I’m young-ish, but some days, I carry very heavy equipment for work, and it would be nice to have a seat. Yet, I never dare to sit for fear of such situations. To the elderly – asking politely and having a pleasant attitude never hurts. You don’t have to scold others or rush/shove others out of the way,” a third chimed in.
“I’m pregnant and also face pressure from the elderly to give up my seat a few times. Once, an elderly man told me off for sitting on a priority seat when half the row was empty! I told him I was pregnant 3x in English, Mandarin, and eventually in sign language before he got it. He was waiting for me to move away. I just got up, gave him the seat, and moved. The entitlement is real,” wrote a TikTok user. /TISG
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