{"id":83638,"date":"2023-10-09T17:11:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T17:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/?p=83638"},"modified":"2023-10-09T17:11:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T17:11:37","slug":"i-refused-to-give-up-my-seat-on-a-busy-train-for-a-pregnant-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/travel\/i-refused-to-give-up-my-seat-on-a-busy-train-for-a-pregnant-woman\/","title":{"rendered":"I refused to give up my seat on a busy train for a pregnant woman"},"content":{"rendered":"
A young man has sparked a backlash online after revealing he refused to give up his seat on a train for a pregnant woman.<\/p>\n
The train passenger insisted he had \u2018every right\u2019 to remain in his seat, despite other passengers urging him to help the pregnant woman out.<\/p>\n
The anonymous man shared his story in a since-deleted post on Reddit’s AITA forum earlier this month, asking whether he was in the wrong in the situation.<\/p>\n
The man – who goes by the Reddit username \u2018Future-Fold-6085\u2019 – explained that there were \u2018no vacant seats left\u2019 on the packed train he was travelling on when a pregnant woman entered the compartment, \u2018apparently looking for a seat\u2019.<\/p>\n
He noted that his own seat was the first in her eye-line and that everyone occupying the seats around him was much older than him. \u2018I wasn’t sure whether I should offer mine [to her] or not,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
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A young man has sparked a backlash online after revealing he refused to give up his seat on a train for a pregnant woman (file photo)<\/p>\n
However, while the young man was mulling over whether he ought to offer up his seat, an elderly woman who was seated nearby made the decision for him and instructed the pregnant woman to take his seat.<\/p>\n
The young man was angered that his seat had been offered up without his say-so, and told the elderly woman: \u2018You can’t just ask tell someone else to claim my seat. It’s mine, I get to decide.\u2019<\/p>\n
The elderly woman then explained that the female passenger was evidently pregnant and that as a young man he has \u2018the ability to stand\u2019.<\/p>\n
The young man continued: \u2018Everyone was eyeing me as if I had said something wrong, but I got p***ed off. I wasn’t having that nonsense. I told her that I am not doing it, and she began to accuse me of not having respect for elders.\u2019<\/p>\n
A few more passengers then weighed in and urged him to forgo his seat, but he refused to listen to them, he revealed. The man said: \u2018I told the old woman that she has to mind her own business, to not interfere in my affairs, and that I have every right to remain there.\u2019<\/p>\n
He said: \u2018I probably [made] a bad impression on everyone, but I didn’t like her attitude.\u2019<\/p>\n
Taking to the thread, commenters were quick to criticise his behaviour, while also pointing out that the elderly woman shouldn\u2019t have presumed he was comfortable standing. Reddit user \u2018didntcondawnthat\u2019 remarked that the man \u2018showed a very prominent lack of empathy towards someone in a physically demanding state who did nothing wrong\u2019.<\/p>\n
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The train passenger insisted he had \u2018every right\u2019 to remain in his seat, despite other passengers urging him to help the pregnant woman out (file photo)\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman, the founder of The Protocol School of Texas, says: ‘This man should have extended a courtesy by offering the woman his seat’<\/p>\n
And user ‘Knightseason’ wrote that the man ‘should have offered up [his] seat’ but noted that the older woman ‘should not be offering other people’s seats up’ as ‘someone can have a disability\/condition where they need to sit, and age doesn’t matter’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While user \u2018I_am_legend-ary\u2019 said: \u2018The courteous thing to do is give up your seat to the pregnant person.\u2019<\/p>\n
What is the best etiquette in such a scenario? Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman, the founder of The Protocol School of Texas, told MailOnline Travel: \u2018This man should have extended a courtesy by offering the woman his seat. He made the decision to stay seated and stood his ground out of anger, which is not the best-deciding factor when determining an act of kindness to someone else.<\/p>\n
\u2018Common courtesy dictates that when you are able-bodied, and have the opportunity to offer your seat to someone who appears to want or need extra help or attention, you do so out of goodwill.\u2019<\/p>\n
Gottsman continues: \u2018This gentleman continues to be bothered by his own behaviour, or he would\u2019ve let it go by now, rather than dwelling on what he did. Whether the person was pregnant, elderly, or simply appeared to need to sit down, giving up a seat is a small sacrifice, which makes a big impact. You never know\u2026 they may have gratefully refused the kindness but it is a goodwill gesture nonetheless.\u2019<\/p>\n