Seats morality

Today while taking the MRT from Boon Lay to Clementi, I saw something interesting. Well it wouldn’t have occurred to me as interesting if I had just simply thought of it, but it was interesting when I actually see it. What I saw was a pretty girl giving up her seat to an elderly woman. What was interesting is that it was only when I see it, that I realized for my life thus far, it was the first time I saw a pretty girl actually giving up her seat.

It’s not like the first time I have seen people giving up their seats though (I do it myself all the time), but those who do are usually men or women who looked pretty casual. It never occurred to me previously, but I had never seen anyone who are dolled up/dressed up give their seats up before. Especially those yuppies, their eyes seem to have an auto scanning mechanism that pass over people who need their seats.

Maybe I just wasn’t observant enough, but I doubt it–I’m always very alert on the MRT, especially nearing the stops. If I was reading, I would put down my book, and scan the entering passengers; if I was talking to someone, I would look away from that someone and scan the entering passengers; if I was doing nothing particularly, I would put off doing nothing particularly and scan the passengers too.

In the best of all possible worlds, I would have you believe that I was scanning the entering passengers for the elderly or the disabled who might need my seat. In the best of all possible worlds, I would retire as a billionaire 1 year ago too. Since this isn’t the best of all possible worlds, the honest truth is that I was looking at the pretty girls. Or would be looking at the pretty girls if there are any. In the best of all possible worlds, there would be.

Which is why, as a concomitant to girls-watching, I usually notice the elderly and disabled, and occasionally offer my seats to them. Only occasionally because sometimes other people will offer their seats instead. But never the pretty girls, and never the yuppies.

Which brings me to my topic today. If you, at this point, felt it extremely unreasonable that I only just introduced my topic so late in the post, then I think you are extremely justified about it, and hence it is also extremely reasonable for you to start smashing your screen in to vent your frustration.

Where was I?

Ah yes, pretty girls and yuppies. Let’s not talk about the yuppies, since I don’t really know who the term is used for, and its about time to stop blaming people I have no idea who.

These days, pretty girls seem to think that they own the world. Or at least, the world owe them something. They expect to be served, but not serve. It’s always about them, never about others. (Well at least, it’s never about this particular someone–me. But that’s generalizable, isn’t it? If you aren’t concerned about me, you won’t be about anyone. Seems a fairly reasonable argument to make.) And they would never give up their seats on the bus, MRT, taxis, what-have-you-s.

I’m not sure what implications I can draw from this. Perhaps this: that some girls, especially the pretty ones, don’t really have a nice character. What they are really concerned about is having fun, and that means other people pleasing them, generally allowing them to enjoy themselves without a care in the world.

One thing I do know though, is that I wouldn’t want to be part of their entourage of entertainers. Let some other clowns dance to their music.