'No respect'

 

 

 

 

A photo of an elderly woman standing hunched over on a Sydney train as three commuters sit down with their headphones in is dividing the internet.

The picture, which emerged on Facebook, has caught the attention of many people who were unimpressed when the other travelers, who appear younger than the standing woman, failed to offer their seats to her. 

The image, which was uploaded on Saturday, was captioned: 'No respect', and was shared 22,000 times and received over 2,100 comments.

It is not clear when the photo was taken, but it re-emerged on Facebook and Reddit over the weekend. 

 

Many on social media slammed the commuters for not giving up their seats to the elderly woman, including one on Reddit who wrote: 'Heartless souls. Some say they are called the Millennial generation.' 

Another wrote: 'They need slapping, the lot of em, obviously they have no respect or manners!' 

There were many who said they would have given their seat for the elderly woman, including a 16-year-old who wrote: 'I would have offered my seat as soon as she jumped on the train, I've done it before for an old lady.' 

Another wrote: 'I'm 20 and I can't believe this. None of them would've heard if she'd even asked politely for the seat – all three seated with their earphones in or headphones on! Where's the human connection?'

Meanwhile someone else offered another explanation, saying: 'Not defending them but... someone may have offered, but the elderly said 'No It's ok I'm getting off soon or at next stop.'  

Another suggested: 'It might be too hard for her to sit and stand back up. I'd like to think the kid with the hat offered. The other 3 are worthless.'

 

However, a number of other comments took aim at the person taking the photo.

One wrote: 'Typical person today. Take a photo and complain on Facebook but don't have the balls to say something in real life.' 

'Why not man up and say something to them instead of taking a pic to get likes,' another added.

In a statement Sydney Trains told Daily Mail Australia: 'Sydney Trains encourages all of its passengers to observe appropriate transport etiquette including respecting elderly, disabled or pregnant customers by offering up their seats.'

 

Image Source: https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/11/02/9649522-6689751-image-a-15_1549851136427.jpg

Article Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6689751/Photo-elderly-woman-stood-hunched-Australian-train-divides-internet.html

 

Vocabulary:

 

1. commuter (noun) - a person who travels some distance to work on a regular basis

2. declined (verb; simple past) - politely refuse (an invitation or offer)

3. hunched over (verb; simple past) -  round one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward

4. captioned (verb; simple past) - provide (an illustration) with a title or explanation

5. re-emerged (verb; simple past) - emerge again; come into sight or prominence once more

 

 

Questions:

 

1. Describe the situation.

2. What do you think about the situation?

3. Have you seen similar situations in your ｃountry? Describe a situation you experienced or witnessed?

4. What proper transport etiquette is not often observed in your ｃountry?

5. How has your government or local government addressed these issues?