PSA - please give up your seat if someone needs it more

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I couldn’t believe it tonight when a woman with a toddler and an infant in a front pack boarded the bus (we had been waiting at least 20 min at that point so I don’t blame her for wanting to board) and no one offered her a seat. Yes, I get it that you are tired at the end of the day, but sometimes someone else needs your seat more than you do. I was seated almost all the way in the back and managed to wave her down. Even still she could only manage to get her toddler seated (there wasn’t enough space for both) and she still had to stand the whole way back to the hotel. Do better people.

Rant over.

(Also as an aside, thank you to the person who offered me his seat on the way TO Disney Springs, even though I didn’t take it. Im going to imagine that you are just a polite person and not that I looked so haggard/old/pregnant that I needed it.)

 

[Spunky946]

And I hate the assumption that someone doesn’t need it more than her. People do have hidden disabilities. If she didn’t want to stand, she could have waited for the next bus.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

And I hate the assumption that someone doesn’t need it more than her. People do have hidden disabilities. If she didn’t want to stand, she could have waited for the next bus.

The ENTIRE bus was full of people with hidden disabilities? Sure. You are welcome to believe that.

 

[TCRAIG]

And I hate the assumption that someone doesn’t need it more than her. People do have hidden disabilities. If she didn’t want to stand, she could have waited for the next bus.

Wait for the next bus with an infant and a toddler! You’re not seriously thinking this is an option…

 

[Spunky946]

Wait for the next bus with an infant and a toddler! You’re not seriously thinking this is an option…

Sure fi you don’t want to stand. She could also have gotten a Minnie van. There are options and expecting someone who was there first to give up their seat is outrageous.

 

[Spunky946]

The ENTIRE bus was full of people with hidden disabilities? Sure. You are welcome to believe that.

No, probably not. But why should someone give up their seat when they were there first just because?

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

No, probably not. But why should someone give up their seat when they were there first just because?

Because they are polite human beings that realize that someday they or someone they love might need a seat and hopefully someone will be kind to them?

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I guess I just hope to live in a world where people can be good to each other once in a while. Especially at Disney.

 

[traveler9]

You want a seat, you can wait for the next bus. You don't have a right to take (or expect someone to give up) a seat from someone who boarded before you. Simple as that.

 

[Mommb]

Of course there is no expectation that someone will give up a seat, and no requirement for anyone to do so. However, it would be helpful for someone who is able to stand for 10 or 15 minutes to do so, to help those who have difficulty standing.

It is not always clear when boarding a bus whether there are seats available, so saying that someone who doesn’t want to stand should wait for the next bus is not a simple solution. If the buses pick up passengers at earlier stops, there is no guarantee the next bus will have seats either.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I never said that she had a right to anyone’s seat, nor did she demand anything from anyone. But she sure was thankful when I stood up.

Sheesh.

 

[TCRAIG]

Sure fi you don’t want to stand. She could also have gotten a Minnie van. There are options and expecting someone who was there first to give up their seat is outrageous.

So how long would she have to stand waiting for the next bus or a Minnie Van with a toddler and an infant in a front carrier…
And nobody said the woman EXPECTED someone to give us their seat - just another kind guest reminding people that courtesy is a good thing!

 

[bumbershoot]

Wait for the next bus with an infant and a toddler! You’re not seriously thinking this is an option…

Why, exactly, is it not an option?

You "flagged her down". That means she wasn't actively asking people for seats, right? Maybe, just maybe, she didn't expect a seat at all. Maybe she is a mature adult who knew that having two kids is not a disability, and babywearing isn't something terrible that should make people feel sorry for her.

But I'm 100% biased because I cannot stand it when people LOOK at me and decide I am so old/frail/haggard/exhausted/etc that they need to offer me a seat. And usually, if I'm that tired, I do not want to deal with sitting down then standing again. I'd rather just stand.

Don't infantilize women. Assume they are grownups who know how to make their own decisions.

(and if SHE wanted to sit down she would have sat and had the toddler sit on her lap with the baby. The fact that she remained standing tells me something)

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Why do you think I am infantilizing a woman? Have you ever had a baby in a front pack? Have you tried to sit with a baby AND a toddler in your lap on a cramped bus seat? Perhaps the whole lot wouldn’t fit because it’s awkward to try to do that so she made the best of a bad situation. Or maybe she preferred to stand, but the toddler was safer seated. At least she had the option to choose what was best for her family.

If you don’t want to sit, you can simply say no thank you. No one is going to force you to. But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t polite for someone to offer to try to make your day a little easier.

 

[lowlight]

Trying to be a polite and courteous person at Disney is like shoving your hand in a Vitamix on high speed. I still do it because it’s how I was raised, but then you get people like PP and it’s like “sorry I tried to be courteous”.

 

[TCRAIG]

Why, exactly, is it not an option?

You "flagged her down". That means she wasn't actively asking people for seats, right? Maybe, just maybe, she didn't expect a seat at all. Maybe she is a mature adult who knew that having two kids is not a disability, and babywearing isn't something terrible that should make people feel sorry for her.

But I'm 100% biased because I cannot stand it when people LOOK at me and decide I am so old/frail/haggard/exhausted/etc that they need to offer me a seat. And usually, if I'm that tired, I do not want to deal with sitting down then standing again. I'd rather just stand.

Don't infantilize women. Assume they are grownups who know how to make their own decisions.

(and if SHE wanted to sit down she would have sat and had the toddler sit on her lap with the baby. The fact that she remained standing tells me something)

You can’t fit a toddler on your lap if you’re wearing a baby carrier…
And how is being polite and courteous to someone who ‘might’ need it infantizing women (which I happen to be - a very strong opinionated retired tech VP) - I’ve had people offer me their seat and I’ve declined - no offense given or taken…

 

[Mirabell Rose]

Sure fi you don’t want to stand. She could also have gotten a Minnie van. There are options and expecting someone who was there first to give up their seat is outrageous.

No, it’s not called outrageous. It’s called decency and manners.

 

[sam_gordon]

Whats outrageous is judging a bus full of others for not offering up their seat.

They could "need it more" (because you can't tell by looking),, they could have not noticed (zoned out or "in their own world"), or 6es, could be rude.

This gets brought up every so often on here. I suggest remembering this...

O God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other.

 

[TCRAIG]

Whats outrageous is judging a bus full of others for not offering up their seat.

They could "need it more" (because you can't tell by looking),, they could have not noticed (zoned out or "in their own world"), or 6es, could be rude.

This gets brought up every so often on here. I suggest remembering this...

You think that the OP’s reminder to be courteous is outrageous? What does that say about us if we can’t even acknowledge that sometimes people need help and if we’re in a position to do so - we should.

 

[han22735]

This tread is going exactly how I expected it to go.... LOL