中学生不给老人让座引发争议

Wang Yuanyuan

A picture of seven middle school students not offering their seats to an old man on a bus in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, has stirred up* debate on the Internet. Many netizens felt the incident represented the selfishness and self-centered nature of today's students.

In a response posted several days later, an unidentified student said that the students pictured had been suffering from intense pressure and had been very tired after school. "Our bags are very heavy and we are too tired to even speak or stand, but some old people don't have to work. They are in very good spirits with red faces, so why do we have to offer our seats to them? We are the ones who need rest," the student wrote.

His response caused another wave of debate. Some thought that, no matter what the circumstances, not offering one's seat to the elderly was wrong. Others felt the education system should be blamed for putting such pressure on students.

"I think offering seats to the needy on the bus is a good tradition that should be passed on by generations. Although we are tired sometimes, we will recover quickly after a little rest, so it does not matter," said Weng Lingling, a Senior 2 student from Shenzhen No.2 Experimental School.

However, some students held a different opinion. "Sometimes I am very sleepy on the bus to school in the morning. When the bus stops at Lianhua Hill station, a large number of old people get on the bus after their morning exercises, laughing and shouting happily and looking for empty seats or waiting for other passengers to give their seats to them. At that time, I really don't want to offer my seat to them," said Zhou Luyue, another Senior 2 student from the school.

Feng Wenjuan, the mother of a Junior 1 student, said: "My son is now in Junior 1 and his school bag weighs about 6 kilograms. With two bottles of water and some other things, he carries at least 7 kilograms every day. I think the other students' bags weigh about the same, so I fully understand why they will not give up their seats in a crowded bus after a whole day of study. I always tell my parents not to take bus during rush hour."

Education experts thought it unreasonable to blame the students for not offering their seats. "Offering seats is a courtesy* and not a must-do. A proper education from school and family is needed to teach them about manners, not just gaining high scores," said Song Xianwen, a researcher from the city's education bureau.

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