Will all the REAL MEN Please Stand Up!
This post is a bit of rant post but I really feel that I need to say it… Real Men Stand Up!
Recently I went on training in the JHB office of my firm, so I decided to catch the Gautrain and a shuttle into the office. Now for those non-ZA visitors the Gautrain is a high speed rail link between Pretoria and Johannesburg / OR Tambo Airport (read more here if you want). This was also so that I could skip the EToll gantries (but that is a different topic for another day).
Anyway on the first day traveling back, the first 4 car train arrived at Marlboro station and was so packed that no-one could get in or out…so I had to wait another 15 minutes.
Next 4 car train arrived – AGAIN packed so full one could not even try and squeeze a small child in even! So I had to wait another 15 minutes!
The next train was an 8 car one, it was full but at least one could climb in as people made space. I squeezed in and looked around. There were men of different ages and races sitting it the chairs – WHILE THE WOMEN stood! For the rest of the trip I remained standing.
The next day the same thing…I squeezed into an 8 car train and again I noticed that the men sat while the woman stood… When we arrived at the Centurion station a few seats opened up and there was a mad rush by the passengers to sit down. One young gentleman pushed his way past a lady and plonked himself into a seat, while the lady just had to stay standing! I approached this young man and asked him to please stand up and give his seat to the lady – he just stared blankly at me and stayed seated! I asked the Gautrain Security Guard who was riding along, and was witness to all this, to please ask the youngster to get up, he said unfortunately he would not be able to as he was there to preserve the peace only…
When the young man climbed off at the Pretoria station I said to him…”I hope your parents are proud of you”…and I then told the lady to take the seat.
This got me thinking, what ever happened to “Ladies First”, or “Elderly or Disabled People First”? Have this new generation lost its manners?
Gautrain management, if you happen to be reading this, please instruct your security guards to remind passengers that elderly, disabled, pregnant, woman and children (in that order) have the rights to the seats.
And to the men I want to remind you – Real Men Stand Up!
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