Stick your head into your reading or close your eyes was the typical reaction I always saw, LOL!
well i live in a good part of town in Florida...but the places around are bad mannered people.
Haha.. So Japanese somehow changed when its all about seat on a train? Surprising to me. In Malaysia, people here is very generous in giving seats to the needy ones on public transport (as far as I've seen with my eyes). But we Malaysian tends to change when its all about driving on the road. Cutting queues, abusing signal lamps and horns, etc. Where has the moral GONE to??!!
BLEGH! That comment about doggy diahorrea at the end was both disgusting and amusing! I can totally agree with you about not wanting a seat when you get on a train - most people spend all day sitting on their arse anyway. Standing on a train would make a nice change!
LOLZ!! I hope the whole "putting the poop in their hair or pockes" is just a joke!
So in Australia. Most of the time people would give up the seats to the elderly or needy. Since there is a lot of signs saying to give up your sittings to the needy, but overall, quite a nice community here.
speaking of images and subway, do they still have this one on the trains? http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/6295/tubesignscv3.jpg anyway with regards to manners, I would think manners and education would usually come hand in hand. the better educated people are in the area, the better their manners would be. of course culture does effect it a little bit. in more upscale areas in Manila people are more considerate not to hack and spit, throw rubbish in the bin and not on the floor. in places with less commercial activities people would sometimes cough right to your face. spit right on the floor in front of you. although they never really meant that to be offensive, they just don't know any better.
when it comes to the subway commute in manila however, I'd have to say I'm keeping my hands off on that topic. ^^; however in Vancouver I not sure if they still have this, but I remember the skytrain didn't have any entrance queue that you'd have to stick a ticket in before entering the train area, people were honest enough to buy a ticket from a ticket booth before boarding the train. I wish it were that way everywhere else.
People are nice when it comes to giving up seats on the bus here, especially in the front of the bus designated for the handicap, elderly, pregnant, etc. When you're driving your own car it's a mix of "get out of my way" and "I'm going the speed limit so back off."
I give always my seat to elder people and that, but sometimes is fun cause the other day I offered my seat to an older man and I think he felt offended and said to me "no thanks" hehe
lol! That comment about japanese people wiping poop in their heads was hilarious. XD
Is that why the Japanese have such nice looking hair?! Excusez-moi, il y a un morceau de merde dans vos cheveux! Ah, et quels beaux cheveux vous avez! LMAO.
This reminds me of the ear-wax-cocktail!
In Brazil, things are quite the opposite. In buses and trains, usually people are polite. But probably even less than in Japan... only more polite than in other stuff. There are designated seats for people who needs it, and usually people will give their seats up. I even got in buses where people volunteered to hold my bag, specially when it looked particularly heavy. But in general... people walk the dogs and let them poo wherever they want, people throw garbage out of car windows. There's not much spitting in the ground, but I've seen it happen several times. I won't even start talking about public restrooms because the memories will spoil my dinner.
Oh, forgot to add: The poster looks kinda creepy. :P
Horrible, they throw garbage wherever they can, if theres a trashcan nearby, they will still throw it in the street. *if their dog poops in the road, they pick up the offensive object and pocket it - even if the dog has diarrhea in which case they scoop it up, rub it in their hands and wipe it in their hair* Ha, so they pocket ti object, that must be what that smell is... Wipe it in there hairs huh, so thats why its so slick...
their all POLITE lol... though sum of my friends keep on littering--- but other than zat its all good lol ^^
A bit average here. Some people spit, some people litter. Etc, etc. Only the nicer people that give up their seats to the elderly or disabled...
years ago, singapore too has this problem..but recently, it changed. For the better.Whenever i take the train, if there's ever a pregnant lady or old person who comes in, the first reaction of most commuters would be look left, look right, stand up if there are no seats and let the needy sit. I was kinda surprised by how some teenagers who let their seats to the needy. As for me, I stand most of the time in the train, and only sit when there are plenty of empty seats and sleep =_=zzz
It is interesting how Japanese have an almost obsessive nature when it comes to getting a seat on the train. I have had many Japanese friends reply "I couldn't get a seat on the train." when I ask about their morning commute. Heck, they could be in a major earthquake, hit by a car and stomped on by Godzilla and it is ok as long as they get to sit on the train. ^^; Here the first order of business is to be rude. It has become an art form. Why can't people show respect for each other...
I don't think you would ever see someone in need of a seat, not getting one in Denmark. but people are idiots when it comes to throwing burger-wrap or coke-cans in public. Only reason it's kind'a clean and neat here, is the massive amount of public employed, cleaning up all the time.
Most people in LA, CA put themselves in first priority and don't give a sh*t about others
oh, there were other commuting experiences I'd like to share, however I do apologize to Danny for the multiple posts. in Nottingham I tried to give my seat to an older woman, however I think she got insulted and gave me a weird look, but politely said no thank you. ^^; in Hong Kong on the other hand as soon as I stood up to give my seat to an old lady, some guy literally dove down to my seat faster than I could ask the lady to sit on it. :p however my worst possible experience was in Mainland China, I tried riding a public train with the lowest fare, people started clamoring for the seats as soon as the trains arrived, some even jumped into them thru the train windows. a friend of mine had it worst, she had to sit with a mother who had her child pee on the table right in front of her. suffice to say I decided on that day that I'd never try to be a cheapskate in China ever again. (o.O)>
This happens pretty often in Singapore as well. On buses and trains. And when a train arrives, people waiting to board the train usually barricade the entrance and make it difficult for passengers to alight. Even when lines are painted on the floor to indicate where they should stand to avoid blocking the alighting passengers. And when travelling on escalators, people cannot seem to keep left to allow moving traffic to move on the right.
"Even if the dog has diarrhea some folks would even scoop it up, rub it in their hands and wipe it in their hair." LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
Erase that statement about 'Japanese never spit on the streets'! I see/hear teenager boys and oyaji so often spitting on the streets, often pulling the snot up their throat before they spit. Repulsive to say the least!
Hmm, I did notice while in Japan taht people tend to rush for the seats, but I didn't really see any situation where they should of given up their seats. Here in Melbourne it's pretty common to see people give up seats for elderly, people with children, or the disabled. Then again, most trams/trains here have more seats than the JR lines in Japan. (at the cost of standing space)
In Malaysia, there's the "if you're good to me, i'll be good to you" attitude. but once you're on the road driving, expect to see inconsiderate drivers who hog lanes by driving extra slow on fast lanes or drive close enough to sniff your car's ass.
In L.A., nobody really cares about each other... This old lady gave the middle finger to my friend while she crossed the street! Can you believe it?
ah we got the same problem here in singapore :D .... no one wants to give up sits :D and everyone rushing to the sits and stuff but its a little different as when old folks can't get the sits they want they would scold teens and ask them ti give up the sits for them ... some would give it up some would just look else where and ... some would fight back!!
Hm, I don't think I'd give up my seat either if I was that girl, it's hard to trust somebody with a transparent cast ~_^ @Tofu: Did you smile and give her a golf-clap back? ^^;
From what I observe people here are pretty considerate when it comes to giving seats to needy people on the trains.
humanity is a selfish lot.
to be fair i've met very nice mannered japanese people, and very rude japanese people. You get pretty much the same in most asian cultures. Although I rate japan lower.... I fractured my ankle once during a rainy day in nagoya and noone stopped to help :( Thats only one issue :( Its all rosey until you live there a long time, then you start to notice its not all that perfect :)
Reader's Digest ranks our country one of the least courteous. We don't leave doors open when we pass through for the people behind us, don't pick up documents that some stranger happened to scatter all over the floor in fear of ruining our brand-new manicures, and got the chewing gum ban as a result of the history of dry gum stuck on lift buttons and walls. 'Nuff said. However I do make it a point myself to go out of my way to show courtesy. I've written enough about that in my blog. >.
it's the same thing over here in singapore danny, failing to give up their seat to those who need it more than them, rushing in to grab a seat, refusing to move to the rear of a crowded bus so that passengers can get in etc. we even have a courtesy campaign encouraging us to be courteous.
Lizardman, I did say "rarely" ^^ Marvin, LOL at your China experience! Re image - all over the place ^^
In Singapore you can see many pretend to fall asleep or look busy when there people need to seat.
I'm from Singapore but I have been living in Tokyo for the past 3 years, and by comparison, Japanese folks are generally more civic minded. I've lost my Talby handphone thrice here - and everytime someone has returned it, something which I doubt will happen in Singapore.
I'm staying in Singapore too, but in large contrast to what the below comments say, I personally feel that Singaporeans always give up their seats to the needy! The moment an elderly gets on the train, there are always many people who offer their seats immediately.. sometimes beating me to it, which makes me feel really bad cos I'm in uniform.. *o*
Manners of people in my state are average, but that depends on where you're going to. If you're going to farther places like small towns and villages, the locals are extremely friendly and helpful. However, one problem shared with ALL the states in Malaysia are its drivers. If equipping guided missiles and napalm bombs on your car is legal, Twisted Metal would've looked like a kid's game if those armaments are in the hands of Malaysian drivers.
In metro trains in Washington DC Metro, people rarely give sits. I try to give my sit at all time and if train is crowded and I have a chance to get a sit, I won't because I rather someone else to have it. Also, in Washington Metro, we have more sits, its more like a bus in arrangement. Unlike most undergrounds/metro where sits are arranged against the wall, ours are perpendicular to the walls so there are a lot of sits.
@Boris: Totally agree. Most people in the DC area could care less about those around them. It's pretty disgusting IMO. I will say that it's no better than my experiences on the NYC Subway or SF's Muni system. I give up my seat if I actually took one in the first place. I usually just stand - I'm not on the Metro for more than 10 stops at a time anyway.
Japanese manners are inspired by this video imo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KYfAU7eXNU On a sidenote, ppl in my hometown are loyal followers of "mind your own goddamn businesses"ism.
in Chile dont have any manners!!!!! crap country!!
I would like to use a word describe: rojak! Yes, Singapore's very special delicacy - "rojak" is a mixed of stuffs like dough sticks, pineapples, tunips etc. So it's basically a mess of food with black sauce. (weird description?) What I'm trying to express here is that I suppose its almost the same everywhere, a mix of considerate and not-so-considerate people. Like Kaori said, we do see some people give up seats to people who need them more. Like there was this time I saw a lady almost fainting and an elderly actually gave a helping hand and gave up his seat for her instead! In my view, I've always had pictures that Japanese and Koreans are extremely well-mannered.
Manners in UK ARE AWSOME...NOT. Not everyone in UK have good manners. Old people in UK disgust me... especially those who don't seem to have a good life. They'll bad mouth at anyone like they're king. Inn the other hand, my mom has bad manners too. the end.
I have seen both outcomes concerning elders and seats on bus and metro. Some people are kind enough to offer seats (generally the ones sitting at the front of the bus) and others feign innocence (except when they sit on reserved seats, in which case they have no choice). I have yet to see an old man or an old lady claiming one, though. That should be funny. As for myself, I try to offer my seat to one who needs it, even if I'm dead tired. If there is no eye contact, I tend to poke at the concerned person's shoulder, without moving away from my seat (for not losing it in case of a refusal and to prevent potential opportunists). It is generally a selfish, hypocrite world we live in and I swore on my own life that I would do my best not to fall into that trap.
DRAGUN, your use of the French language is admirable! This may be an odd context to use it, but there is no misspelling at all. 100% perfect. *laughs*
In Vancouver, buses, and skytrain(public trains), as far as I know, poeple are willing to give up seats for elders, handicaps, and pregnant women when they eye contacted you that means they want to sit on your spot. If you do not give your seat to them, others may. If not, others may yell at you for not giving up your seat because you have a bad manner. Of course, they will say thank you to you when you give up the seat. I always give my seat if I eye contacted one of those. Or if someone doesnt give their seats I would even ask if they want to sit down (initiative). Sometimes I even see people dont want to seat even though the vehicle is packed. Surprising eh?
D Blade; Merci! It takes me a while sometimes to remember the correct grammar, but since I grew up in Canada, I am very proficient at speaking it. Writing French? Sometimes it eludes me (since no one in Arizona speaks French).
Seems like China is also doing the same kind of "education" program right now... Probably because of the Olympics... humm.... I think in the US, by law (at least in California), people have to give the seats close to the exit to disabled person on a train or bus...
Well, the normal thing in here is leave yuor seat a pregant woman, a injured or a very old person, but if anyone hit or push you when you walk, very much people continue hisher path without even apologize...
Well manners make good 1st impressions
