What happened to manners?

Whoops! Pressed the button too quickly. Anyway, what's really upsetting me is that not only was I as a girl taught to give my seat up to the elderly or infirm, this whole lack of consideration for others wasn't setting my grandchildren a very good example. Does anyone else get mad at this?

I regularly challenge passengers guilty of their selfish behaviour in taking up a seat for their briefcase or shopping and insist on sitting down preferably treading on their toes in doing so. I don't mind if they look daggers at me (in fact I enjoy it)

Manners are very important,of course,it's what separates us from the animals.Again,it's upbringing,The treat other people the way you would like them to treat you mantra.Thankfully there is still more of us than there is of them.
Of course (am I allowed to say) it's sometimes a cultural thing.We have so many people with different priorities now.That in its self may have a knock on affect.

Actually people from different cultures have more respect for the elderly than some "true brits"

One of the rudest things is people not bothering to say thank you for gifts.

It's always been the same on public transport. I had to travel on buses and tubes in my 20's and often seats were taken up by bags and people's feet. People are just marking their territory, and in the vast majority of cases will take their bags/feet off the seats when asked, and give up their seats to others in greater need. Why spoil the memory of a happy day out with looking askance at other people's behaviour?

Well,you can't just say they can you,because there are so many people from so many different cultures,including British.So some have more respect for old people,some don't know how to queue,get the picture ?
Some,(from any culture) couldn't give a s--- about anything or anyone.
Like,it can sometimes ( even with someone as contentious and caring as me) make a body think,sod it,they didn't say thank you to me so.Am I explaining myself?

Sorry Dramatictessa,but I don't agree,firstly,it's so not their territory is it,it's shared territory.SHARE being what some people don't understand.If they move stuff straight away,then fine,but if they have to be asked,not fine.

Public transport has always been like this, in the 1970's, when pregnant, nobody stood up for me to be able to sit ( this was on a local train) I had to shame somebody in order to get a seat.

I'm just replying to the OP's question, not saying whether it's right or not.

I agree with aggie. Muslim men usually seem to be more respectful of older people than their white counterparts.

And people in the rest of Europe give their seats up to this old girl far more often than people in this country. And that includes the young women. Everyone really seems more thoughtful.

Manners had disappeared in the APPLE store yesterday. We were queueing, as you do, to speak to an assistant, then a man appeared and pushed walked in front of us. When I said " excuse me" I got such a look..., but he did give way

I tend to ask whether they have bought a ticket for the briefcase...

When I am offered a seat I make sure that my thanks are heard by a number of people and that makes the seat offerer feel really good and with luck may shame the non movers.

I have offered my seat to someone in more need than myself and that has shamed a person to give up her seat to me. I never refuse even if it is only one stop.

No. I never refuse. Even if it's a bit of a struggle to get to the seat. I just aim for it and drop. Always profuse in thanks too.

Oh the joys of metro travel.

I commuted into central London for many years and noticed a mark change in behaviour over 30 years.

By the time I stopped commuting I walked slowly with a stick, plainly struggling. Yet I could still be the only person standing in my carriage. I took to getting earlier and earlier trains in an effort to get a seat.

By the end I was on the 06:30 train, carriage filled with builders going into London , and still struggled to get a seat , finding even those sat in the marked disabled seats chose not to see me !!

Worse was the homeward journey , more than once I had to get off before my stop, find a seat and try again 30 mins later. On the rare occasion I was offered a seat I was always very thankful and said so.

My children and their children would not dream of sitting whilst someone who needed a seat stood.

Never having commuted and living in rural Kent I'm so glad this is not a problem for me except for our one or two trips into London a year, I'm referring to getting a seat on public transport. Bad manners and lack of consideration for others really irk me.

In the 1950's my father always offered his seat to a lady and he taught me as a child to give my seat to any adult. He also made me stand for the National Anthem which was played at the end of films at the cinema .

Times have changed. Maybe it has something to do with womens lib, or the iphone world where nobody sees anything but the screen in front of them.

I would never put my bag on a seat and have no problem asking anyone to remove theirs if I can't find somewhere to sit.

I agree with most of what has been said having grown up in the 50s. However we did try to shuffle off before the national anthem in the cinema.....oops.

Lully ha ha yes and switch the TV off when THE EPILOGUE followed by God save the queen came on everynight at 10.30 .

I do sometimes put my bag on a seat next to me and don't always notice if the train has filled up and that seat is needed.
If asked, of course I move the bag. Maybe asking is all it would take.

You're probably right FarNorth. I'm just not very confident about asking. It's good to read everyone's comments. Made me feel better

“The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.”

Socrates 399 BC