There’s a new group in town. It’s called ‘Never give up your seat’ group. Its members, of course all young, refuse to give up their seats for anyone. Their argument? It’s no problem for the elderly to stand in a bus.

This is not a joke. In Nanjing recently, in a crowded bus where many of the standees were elderly, no youngster got up to offer his or her seat. One 30-something woman was unfortunate enough to have a 70-plus passenger standing just near her. The old woman kept staggering every time the bus lurched (as Indian passengers know by now, the suspension in Chinese buses is pretty awful). Someone requested the younger woman to get up. Her retort, “I would never give up my seat to anyone in the bus’’, prompted another passenger to intervene. To everyone’s surprise, the young woman angrily asserted, “Please give me a reason why I should give up my seat. I am a member of ‘Never give up your seat group.’ Go and check it out on the internet if you like.”

The ‘Never give up your seat’ group takes a dim view of the physical hardships faced by the elderly. The members argue that all across China, one sees the elderly leading normal lives. They are always first in line, be it for Olympic tickets or supermarket sales. So, “standing in a bus for few minutes is not such a big deal.’’ The group’s manifesto accuses the elderly of faking weakness when they find they have to stand in a bus, and also of taking it for granted that someone will get up for them. No one really wants to, but ultimately someone does so, out of a feeling of guilt. Wanting to put a stop to the “unscientific and unfounded theory that the old should always take the seats’’, the group asks people to join it, for, “every time you contest the idea, you contribute a bit to the final destruction of the absurd theory.’’ Incidentally, some buses actually have recorded announcements asking passengers to offer their seats to the elderly, pregnant women and people holding babies.

Still hopeful

Other arguments put forward by supporters of the group include: the old are actually fitter than many youngsters; they never express any gratitude when offered a seat; and, the young shoulder the entire burden of society, and need the little rest they get.

Truth to tell, some of these arguments are true. Some older Chinese in the cities, who are not destitute, are fitter than some Chinese youngsters. A majority of those exercising in the open, morning and evening, is over 60. The urban elderly do seem to spend a lot of time outdoors, mostly minding their grandchildren. You rarely see them eating junk food. On the other hand, the People’s Daily reported last year that levels of fitness among children had dropped to the lowest in 20 years.

The third argument — the young are already over-burdened — is particularly true. Even a first-time tourist can’t help but notice the number of youngsters in their 20s and early 30s — women and men — resting their tired heads on the backs of bus seats, specially at the end of the day. Fortunately, they have an excellent public transport system that allows them to sit after more than 10 hours of being on their feet. Few old people work that long, at least in cities, where young migrant workers constitute most of the workforce.

However, the underlying hostility to the elderly and the insistence on personal comfort that form the basis of this group are startling. These are at complete variance with traditional Chinese values. Interestingly, Premier Wen Jiabao chose to call himself “Grandpa Wen” while reassuring children stuck in the rubble of school buildings in the May earthquake in Sichuan, and became the most popular politician in China.

Fortunately, students don’t seem to be a part of this group: the only ones who do offer their seats are uniformed kids.