Chivalry and sexism

I know that the mantra today is "Pregnancy is not a disease" but I still feel it does no harm to offer. My daughter sailed through her first pregnancy but was so crippled during the second one she couldn't have stood for five minutes, let alone thirty. It just seems common courtesy to me to offer a seat to anyone who looks as if they might need one, regardless of age, sex or anything else.

I walk with one or two canes, in the past crutches, here in Brussels it is very multi-cultural and I have noticed that it is the African and North African men of all ages who immediately stand up.
Around the EU area with all the suits i am never offered a seat and once stood on crutches for 40 minutes on a bus to a posh satellite town with the bus full of men and women clutching laptops in posh suits. there were a few bruised ankles and toes by the time I got off, but still no one offered me a seat.

Iam64 I would have got off at Wilmslow too, so please don't think we're all like that here
Some of us are quite nice

Anyone with a child who gets on a bus in Beijing is usually offered a seat immediately. If it doesn't happen then the conductor tells someone, in no uncertain manner, to move. Best not to travel in rush hours though !!

It does say a lot about someone's lack of empathy when they sit while a pregnant woman or someone who obviously needs a seat stands. They would also most probably be difficult and selfish to the people in their families and every day lives.

OK Lona, I do know that really, i have good friends in that area. Some folks are just rude, where ever they live, no offence taken I hope.

Of course not Iam64, this area is full of prats!

tee hee -

I think in the early years of the feminist movement there were a lot of women going over the top about things like being offered a seat because they were women. Feeling very offended by being called "love" or "duck" or "pet" etc when these terms were just terms of friendliness in shops etc which is just second nature in some parts of the country. This is like people latching onto a band wagon of political correctness without applying common sense.

It all depends on the context and the attitude of both parties, the same gesture could be good manners or a patronizing put down and all stops in between.