Stranger society no excuse

In Wuchang of Hubei province, a women who was four months pregnant offered her seat to another expectant mother as the other passengers on the bus either pretended to be asleep or not to see. The woman had to stand until she arrived at her stop. This has again provoked heated online discussion about the people's morals, says an article in Xinmin Evening News. Excerpts:

It should be a social norm for people to voluntarily offer their seat to a pregnant woman or the elderly. However, to our dismay, the only one who did so in this case was another pregnant woman.

The concept of a stranger society has provided many excuses for people's indifference, relieving people of the ethical obligations that naturally exist between people who know each other and reducing the feelings of guilt when behaving badly to a stranger.

Only if people are morally rich will they behave in an ethical manner during the country's social transformation, and actively shoulder their obligations and behave as responsible citizens.

It is crucial that we cultivate public order and good morals. Interdependence and help are the foundation of a harmonious society. In our fast-changing society, humanistic care is needed to resist the negative effects of individualism.

(China Daily 08/15/2012 page9)