Fighting over seats raises concern

Two passengers, a senior citizen in his 60s and a 28-year-old man, came to blows over a seat on a metro train in Guangzhou, which was recorded by a fellow passenger and uploaded on the Internet. The fight, which was "won" by the older man who bit his younger counterpart, left both passengers bleeding. Passengers fighting over a seat in metros and buses is becoming common, says an article in Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

The fight started when the older man forced the younger passenger to give up his seat by flashing his senior citizen ID card. Coming after a similar clash in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, it makes us wonder why arguments among commuters end up in violence.

Whether a passenger, even if he/she is in the right, has the right to get violent depends on social values. A person is morally bound to offer a seat reserved for senior citizens, women or the physically challenged in public vehicles, but he/she cannot be forced to give it up unless the situation calls for him/her to do so.

Similarly, fellow passengers have the right to remain indifferent when two passengers fight. But they will be haunted by video images shot by somebody that show them acting as mute spectators when other passengers are attacking each other violently.