As population ages, young square off against old in public spaces(2)

It's understandable that buses have signs and special seats for the old and sick, but when young people are pressured by their jobs, or sickness or family troubles, they can't always be energetic and sometimes need to have special treatment, he said.

"In reality, there are always some old people who mistake a 'moral principle' as the law and mistake kind gestures as a duty, that's very wrong of them," he told the Yangcheng Evening News.

New times, old problems

Hu Xingdou, a political science professor with the Beijing Institue of Technology, told the Global Times that traditional Chinese values focus on perfecting individual behavior, but don't touch on morals one should follow in public spaces. He cited criticism of Chinese people talking loudly in public. He said that the changing society has had some effects on old people as well.

Last year, the ifeng.com website had a page to discuss whether the elderly generation has "turned disrespectful." One key aspect of the report included guangchangwu (dances in public squares by elderly or middle-aged people with loud music), which is another source of contention.

There had been reports of a few guangchangwu groups in Tangshan, Hebei Province, who disturbed nearby schools. The high school students stood up in a silent protest but were humiliated by the old people. Then an elderly woman sat on a girl on a bus because she wouldn't give up her seat.

Some might think that the changing society has turned some elderly people "bad," but Wei Wei, the editor of the commentary, concluded the reason behind the rising trend of conflicts between the old and young people is that the "bad people" are getting older.

He wrote that the behavior of the old people has been shaped by their education and their experiences growing up.

Many elderly were born around 1949. While they were growing up they encountered political turbulence such as the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) that broke apart the traditional moral concepts of Chinese society, according to the ifeng.com commentary.

This meant many people from that era weren't properly educated by their schools, family or society, and they have no boundaries or taboos.

"Therefore, they don't think guangchangwu can be of inconvenience to others, they take young people giving up their seats for granted and they can even lie or cheat others. The lack of public education while growing up has made them take everything for granted and satisfy their own needs with every means possible," Wei wrote.

The generation that had serious defects growing up is now becoming old, and with the development of social media, the "immoral old people" now appear in the eyes of the public more and more often.

Peacemakers

Fortunately, not all old people fall into that stereotype. Wang Yaqin, a 72-year-old retired factory worker from Fangshan district of Beijing, told the Global Times that she usually doesn't go on public transportation during rush hours, when she knows a lot of young people will be on it.

"It's not easy for young people nowadays. If I'm not traveling on the subway or bus for a long time, I'd rather stand than fight over a seat with young people," she said.

She was once on the bus when a young man didn't give up his seat when a group of senior citizens boarded. The conductor kept saying on her speakerphone "Please give your seat to the elderly," while these old people stood around and talked about the seat, which she thought was unnecessary.

Wei suggested that the action of the few elderly people has affected society greatly. For one thing, if people respond to these disputes by force, then it's a dangerous thing for society as a whole.

For example, in 2013, a man in Changping district in Beijing tried to drive away the guangchangwu dancers near his home by firing a gun and releasing Tibetan mastiffs. Even though he was detained by the police afterwards, Wei thinks he was a negative influence on society.

But he thinks if these issues arise, one still needs to "stand up" to old people and correct these behaviors, but in a gentler way.