The upcoming campaign proposed by some to reward people who offer their seats on public transportation may be in the right direction for China's social development. But has the morality of the Chinese people declined to such a degree that people have to offer their seats only if there's a reward in store for them? This is more like an insult to Chinese morality.

In a country famous since ancient times for its people's politeness and courtesy, we take it for granted that one must offer help to the old, the young and the pregnant. We never see a weak person stand on the bus, shaking to and fro without anyone offering a seat. Indeed, there are a few people who will pretend to be blind, but the majority always have their eyes open and are ready to help without the slightest hesitation. So it is unnecessary to reward the warmhearted masses, at least for now.

Furthermore, rewarding seat-offerers will mislead the young. The result will be a loss of traditional values and a decline in moral standards. To the young, seat offering will then no longer be an obligation, but a competition to gain rewards. There will be no sense of moral condemnation because you can never blame someone for refusing to participate in a game. How misleading it is.

So, in order to encourage the people to act more decently on the buses, a reward is pointless.

Jefferey Wang

September 28, 2007