Usually “to give up a seat to an elderly person” is understood by participants as a “display of respect” as opposed to following the rules for using public transportation. This research is based on interviews and materials from participant observation of passengers’ behavior on public transportation in 2009–2015 in Russia.Any person who suddenly appears to fell ill will be likely to be given a seat unconditionally. Nevertheless, a 60-year-old person not exhibiting signs of frailty or physical distress, is unlikely to be given a seat. The logic of giving up seats in practice is based not so much on the principle of “respect for the aging”, but more on “compassion for the ailing elderly”. Conflicts are generally based on different understandings of legitimate reasons for giving up a seat – the vigorous behavior of an elderly person might seem to belie any declaration of frailty. On the one hand, “giving up one’s seat” is still a socially expected norm; on the other, the rule is regularly broken. There are two main strategies for breaking it:1. >“Feigning urgent business” – a strategy of pretending to be occupied with something important. This strategy can be short-term (a passenger plays for time) and a long-term (showing no intention of getting up).2. >“Inattention” – The seated passenger pretends to be not “really included” in the situation to avoid being accused of disrespect. Methods include looking out of the window; “falling asleep”; listening to music, and being distracted by a cell phone.
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