I Refused to Give Up My Subway Seat to an Elderly Woman

In a crowded subway, a 27-year-old woman fell asleep on her way home. She was then woken up by an elderly woman who was shouting at her face in a different language. The elderly woman repeatedly asked for her seat, but the younger woman was angry and pretended not to understand what she was saying. The younger woman usually has no problem giving up her seat to the elderly, but she got angry when the elderly woman yelled at her. This incident has been bothering her since, and she has posted on Am I the A**hole to get opinions on whether she was in the wrong or not.

Sleepy commuter refuses seat to elderly woman.

Awakened by elderly woman’s foreign yelling on subway.

A passenger’s account of refusing to give up a subway seat

When chivalry goes wrong: Elderly woman yells at subway rider

Ignoring elder’s request for seat on subway? A**hole move

Struggle of giving up seat to elderly woman, AITA.

Clarifications made in response to comment questions.

No reserved seat, no obligation? The ethics of subway seating.

Ethnicity and language played a role in subway seat dispute.

Falling asleep on the subway leads to confrontation with elderly woman

A tired commuter (27F) found herself in the middle of an unexpected confrontation with an elderly woman on her train ride home. Despite her usual practice of offering her seat to those in need, the woman was woken up by the elderly woman yelling at her in a second language. Feeling angry and caught off guard, she chose to pretend not to understand and kept her seat. Now, she’s left wondering if she made the right choice. Join the discussion below to share your thoughts on this controversial subway encounter.

Age doesn’t excuse entitlement. NTA, but kindness to pregnant woman wins.

Elderly woman demands seat; commenters side with exhausted poster. NTA

Falling asleep on the subway: a risky move

When offering your seat backfires

Standing up to entitled behavior

Polite request > rude demand. NTAs unite!

Woman defends not giving up subway seat to elderly woman

NTA. Manners matter. An argument isn’t worth the seat.

Age doesn’t excuse entitlement. Not the a**hole here.

NTA refuses to give up seat to elderly woman, others blame her.

Defending the decision to not give up the seat, while criticizing others

Unapologetic response with a hint of humor

Sleeping on the subway and woke up to shouting. NTA.

Age shouldn’t be the only reason to give up a seat #NTA

Clarifying if the seat was reserved can make sense of situation

No one else offered their seat either ‍♀️

Standing up for yourself: NTA for keeping your seat

Support for not giving up seat to rude elderly woman ‍♀️

Challenging the notion of unquestionable respect towards the elderly

Defending not giving up subway seat to elderly woman

Defending not giving up seat to entitled elderly woman

Common courtesy is offering a seat, not demanding it.

Elderly woman demands subway seat, but commenter stands their ground

Standing up for yourself can be tough, but necessary.

Respect is a two-way street

Pretending not to speak the language- quick thinking! NTA

Avoided unnecessary argument by pretending to not understand, NTA

Defending the decision to keep subway seat – NTA

Age doesn’t define one’s ability. Commenter is a badass!

A witty reply lightens up a situation with a rude elderly woman

Age is just a number

Unapologetically keeping your subway seat

Empathize with the commenter’s perspective

Using another language to say goodbye? That’s a power move

Choosing between values and respect for elders

Respectful refusal of subway seat sparks debate.

Standing up for oneself or being rude to elders?

Quick thinking and language skills shut down entitled elderly woman.

Standing up to entitled elderly behavior.

Standing up for yourself and showing restraint.

Polite refusal is okay, but yelling and bad attitude aren’t.

Standing your ground for your subway seat. NTA

Unapologetic commenter defends not giving up subway seat

Standing up for yourself or being selfish?

Standing up for yourself can be the right move!

Passenger refuses to give up seat to elderly woman. NTA wins.

Age is just a number! NTA wins this round.

Elderly woman demands seat, gets karma in return ‍♀️

Polite request or not, commenter is NTA for keeping seat

Defending a subway seat: NTA, elderly woman overreacts

Unpopular opinion: NTA. Respect is earned, not given. ‍♂️

Standing your ground or being rude? NTA comment.

Not the a-hole for keeping my subway seat