Previous
In his new book 'Social Q's,' columnist Philip Galanes offers suggestions for today's social quandaries.
2. Should I intervene on public transportation?
Other passengers don't offer those in need seats on the subway? Galanes says you have the right to speak up. "It's not a big imposition to stand for a few minutes so that less able people can sit," he writes. "And whether the young 'uns ultimately agree to give up their seats, the request will only take a few seconds." Someone treating a child unjustly in front of you, however, is a matter in which you can't intervene, says Galanes, if it's only verbal. "It's even harder to see how a stranger's intervention on a subway car will help matters – or to know, for sure, if help is even needed," he writes.
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.