That it's not ok to be rude just because you are old

[wonkylegs]

More of a moan than anything else
On a train where all the seat reservations have been cancelled and I was sitting in the seat that was free closest to my original seat, now it's a bit later and all the other seats around me have freed up except the one my ticket was for but that's fine as there are no seat reservations anymore.
Old guy gets on and stands over me as they are announcing there are no longer any seat reservations on this train and suddenly shouts 'move young lady that's my seat'
I very politely say, they've announced there are no longer any reservations on this train but there is nobody sitting in that seat on the other side of the aisle
He then said 'don't be ridiculous that's my seat, you obviously don't have a reservation, don't be such a presumptuous young girl move yourself immediately'
I said that I did have a reservation but as they had been cancelled and somebody else was sitting there so I took the next closest seat. He then glared at me and said 'Don't tell me I am wrong, get out of my seat MOVE'
I'm too tired to argue to I pack away my laptop & work and move across the aisle
At which point he mutters 'the youth of today have no respect' and huffs at me, he keeps looking over and glaring.
Apart from the fact it's quite flattering to be called a youth (I'm 40), his manner was so rude and unnecessary.
I get that if the train was really busy you might make a fuss for your seat and I would have done that for mine but there were loads of seats in a rapidly emptying train and it would have been no skin off his nose to have just sat down across the aisle. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if he'd asked nicely but his manner is just so awful.
AIBU to think you don't get the right to be rude just because you are an older person?
Quite tempted to move to the other end of the carriage so he stops glaring at me.
I might have been happier & not felt so pissed off if they hadn't also cancelled the catering on this 5hr train journey, I'm starving, in need of a g&T & some dinner!

Sorry you moved!

Some old besom had me moving last week because she wanted to sit right behind me but the tables had been set out so close that there wasn't room for her chair. She annoyed me so much I moved. Better than punching her. I'm old too.

No-one has the right to be rude, but age has nothing at all to do with it.

YANBU. What an obnoxious old bastard. I wouldn’t have moved.

Are you sat opposite him now? Can you channel ‘most annoying train passenger’ to get petty revenge? Take your shoes off, invade his space, have loud phone conversations, watch YouTube videos with the sound on and no headphones... 😂

No-one has the right to be rude, but age has nothing at all to do with it.

The gentleman in question made it about age with his ‘youth of today’ crap.

YANBU

I've been in the same position. When the reservations aren't showing they aren't enforceable. People don't want to accept this. I tell then to go and get the guard. The guard will tell them to sit elsewhere. If the guard insists I move then I will. I respect his authority. Not some random other passenger's.

I'd probably have told him to do one, but I dont really react well to rude assholes (despite being pretty chilled in general).

YABU for moving! I don’t think his age had anything to do with it though, young arseholes just grow up to be old arseholes unfortunately.

don't be ridiculous that's my seat, you obviously don't have a reservation, don't be such a presumptuous young girl move yourself immediately'

Did he?

I'm not usually meek but I'm too knackered after 2 long days away to argue with anybody

Nothing to do with him being old. He was probably just as arrogant and rude when he was younger too.
If a fat person had behaved like him would you be asking, "...not ok to be rude just because you're fat."
He was rude and you let him get away with it.

His choice of language was quite pompous but I think that might be his general character, he's on the phone now chatting quite loudly and using similar rather over the top phrases

He made it about age when he started going on about the youth of today having no respect
Otherwise I'd just think he was just rude
Still got another hour

Agreed. My DH was aghast when I dared to challenge his elderly Grandpa on his blatant sexism but I just can’t abide by people using age as an excuse for ignorance. Conversely I taught a 20 year old student last year who claimed he couldn’t possibly know who David Bowie, Led Zeppelin or even Mozart were because he was ‘too young’ . I challenged that too. I have to qualms about it tbh. His Gramps told me I should be in the kitchen cooking dinner when DH returned home from work, I shot him down immediately.

Call someone and have a loud conversation about the nasty old prick who's sitting there giving you evils like some petulant child.
Or perhaps when you see a guard tell them what happened and kindly ask them to inform the arsehole that it was not his seat and inquire about making a formal complaint about his intimidating behaviour.

I'm too tired to argue to I pack away my laptop & work and move across the aisle

That was your mistake. He’ll feel vindicated and won’t hesitate to use the same tactics on the next “young” female (and it will be a female) who doesn’t immediately bend the knee.

I'd have asked him to speak to the train guard and promptly ignored him. Letting him rant into thin air might have re-energised me. He was probably rude and aggressive when he was younger and has just perfected in in his old age.

I am old and like to think I am always polite ..............you stupid cow, get a life and just move seats........👹😂

My father always told me that respect has to be earned.
It doesn't matter how young or old you are.

He was a pompous rude prick. No respect required.

TBF until that point in the day I felt I was an old person as I've spent a fair amount of today speaking to younger people doing amazing things - I guess it's all relative

Many years ago I got on a train which was absolutely heaving with people standing etc etc. I am VI so I didn’t notice that the seat I found had a reservation.

Next station the guard appeared with a woman who said “that’s her. That’s the woman sitting in my seat.” I’d had no idea she’d even arrived at her seat or that it was reserved. Had she told me that then I would have apologised and moved without issue. However, the guard said to me “sorry, this seat is reserved,” at which point I said sorry and got up, to which the guard then said to the woman: “here you go madam, you can have your seat now, I’m going to take this lady through to first class.”

Some old people just don't get changes to schedules arrangements seating ext. It would have taken me forever to explain to my mother [88] that the seat she had booked just wasn't bookable after all. Even worse if the original reserved signs were still on the backs of seats. She would have genuinely not understood that it wasn't reserved and is so rule bound she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to sit in another seat which still had the reserved ticket on it. I do sympathise op but know that some oldies are more confused than rude

@shiningstar2 I get that but it was the attitude & tone that got me rather than the actual request. A polite query wouldn't have got my back up so much.
He's only in his 70s and clearly still a working professional (from his attire) so I'm pretty sure he's just rude

He told you ‘move yourself immediately’??? For that alone i would have not moved for love nor money.
They get away with it because ppl obey such ridiculous tone and requests.
Jeez. You should have told him to swiftly shut his pie hole and stop making an old fool of himself.

should have told him to f the f off, I'm nearly 70 and wouldn't talk to anyone like that

he was rude
his age is a red herring
he was a rude person,