A Melbourne dad who was travelling with his newborn baby has gone viral after he put a bunch of tram passengers on blast for not offering up their seats.
TikToker Duncan MacRae (@OUT.and.a.POUT) has recently sparked an online debate after he made a video calling out passengers on a busy Melbourne tram over the weekend.
Duncan was carrying his newborn baby on the packed tram, however, according to his video, no one offered up their seat. Instead, the TikToker was left standing in the moving vehicle while holding his child.
“Melbourne, I am shocked! And on a day where we’re literally celebrating inclusivity,” Duncan wrote in the caption of his video, which now has more than 1.7 million views.
Duncan then panned the camera to the passengers on the tram who seem to be unaware of the video.
“Not a single person offered up their seat,” Duncan wrote next to a sticker that pinned his location — which was Midsumma Festival.
The TikToker also expressed his distraught through the hastags, writing “#ashamed” and “#peoplearesorude”.
Since he posted the video, Duncan has received a mixed bag of reactions from punters online. Some folks argued that parents aren’t entitled to a seat and questioned if he had asked the other passengers if he could sitdown.
“Did you ask though? Or were you excited to play ‘holier than thou’? Sometimes I’m just sitting with my head down, focussed on what I’m reading,” one person wrote.
“Just bc you have a child doesn’t mean you deserve the seat more than anyone else. I can’t stand when people think just bc they have a kid, they deserve something,” another TikToker chimed in.
Other folks defended the TikToker and called out the comment section for having “no sense of community” or “respect”.
“I am absolutely appalled by these comments! You are holding a BABY! And a newborn at that. A sudden stop or crash and that could be a disaster!” one person wrote.
“This comment section is sad. It isn’t about if he’s entitled to it. It’s about keeping the baby safer by letting them sit,” another person commented.
Personally, I will always give up my seat to those who need it. In Duncan’s case, I reckon it’s extremely important — safety wise — that he sits down and it sucks that no one allowed him to travel safely with his kid. As mentioned by another TikToker, a sudden stop or crash on the tram could end badly for Duncan and his child.
According to Public Transport Victoria, there are priority seat available trains, trams and buses which include pregnant women, the elderly and parents with young children. These seats are usually close to the doors and next to the aisles.
Duncan has yet to respond to the virality of his video, however, many folks are still commenting their two cents on whether he deserves a seat or not.
