Perhaps this is not a rare story in Shanghai. Several weeks ago, I took a bus to visit a friend. As the bus approached a bus station, a girl cried out: "My mobile phone has been stolen by somebody on the bus. Mr. Driver, please do not open the door!" On hearing this, the driver kept the door closed as he stopped the bus.

Unexpectedly, the driver's action was strongly opposed by many passengers. Some started complaining: "I've got very urgent things to do. Open the door, let me get off!" Some even shouted: "Who on earth stole her mobile phone. Return it to her at once. Let us get off. Your morality is so terrible that your theft is wasting our time!"

Pressured by the angry voices, the girl who lost her mobile phone gave up her attempt to recover it quite quickly. As the doors of bus were finally opened, the poor girl got off the bus, annoyed and miserable.

Although it is debatable whether the bus doors should have been closed until the police arrived, I must say that the response of those passengers really shocked me.

I'm not going to criticize those passengers. Indeed, I am in no position to make any judgment. But isn't it very sad and shameful for a citizen in Shanghai to witness such selfish behaviour? As a city renowned for its prosperity and development, Shanghai seem to be full of selfishness and indifference.

I tried to find something encouraging to say, but actually I can't. In this city, people seem to be fond of fighting for everything, especially seats.

But why do people appear to be so selfish and indifferent?

Some argue that it is the result of economic development. In other words, moral problems are necessary byproducts of a country's economic prosperity. That is by no means a convincing reason. When I was in England, I didn't see people rushing, pushing or fighting for seats. In fact, almost every foreigner who arrives in Shanghai is surprised by people's rudeness and indecent behaviour in public places.

Some may counter that England does not have so many people and most people there have cars. Well, let's look at Hong Kong and Tokyo. During rush hours, there isn't one single inch of space left in the subway train once the doors are closed. But each passenger gets on the subway in an orderly way. No matter how squeezed the subway train is, passengers always remain quite and tolerant.

I am not saying that people in other countries or cities are necessarily better than Shanghai citizens. As a matter of fact, many foreigners also cross the street against the red light in Shanghai. The root of the problem is that public morality is not valued in this city.

But morality is not something that can be commanded. Neither can it be realized by force. That is why calls from the government that everyone should care for others do not turn out to be very effective. starcomment@yahoo.com