Taiwan youth sparks outrage after filming himself scolding elderly man for “cutting queue”

TAIWAN: A young Taiwanese man has come under fire after posting a video of himself chasing down and scolding an elderly man at a restaurant, accusing him of cutting the queue at the cashier.

The elderly man, who said he was more than 90 years old, explained that he could not stand for long periods and had already been waiting for some time.

Despite this, the youth continued criticising him, asking whether “everyone should just cut the line” and whether those queueing were “idiots”.

The confrontation, originally uploaded by the young man, was reshared by another user on Threads on 5 December, who lamented the decline of empathy among the younger generation.

The video shows the elderly man gripping a handrail for support as he slowly walks away.

Online users condemned the youth’s behaviour, with many saying the elderly man spoke politely and appeared genuinely unable to stand for long.

Public Split Over Social Etiquette

While most viewers criticised the young man for lacking compassion, a minority argued that age should not excuse cutting queues and that the elderly man could have politely asked others for permission.

Some said the tone of his explanation—beginning with his age—might have contributed to the misunderstanding.

Amid widespread criticism and threats of doxxing, the young man has deleted his social media accounts.

However, the video had already been backed up and continues to circulate on TikTok and Threads, fuelling ongoing debate about courtesy, ageing and public behaviour in Taiwan.