🌡️ 760 million views! Elderly crowd around Wallace to 'sneak air conditioning', merchants use loudspeakers to drive them away, igniting intergenerational conflict
Event overview
Jiangxi Jinan has been experiencing high temperatures, with many elderly people occupying seats in various Wallace stores for extended periods to cool off. Some elderly individuals took off their shoes and lay down, bringing their own food, affecting normal business operations. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to persuade them to leave, the merchants reluctantly used looping loudspeakers to drive them away: "This store is a paid venue, not a public cooling area!" Related videos garnered over ten million views each, and the Weibo topic #ElderlyUsingAirConditioning# has accumulated over 760 million reads, topping the trending list for two consecutive days.
Public opinion controversy: 45% criticism vs 40% empathy
Critics (45%):
"Taking off shoes and lying down, refusing to consume while scolding staff, this is 'air conditioning hegemony!'"
Merchant rights harmed: Occupying seats over 80% during peak hours, turnover rates plummeted, and some stores saw daily revenue drop by 30%.
Empathetic side (40%):
"The elderly have a monthly pension of 2000 yuan, they feel bad about the electricity bill for using air conditioning."
Public service gap: Community cooling centers only cover 30% of urban areas, and the open rate of air raid shelters is less than 50%.
Neutral solution (15%):
Propose "public cooling hours" (e.g., from 2 PM to 5 PM), with government subsidies for merchant electricity bills;
Imitate Hangzhou's "scan code to limit seating time", automatic reminders for exceeding time.
Deep-rooted issue: Dual pressure of high temperatures and aging population
Normalization of high temperatures: By 2025, global summer average temperatures are expected to break records again, with perceived temperatures exceeding 45°C in many southern regions;
Intergenerational resource competition: Young people complain "giving up a seat is a kindness, occupying a seat is crossing a line", while the elderly retort, "Don't we even deserve to cool off?".
Attempts to break the deadlock: Opening air raid shelters and commercial innovations
The Jiangxi government urgently opened 11 air raid shelters to divert crowds, equipped with water dispensers and medical kits;
Shenzhen is piloting a "shared air conditioning" plan: convenience stores display cooling signs, and customers spending over 10 yuan can enjoy 3 hours of seating;
Netizens suggest: Community activity centers should install photovoltaic air conditioning for low-cost sustainable cooling ⚡️.
Sharp comments from netizens
"Are merchants driving away the elderly? No, they are scapegoats for the lack of public services."
#HighTemperatureSocialExperiment# questions urban temperature: When "survival needs" collide with "business bottom lines", institutional guarantees are more urgent than moral judgments.
💡 Cold reflection: If "sneaking air conditioning" is the norm in an aging society, can we design a "win-win cooling solution"?
Welcome to brainstorm in the comments section!