It's gonna be a rant for today. This domain (my blog) has always been one of my hideouts where I just rant and rant about anything and everything. Not much that I wrote are normally up for you guys to see because I just save them as drafts and end up not publishing them in the end. Who knows, maybe this rant will be the same.
Anyways, if you are a Singaporean, the title of this post should ring a bell. If you do take public transport, you would have seen the 'reserved seat' sign multiple times during every journey. As time passed after the implementation of such "special" seats, there have been more and more uproar about it and it began to stir up more and more ridiculous situations.
If you're not someone residing in Singapore, all you need to know is that in our country, we have such seats specially marked for the elderly, pregnant women, children or injured people. Basically, commuters are encouraged to give up their seats for those who need it more (more likely to fall or hurt themselves during the bumpy train/bus ride etc).
So what about it?
The issue came when commuters began abusing the "power" of these seats.
For example, a girl who has severe period cramps.
For dudes out there who have no idea how bad it can be, the pain can cripple someone temporarily. BUT, of course no one can tell upon glance because it is internal. I had a friend who sat on the 'reserved seat' because there was no other empty seat around and was scolded by another commuter for doing so.
Let me just talk about my own experience too.
I'm pretty sure some (or maybe most) have experienced this before. I was sitting on the 'reserved seat' because the cabin was pretty darn full and an aunty who did not look like she needed the seat board the train. Even before I noticed her, this aunty stood right in front of me and gave me the stare. Yup, the why-are-you-not-getting-up stare. Because of these "special" seats, these people actually think that the seats BELONG to them.
How to make the situation better?
To people who actually want/need those seats, I'm pretty sure one simple thing would help.
ASK.Oh, and ask politely too.
The commuter seated can't read your darn minds. You may think that you are that old that you require it but others may not think so. People have different perceptions. Perceptions can be same or different. But do you really think that staring and glaring would help that commuter read your mind? NO! Just open your mouth and ask if you can have it because you need it more! God, it's just that simple but people just don't do it (most of the time, I'm not saying always). Don't ask me why because I don't freakin' understand how these peoples' minds work too.
I think it's pretty clear that I am quite against the whole idea of 'reserved' shit. Be it in public transport, a shopping mall or anywhere. Just anywhere, anytime. People should be giving up their seats because of their own graciousness and morals, not because of the pressure that they are getting when they sit under the stupid 'reserved' sign. It's like doing things just because someone pressured you to do so, not because you genuinely want to. Of course, there's another side to the story too. There will definitely be people who are selfish and refuse to give up their seats on purpose. But don't classify yourself with them. You're better than those guys. If every single one of us follow such behavior, what would Singapore turn out to be in future?
And this links to another rant that I feel like talking about that is kinda related. STOMP.
First of all, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against this website by The Straits Times. I'm simply disgusted by how some people abuse it. The website shares about incidents and happenings in Singapore. Honestly, it's one of the few sources I use to keep up with some of the latest news and there are loads of things shared that I learn from.
But of course, places that you can get good stuff also have bad shit that come out of it.
Sadly, it has also become a platform where people post photos that can ruin someone else's image. And sometimes those people shamed are actually framed. But of course, some idiots in the world judge and pretend they know what's the whole situation all about based on a single photo.
Its human nature to judge others when you see such things but guys, take a step back and consider those thoughts as possibilities, not conclusions.
Being in public is getting more and more scary these days. You're no idea when people will take a picture of you. Even if you're not doing anything wrong, people can crop and twist the story to make you seem like the "bad guy".
For example:
A photo of a young man sitting on that 'reserved seat' can be posted online to shame him, but what if he was actually wearing a cast on his leg that was purposely cropped out?
OR
A seated commuter who's really sleeping. Completely unaware of someone else nearby who needs the seat more so someone takes a photo and accuses this person of pretending. Is it his/her fault? Sleeping isn't a crime, you know? I know some people really pretend to do so but how can we judge just by a simple photo of someone whose eyes are closed? Whether this dude/girl is really sleeping or not, as I've mentioned, just use a simple tap and ask!
It's pretty terrifying to see how vicious people are to post such stuff online without any thought about how the person in the picture will feel after seeing it.
Nope, he/she definitely does not deserve "punishment" of that extent. And to the person who actually took the photo:
Why did you not have the balls to confront him/her directly if you disagree with his/her actions?
Have you forgotten that there is always another side of the story?
Maybe that commuter has problems/reasons of his/her own (e.g. severe period cramps)?
Instead you secretly take a photo of them and hide behind a screen to shame them?
Shame on YOU!
What are you trying to achieve by posting such stuff? If you genuinely want to spread the message to discourage such behavior, at least have the heart to blur/cover the person's face. Yes, it is that simple. You don't have to figure out how photoshop works. There are tons of phone apps that have that function and it can be done in less than 10 seconds. And if you're Singaporean, you can't deny, you can actually tell that many people tend to judge others alot in public. Even after a long tiring day of study/work, now you can't really afford to take a nap on the way home because people may take a photo of you and put it up on the internet. With social media so powerful these days, who knows how quickly or vast these photos will spread?
Alright so that's all to today's rant. This is all purely my opinion. If you disagree, then okay fine. But yeah, I'm just sayin' that this is my stand on this issue.
