I was sleeping on the NEL train this morning as usual. I get on at Punggol (which isn't as sparsely populated as commonly thought) and usually wait for the next train so I can get a seat. After all I'm travelling the whole trainline, save for the last station.

So there I was blissfully catching up on sleep when this lady in front of me decided to bang her bag against my knee every 5 minutes. How to sleep like that?!! I mustered all my irritance and opened my eyes intending to glare at her, but instead accidentally made eye contact with an uncle who was standing, grabbing on to the pole tightly. He still looked strong and healthy (what a great excuse for saying 'Oh he can take the standing'), but from the spots on his skin, he must have been more than 60 years old. I felt guilty for not noticing and giving up my seat early.

I glanced at the woman in the 'special seat' opposite me. Like the usual thick-skinned Singaporean, she was acting blur, eyes glued to the newspaper with her husband seated beside her. I decided to give up my seat to the uncle, trying to make eye contact with him so I can signal to him. But he had closed his eyes, frowning. I pondered if I should just walk over and tell him, but then it was obvious that the vultures would stoop into my seat the minute my bum left it.

Soon the train got more crowded and the uncle was buried in the crowd. I gave up and went back to sleep (which of course did not happen for long as one auntie standing decided to alternate her feet with mine). That left me thinking.

The guy was obviously old. If at 25 yrs old we're feeling bogged down by working life, can you imagine how someone feels, carrying around the exhaustion and frustration from 30-40 years of working? Give him what he deserves! Or in this case, needs.


(photo from STOMP)

If Singaporeans cannot be relied on to have some decency, why don't the relevant authorities step in? It's not like a major restructuring that will invite hue and cry from the public. It's as simple as a properly worded sign. The problem is that the people in charge don't bother to use their brains and empathy when doing it.

For example, the sign being used now is too long-winded, indirect and totally useless. You stick a cheery sticker over a seat and expect people to magically become altruistic and considerate? Fat hope. Why try to evoke kindness in people when you know that it won't work?

This struck me when I visited China. Both their commercial advertising and governmental propaganda use a very matter-of-fact tone which make their statements seem like the fact. And people are more receptive. Just tell it like it is. No sugar-coating, no need for euphemisms, no need to sell with desperation. The moment you try to dress it up or soften it, the impact is gone and you actually give people the choice to decide if they want to buy into your words.

If it were up to me, I'll paint that seat a bright flaming red, and put a huge neon-coloured sign above it that says "If you're sitting here, you must be elderly, pregnant or a child. Or a thick-skinned jerk with an inflated ego." The shame game always works with Singaporeans.

But I guess "For elderly, pregnant women or children ONLY" will also work ;)

Labels: Cynic In The House