I am sure by now, anyone who has an internet connection in singapore has seen the video of the 3 tourists and the unfortunate trishaw man. I am not going to post it here anyway, since most people would’ve seen it by now and me posting it here just seems like a redundant move that only serves to amplify more anger and rage.

Like most people, my first reaction upon seeing that video was one of righteous indignation and anger. Inevitably this anger will always drive you to do something which in hindsight will probably be something you might not be too proud of somewhere down the line. The thought did cross my mind more than a few times to just screencap the faces of the 3 idiots just so people will remember them and if the opportunity ever arise- to do unspeakable acts of violence to them.

Like I say, not exactly something to be proud of.

Thankfully, I let the moment pass and let the anger and rage subside. And it dawn on me that these days, my first reaction towards anything I don’t like seems to be one of anger and rage. Angry at the government, the state of the world, the mindless inconsiderate acts of the people that you seem to meet so often in the streets. Why and how did it ever come to this stage where anger seems to be the default emotional response to everything and anything. How did life get to be this way?

A daily browse of stomp.sg, sammyboy coffeeshop and EDMW seems to bear witness to the fact that increasingly, the typical singaporean emotional response towards most things in life is like me- one of anger, rage and righteous indignation that somehow injustice has been visited upon ourselves by some dastardly villain or something. Just look at the recent debate over the repeal of 377A, so much anger, vitriol and hate on both sides of the fence. What happen to live and let live, to treat others the way you want others to treat you?

As a christian, I am suppose to always turn the other cheek, but more often than not, I’d rather show you my other fist than turn the other cheek.

I am not saying those 3 idiots are right, but really am I a better person than any one of them that I can sit behind my keyboard passing judgement on them, calling for some internet lynchmob to inflict some sort of mob justice on them? I don’t think I could’ve done what they did, but nonetheless, everyone of us has probably at one time or another done something that could be as morally reprehensible as them.

I am a guy and guys will do stupid things all in the name of mindless fun. You put a few guys together, put a few beers in them and the propensity to do something really stupid increases exponentially. No one but the three guys in the video will ever know went through their minds when they decided to put their collective asses into a tiny trishaw pedalled by a man old enough to be their grandfather and then as icing on the cake decide to stiff him out of a well deserved $15. For all anyone know, their initial intention was nothing more than some boyish mischievious need to play a prank on someone. We’ve all played pranks on people and somethings they end with a laugh and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we don’t know we’ve gone too far until we’ve gone too far. Unfortunately the 3 of them decided it was a good idea to film it and let the world see for themselves just how far they went.

You go through the comments on youtube and various forums and again you see all the anger and rage. Anger at the perceived typical colonial misanthropic mindset of the 3 britons. Anger for their lack of respect for singapore. Anger for their lack of contrition and grace.

But then again, are we really so much better than them that we can pass judgement on them and sleep peacefully at night and look ourselves in the mirror without the slightest tinge of hypocrisy?

Look at the regular news reports of people ill-treating their maids for the most minor of infractions. Remember the story of the maid who actually got ill-treated to death. Read about the people who complain in forums about the smell of foreign workers walking in our midst, about their behavior, their foreigness. About the danger presented to innocent young women because of the perceived lasciviousness of these foreign workers. About how these people are somehow intrinsically bad and prone to criminal behavior just because they happen to be uneducated people coming from a rural background. I’ve seen people who absolutely refuse to sit beside a foreign worker on a bus or mrt. Ask yourself, are we better than the stereotypical image of the high and mighty racist misanthropic colonial white man that people hate so much?

Some people feel these 3 guys as guest of our country should behaved themselves and show some respect to the host. But then are we singaporeans so much better than them. While we may not go about victimising 60-70 year olds, singaporean could be just as insufferable. I remember when I climbed mount ophir when I was 18. The mounds of rubbish left behind by hikers- many of them singaporeans. The grafiti left on rocks and trees- some of them proudly declaring which SAF unit or school they were from. Again did we show respect to our gracious host? Singaporeans are notorious for their habit of uncomparing everything unfavorably to home everywhere they travel. Do we not also look down our noses at nations less developed than us, adopting an uppity holier than thou attitude like some were accusing these 3 of doing?

I am not here to defend these 3. But this incident has made me look at myself and wonder if perhaps it would be better to reflect upon myself and the shitty things that I’ve done. And to bear in mind that sometimes how we see ourselves and the things we do could be very different from how others perceive us. You could see those 3 really thought they were just having a bit of fun at the expense of someone and thought it would be a blast to post it on youtube only to be totally caught unprepared for the hate, anger and rage.

Well the same thing could also happen to any one of us when we go to some other country and unknowingly offend some local customs in our quest for some innocent fun and at the end of the day, aren’t we are all just equally flawed people and sometimes the world would be a better place if we learn to live and let live and treat everyone with the respect that we demand for ourselves.