The website was indeed started with the objective of providing a forum to the hoi polloi of Singapore. However, there are certain rules and regulations one cannot cross. One can complain about the mischievous acts of a student in a public area such as a shopping centre, but one cannot insinuate that the student's school is lousy just because of one incident. One can lament that his supervisor at work is rather oppressive, but one cannot go on to directly insult his bosses. In recent times, there have been more and more of such posts by Singaporean STOMPers. These posts often have no real meaning, and are just to let off steam after a stressful day. This is perfectly alright as long as it is within the ethical and legal boundaries. However, these posts usually amount to slander and the poster can be sued legally for slander.
The following is a link to a STOMP article.
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/ugly_commuters/623034/inconsiderate_ns_man_blocks_bus_passageway_with_duffel_bag.html
The article is about a National Serviceman (NS man) being inconsiderate by placing his bag on the floor. The STOMPer who posted it was apparently extremely distressed by this inconsiderate act. However, I do not see how it is being inconsiderate. It is akin to a student placing his bag on the floor as it is very bulky and heavy from his gear. It would be realistic to place the bag on the floor as opposed to on his lap or on the chair. Also, the bus is rather empty and there is no visible sign that people are bothered or irritated by this. I think he was actually being considerate as he did not put the bag on the chair, where it would have taken up an additional seat and possibly made the seat dirty. Also, the man placed his bag where there was a wider path for people to walk through. In my opinion, a person wanting to walk past could simply step over the bag. It is not a big bother for anyone, perhaps worthy of a minor lament but the STOMPer overexaggerated the frustration this man caused. It is irrelevant and nearly amounts to public flaming.
In general, I do not think that taking pictures of people in the wrong is the best way to report nuisance acts by inconsiderate people. I think it would have been much better, if in the picture someone could have stepped forward to explain to the NS man about how his duffel bag was affecting other commuters on the bus. Insulting from behind a veil of anonymity is often far too easy. If someone wishes to insult or criticise another person, he or she should step forward in the open and not hide behind the anonymity of the internet.
STOMP is a website that has much potential to become the Singaporean "Facebook". However, we should in any case think thrice before posting possibly offensive remarks online.
Dear Daniel,
ReplyDeleteYes, I fully agree with you that STOMP has gradually (slowly but surely) become a second Facebook - a second avenue for venting frustrations through the humiliation of others.
However, I would like to point out a rather ironic statement which you made. You mentioned that "the bus is rather empty", which simply means that there is really no stopping him from putting the duffel bag on the other seat, because there are many seats and it will not stop anyone from getting a seat.
In fact, it will be more a disturbance and hindrance to put the bag on the floor, since it affects all passengers moving to the rear of the bus. Wouldn't I be right to say so?
You said that "the man placed his bag where there was a wider path for people to walk through". This is true that it is wider, but this is simply because it is the exit! This means he is hindering the passengers alighting from the bus, which makes it much worse!
You also mentioned that "there is no visible sign that people are bothered or irritated by this". By applying the WRAITEC technique we learnt from AAT lesson, I observe that you are making an assumption, most possibly an erroneous one, which is not backed up by evidence! I believe many would have been frowning in disapproval, especially those alighting from the bus.
Guess this offers an alternative view, which might make you rethink your argument. :)
Best Regards,
Nathan :)
Hope you guys noticed, but STOMP apparently supports these acts of selfishness. Just look at the categeories section. You see rubbish like 'CAUGHT IN THE ACT', which somehow encourages Singaporeans to actually do these kinds of nonsense. STOMPers are also lately running out of sheer common sense. I'm not going to be surprised if one day some guy stands outside the school and takes a picture of a student walking through his NAPFA 2.4 simply because he is tired and needs to rest, with the title 'STUDENT FROM RANDOM SCHOOL SLACKS etc etc etc'.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the man is at fault for blocking the way too. There's only ONE walkway in the bus, and well, if he's really that bad, he can just put the bag in front of him.
It takes 2 hands to clap: one with the NSman commiting the offence, and the other being the STOMPer.
STOMPers these days clearly lack even the basic common sense. If you're crazy enough to STOMP one day, I suggest that you actually read through your post 10 times just to ensure that you won't be posting rubbish.
Hi Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post :) However, STOMP was made for these people to complain. It is generally a site for people to vent their frustrations about others, even though some of these frustrations may be completely unfounded.
However, I do not think that STOMP is made for humiliation of others. The people who post always block out peoples faces, in order to prevent recognition. I think that its more a way for Singaporeans to vent and complain about others, not to humiliate them.
I read your post and I kind of agree with the STOMPer. The NS man had no one sitting beside him, could he not have put it on his other side? That way it would not block the aisle. The bag poses a safety hazard, especially for old people, who may trip over it when the bus is moving.
I think that STOMP is not bad in itself, its just how you use it. If you feel like telling the public your grievances, why not?
Kenneth >:D
Dear Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI feel that STOMP is really turning from bad to worse. The objective of STOMP is getting very unclear. People just take some photos, upload them, and write a long article about it. Such articles always a purpose behind it.
Since it has a purpose, we do not dare to believe the source. The source would therefore be largely unreliable. For instance, using the PAMA technique learnt in IH lessons, I evaluate a STOMP article on Hwa Chong students eating ice creams on the bus. The audience should be Singaporeans, the message is to tell them that Hwa Chong students are not as good as they seem, and the intended outcome is that the writer wants Singaporeans to despise Hwa Chong Institution. I feel that this is really very meaningless and pointless. Such attention-seeking methods are really undesired, in my opinion.
Another case of attention-seeking is seen from Jiang Lai's blog. She is obviously very attention-seeking, and the more attention we give her, the happier she is. She just posts whatever she likes on her blog, thinking that she is very smart and that she is the best. However, I feel that this is absolutely shameless of her to do so. Similarly, STOMPers are too shameless and they lack something called moral courage.
Just recently, Nathan and I saw some students from an elite school misbehaving on a bus, blocking the exit of the door. I have to admit that my first reaction was to think whether should I take a photo and post it on STOMP. However, I did not do so because later, a middle-aged man came down and scolded the students. This really taught me an important lesson. Moral courage is very important. We should just go up and tell them where they have gone wrong, and not hide behind your iPhone or camera.
Regards,
2I125