The TPY Hawker Incident Shows Two Very Dark Cracks in Our Society


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By now, everyone should have seen the viral video about the couple who bullied an elderly in a hawker centre. If you’re one of the eight people in Singapore who hasn’t seen it, here’s it.

Now, anyone who watches it would go into rage mode, regardless of what the elderly has said. Violence is never a solution in any dispute, especially so when it involves an elderly.

But other than getting real angry, there’re actually two things that are even more disturbing. So disturbing, you might not have thought about it.

The guy might just get away with it because he’s smart and sly

Let me show you an even more extreme example: someone made you angry. You got so angry that one day, when that someone is crossing the road, you “accidentally” hit him with your car.

Would you be jailed? Yeah, but it won’t amount to murder. Because you could just say that it’s an accident, then only you yourself know it isn’t.

Now, going back to that well-dressed guy. To us, it’s clear that he did have the intention to hurt the elderly, but he didn’t just hit him. If he did that, he would be jailed—instead, he shoved (or to be more exact, rammed into him) him away, as though it was an accident.

You know, as though there wasn’t enough space.

And you know, that could just work for him.

His intention to hurt someone is hidden under the disguise of movement—that, my friend, is one disgusting way to walk away scot-free. And lest you think that’s uncommon, think again: how many white-collar crimes have been committed, and how many of the criminals managed to get away by committing a smart crime?

The most dangerous criminal isn’t one who carries a knife around, but one who did it smartly and slyly. And this is one heck of an example.


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It’s just revolting to know that he has deliberately hurt someone while in the eyes of the law, he might not have.

In fact, eyewitnesses allegedly claimed that when someone pointed out that he should have just spoken nicely, he shoved all the dishes on the ground for reasons unknown. But there’s one thing he knew: he wouldn’t be punished for that.

And to quote Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation: “…villains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged.”

The witch-hunt that gone all wrong

If you’re still new to this, here’s something that might surprise you: in less than 20 hours after the video went viral, netizens began to “CSI” for the identity of the couple.

And all it took was a name—mind you, just a name and nothing else—and one innocent girl was “proclaimed online” to be the lady in the video.

Taking fake news aside, it’s almost common for people to just share anything that benefits them, and in this case, sharing a name shows that you’re fighting for justice and are righteous. Due diligence? Fact checking? It doesn’t matter to them, because they’re not interested in the facts: they’re interested to show others that they’re righteous.

And thank God that innocent girl, whom I shall not name, did not fall under the pressure. She made a police report and calmly clarified that she wasn’t the lady in the video.

If someone else weaker had undergone this online drumhead trial, she might be affected so badly that things would go out of control.

You see, you can tell everyone to share responsibly, but come on lah: studies have shown that people share because of ego and personal benefits.

Now, if you still think the world is a bed of roses, and that everyone is kind and helpful, and that justice will always be served, whether online or offline, here’s the bad news: Utopia doesn’t exist.


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Since you’re here, why not check out Goody Feed’s YouTube videos as well? They’re so Singaporean, I bet you’ll like them!

Featured Image: Facebook (Thelocalsociety)

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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