What would you do if you see a tissue seller on the street, old and blind?
He has this board telling people walking past that he’s blind, and he’s selling tissue to make a living because he has no other choice.
Some of us probably wouldn’t see it.
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While others might sympathise with him and just buy three packs for $1. Even if they don’t need it.
But then, imagine this.
What if one day, you pass by that same tissue seller and see him reading newspapers.
Believe it or not, that’s what happened in Singapore
On 16 Jan, this image was uploaded onto All Singapore Stuff Facebook page and various Facebook Pages.
It shows a tissue seller reading a newspaper. Beside him is his goods, with a sign reading:Â I am Blind, unable to work. I can only sell tissue paper. Please help me. Thank you for your support.
Cue sense of betrayal
It’s totally understandable.
After all, you buy tissues from tissue sellers not because you need them, but because you sympathise with them.
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And when you find out that this uncle could be scamming kindhearted people?
Add in the fact that there’s a lot of self-righteous people online and you can probably expect the responses.
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It Got So Big SMDN Got Involved
Shinmin Daily News heard about this uncle and decided to track him down in Tampines. And that’s when the tissue-seller managed to (finally) give his side of the story.
His name is Liu Zhen Xian and he’s 72 years old.
He said he had been selling tissue in the area for less than a year and he usually works in the afternoon until about 8 pm.
As for why he’s reading the newspaper when he’s blind, he showed what seems to be an ID from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicap.
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He explained that he is completely blind in his right eye and visually-impaired in his left.
His right eye was injured by a marble back in his 20s while his left is suffering from deterioration due to age.
He has trouble seeing in low-light conditions but still persist in his long-time habit of reading newspapers despite his poor eyesight.
When asked about his reaction to the news, he could only convey frustration. He wishes that people (online) would stop throwing shade based on speculations.
According to healthhub.sg, when you’re legally blind, it doesn’t mean you can no longer see. It could be a loss of vision that can not be corrected by prescriptive lenses or glasses.
So the uncle’s really blind. Just not the blind you expect.
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Moral of the story? Don’t judge based on an image you see online.
Here’s what NCMPs are, and what to expect after GE2025:
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