Commentary of the Day: Netizens Who CSI-ed BMW Drivers Aren’t Doing it For Justice

Before any rotten eggs are thrown to me, I’ve to add a disclaimer: I absolutely don’t support the BMW driver. Whatever has happened, he should have handled it more tactfully. And now that it has become the talk of all Singaporeans, he didn’t back down and continued to be defensive, despite whether he is in the wrong or not.

Before that, we have to look at the bigger picture: it has been proven again and again that when a big guy does something nasty to a small guy, the big guy would receive most of the hate, no matter whose fault it is.

However, this app exclusive article isn’t about the driver himself, but about the Internet in general.

Online CSI-ing, as the Internet calls it, isn’t new: six years ago, Amy Cheong experienced it first-hand and was fired from her job. From then on, people who offended the Internet has been CSI-ed and harassed.

It’s a trend, no doubt, and despite how unhealthy it is, it’s human nature. We can’t change that.

But there’s just something about this trend.

The people who CSI-ed or harassed the subject: they called their actions social justice.

Because I beg to differ.

The first issue is a case of wrong identify: in the Toa Payoh couple case, a wrong lady was accused. The witch hunt has turned into a nightmare for an innocent party. While we can’t deny that netizens are skilled in hunting down people through digital footprints, they’re not skilled in confirming the culprit’s identity, although I believe that they do know how fast information like this spread.

The second issue, which is most more pressing, is how netizens have said that their CSI and harassment are all part of justice.

My question: who gives them the rights to be the judge, jury, and executioner? Is a trial on the Internet based on the evidence of a pixelated video a reliable way to seek justice? And is the default punishment for paying $10 for $135 worth of petrol an online shame?

Or, if I may say, that people are doing that not for justice, but for ego?

Because if I hunt down the culprit, my friends would think that I’m righteous, for I spend time looking for the culprit. Because if I post his personal details online, my friends would think that I’m one who seek justice for the poor. Because if I offer to pay $125 for the pump attendant, my friends would think that I’m kind (even when I’ve no intention of parting $125 for a total stranger).

The Internet has become a medium for me to humblebrag about my kindness; the ends are just by-products.

So whenever I see SJWs harassing a culprit, I’m sorry: I don’t see even a trace of justice in it. Instead, it feels more like an insecure person trying to tell others how kind he or she is – through words.

But that’s just my opinion. Is yours the same?