At a time where absolute compliance is necessary, a group of Singaporean superheroes is emerging to catch these wrongdoers and save the day.
They are called… The Online Shamers.
These people are a little different from regular superheroes, however, in that they don’t actually help the authorities catch anyone.
Instead, they post videos of bad guys flouting the rules online, so everyone else can shame them.
It’s a bit if like Batman took a video of a robber punching his victim and posted it online with the caption “People These Days… Tsk Tsk”, instead of actually catching him and stopping the robbery.
And unfortunately, The Online Shamers seem to be growing in number, as more and more videos of people breaking safe distancing rules are cropping up, waiting for netizens to tear them apart.
Teens Allegedly Gathered Regularly But Couple Decided to Online Shame Them Instead of Reporting Them
A couple caught four youths flouting safe distancing rules by gathering in public and recorded them trying to run away as they covered their faces.
According to the witness who caught them, the four of them were gathering and drinking beer, reported Stomp.
“When we confronted them, they said they were leaving.”
As they left the lift, one of them said, “sorry, sorry” while another said, “We are leaving, we are leaving.”
They also tried to turn away from the camera or cover their faces while they were being recorded.
The witnesses believe that the boys were drinking as one of them dropped and then picked up a beer can while leaving.
“The youths are always doing this in our block and sometimes even during late nights. It’s causing problems to all the residents here.”
As you know, social gatherings of any kind are banned as part of circuit breaker measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This includes gatherings with families or friends not living together, at home or in public spaces like parks and Housing Board void decks.
But Why Shame Them?
While these boys were clearly in the wrong, why didn’t the couple who caught them report them to the authorities instead of posting a video of them online so others can shame them?
As my colleague recently reported, there’s a growing trend of people online shaming those caught without masks in public during the circuit breaker period.
As the writer of Everyday Feminism says, this call-out culture is not actually about the person who has been called out but about the “digital hero” because
- You’re Not Focused on the Outcome
- You’re Not Choosing Your Battles Based on What’s Best for the Community Involved
- You’re Using the Same Strategy for Every Situation
- You’re Centering Yourself on Behalf of Another Group
- You’re Engaging in Respectability Politics to Police Other People’s Behavior
- You’re Trying to Force Someone to Be Accountable
This means that these Online Shamers are more concerned with their own “heroism” than the actual laws being broken.
And netizens are the same, of course.
What You Can Do Instead
If you see someone flouting safe distancing rules, instead of recording them and shouting at them as if they just slaughtered a child in front of you, try reminding them gently that they’re not adhering to the rules in place.
In other words, try being kinder.
Reader: Kinder? Like the chocolate?
And if you want to report them, you can easily do that with the OneService app that was developed by the Government for citizens to report municipal issues to the relevant authorities.
All you have to do is snap an image or two of the incident and provide some details.
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Everyone is already stressed out at the moment. Stop bringing others down so you can feel good about yourself. If you really want to feel like a superhero, put on some red underwear over your blue pyjamas and get a job as a journalist.
You’ll be a lot more useful to society that way.
