SINGAPORE: A commuter took to social media to ask, “Why are NSmen treated so badly?” after he saw an NSman being disrespected in public.
In a post on Reddit’s ‘Ask Singapore’ forum, the commuter recounted that he was on the bus when an uncle in a wheelchair needed assistance getting off. The bus captain had to stop the bus and pull a latch to lower the ramp, but the uncle started pointing at an NSman, expecting him to do it “just because he was in uniform.”
“He clearly said he doesn’t know how,” the man said. “By the time the bus captain done it, this uncle yell and gave the NS boy the middle finger before alighting.”
The man was shocked and asked why NSmen seem to get this kind of treatment, especially from older generations.
He pointed out how in places like the US, military personnel get respect and thanks for serving their country, but in Singapore, NSmen get disrespected over small things.
“In Singapore they sit down, kana, never give way, kana, sweat too much, kana, just wearing the uniform everything also kana,” he said. “We need to do better.”
“The wheelchair ramp is supposed to be done by bus captain. It is their SOP.”
In the comments section, many Singaporean Redditors shared similar frustrations, expressing disappointment at the way NSmen are treated in the country.
One Redditor said, “Some, especially vocal ones, have entitled feeling that those in uniform are designated to serve and hence must give way or go above and beyond for others. And ppl in uniform are an easy target to bully since you can’t really stand up for yourself cause someone will post a video, and your rep goes bad.”
Others pointed out that it was not the NSman’s responsibility to assist the uncle with the wheelchair, as it was clearly the job of the bus captain.
One Redditor explained, “The wheelchair ramp is supposed to be done by bus captain. It is their SOP, they old guy is just a siaolang.”
Another shared, “I tried to ‘help’ once and got in trouble for it. They don’t want untrained people doing it and possibly damaging the ramp and setting it incorrectly so that someone is injured going down it. The driver is responsible for making sure it’s done properly.”
Some, however, shared that not all Singaporeans are rude and disrespectful to NSmen. They explained that the older generations, especially the boomers, tend to be less kind to the younger population and often expect more from them.
One Redditor commented, “Purely anecdotal, but there are also generous people who treat people in uniform well.
“Remembered I ordered from a cai fan store before, and the hawker scooped me a bigger serving of rice and ingredients. There are bad people everywhere, but generally, people do not give a hoot about NS.”
In related news, a woman shared on social media that an “uncle” filmed and yelled at her for sitting in a reserved seat on the MRT.
In her post on the r/askSingapore Reddit forum, she explained that she was feeling extremely unwell that morning due to low blood sugar and severe period cramps.
“I felt super nauseous. I had serious period pain since it’s my first day of period, so I sat on the reserved seat [as] there was no other seat,” she said.
“There was one uncle standing in front of me; he said nothing but he was staring at me. I did not offer him the seat since I was really feeling like I’m going to pass away the next second.”