Singapore – Prolific Facebook commentator Ho Ching offers her views on the wave of people exhibiting unjustified superiority and self-entitlement, as described in a New York Times Magazine article by contributing writer Maggie Jones.
The article headlined “See (the Worst People in) the World” retells the stories of how Covid-era passengers have turned the job of flight attendant into “a total nightmare”.
The well-travelled Madam Ho condemns these passengers from Hell as being worse than a Yaya Papaya, a Singlish slang term describing people who are arrogant gloating braggarts. Well, you get the picture.
And here’s the point. One would think that Madam Ho, being the wife of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and a corporate bigwig in her own right, would feel, well, entitled to feel entitled. But her sympathies are definitely with the downtrodden.
The article describes the abnormal stresses flight attendants now face, exacerbated and often provoked by having to police passengers’ onboard behaviour and enforce US federal regulations, including requiring passengers to wear proper masks properly throughout the flight and maintain prescribed social distancing.
As Ms Jones tells it: “People are angry about wearing masks. People are angry at those who don’t wear masks. They are all tired of the long lines, packed aeroplanes and cancellations caused by weather and Omicron.”
Her article focuses on the hostility and, increasingly, violence trained on people in customer service by entitled customers.
Madam Ho makes quite plain her sentiments towards people insisting on “more” rights, and how their sense of entitlement affects other people who are just doing their job.
Netizens supported what Madam Ho said. They agreed that these undue feelings of entitlement are also surfacing in Singapore ,too, and agreed with the sentiments expressed in Ms Jones’ article and by Madam Ho.
Netizen Steven Lim commented that as we practice our rights, it should be remembered that people we’re dealing with also have rights.
Photo: Facebook screengrab, HO Ching
/TISG