“It’s sad times if citizens need to be told to be kind to others” — Netizens voice out on the rise of abuse of public workers

In reaction to a recent article on public workers facing more physical and verbal abuse, one netizen noted, “It’s sad times if citizens need to be told to be kind to others.”

Commenters by and large expressed sympathy for public workers who have been treated unkindly, with many noting that today’s high-stress environment may cause people to be less patient than usual. However, a number of netizens also noted that some public workers need to improve their performance. 

On Saturday (Apr 16), a series of articles were published, although behind a paywall, in The Straits Times wherein healthcare workers—including nurses, healthcare assistants and receptionists, taxi drivers, and police officers, say they’ve faced a rise in verbal and even physical abuse.

Many netizens appeared to observe the same uptick in this type of behaviour.

“We’re evolving backwards. Being courteous and polite has been replaced with uncivilized wild and barbaric individuals,” one commenter said.

Another underlined that public workers are just, after all, doing their jobs, and added, “Majority of our public servants are caring and kind hearted people.”

One wrote that unkindness is not just being shown to public workers, but to everyone in general.

A commenter pointed out that merely being “civilised” is needed.

Some pointed to the high stress of our times—not just in Singapore, but all over the globe—as the reason many are behaving badly.

However, others said that some public workers could be better trained or do their jobs at a higher standard.

/TISG

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