‘There is no more graciousness in Singapore’— Man and woman seen blocking parking space and ignoring a car wanting to park

SINGAPORE: A video of a man and a woman blocking a parking space and ignoring a car trying to park is circulating online, prompting netizens to share their reactions.

The incident happened in a parking space in front of a shop in Tanjong Pagar. The video posted on Instagram by @/singaporeincidents shows a woman in black standing in the parking space and using a phone, ignoring a black car that tries to park there.

 

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Even though the woman saw the car, she remained motionless and still occupied the space. Later on, a man in white joined the woman and also tried to block the black car. The car then honked at the man and the woman, but both of them stood still. Later, the man in white approached the driver. 

It seemed that the man and the woman wanted to “chope” the parking space and keep it for themselves. On social media, netizens expressed their thoughts and opinions on this incident. One netizen commented: “u might as well put a packet of tissue there and say ‘i chope’ 🙄”. 

Another commenter remarked that there is no more graciousness in Singapore. “The more garang (bold) one is, the more we get challenged & all in the name of egoism,” the comment concluded. 

How far is ‘chope-ing’ culture in Singapore?

In Singapore, the culture of ‘chope-ing’ is to reserve a space in public. This practice prevails not only in Singapore but also in Japan and Korea.  People often use something inexpensive to reserve a seat. For example, when one sees an empty table with an umbrella or tissue, moving these items would be breaking an unspoken rule. 

However, many people consider this kind of act selfish and inconsiderate.

Some people even use their pets and children to chope seats.