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Mei Ban Fa De.....these are unpatriotic beedio, sinki must not post
- Thread starter k1976
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COMMENT: Dying rats and MRT door-opening videos help no-one
Neil Humphreys
7 December 2023, 8:00 am
Viral videos of distress in Singapore - why aren't more people intervening in these situations? (PHOTO: Screenshot/Facebook)
ITALIAN-Americans have “forget about it”. Singaporeans have “hey, hello”. They essentially mean the same thing, which is anything you’d like.
As Johnny Depp explained in Donnie Brasco, “forget about it” can be an exclamation to describe greatness, awfulness, the mundane and the miserable. It can convey anger, frustration and a warning. Occasionally, “forget about it” also means forget about it.
In Singapore, “hey, hello” is a warning, a distress signal, a call for attention, a sarcastic rebuke, a putdown and a pick-me-up. It’s a reminder to do something or a reminder that Manchester United are terrible. Occasionally, “hey, hello” can also mean hey, hello.
This week, the fabulous phrase was used to glorious effect during an inglorious incident. In a viral video, a person was caught on camera attempting to prise open the doors of an MRT train. The scene was so dramatic that Singaporeans - with no thought for their personal safety – bravely hit the record button on their phones.
And then, as the person actually began to part the doors, a male voice issued that uniquely Singaporean warning.
“Hey, hello.”
And I laughed out loud, not at the seriousness of the situation, obviously, but at the wonderful daftness of that phrase.
I was desperate for the person to turn, with fingernails still gripping the sides of the MRT doors, and say, “Oh, hello. How are you?”
And then, as the person actually began to part the doors, a male voice issued that uniquely Singaporean warning.
“Hey, hello.”
And I laughed out loud, not at the seriousness of the situation, obviously, but at the wonderful daftness of that phrase.
I was desperate for the person to turn, with fingernails still gripping the sides of the MRT doors, and say, “Oh, hello. How are you?”
Struggling with social responsibility
Of course, the male voice must be commended for doing something. The trusty “hey, hello” is at least an intervention of sorts, a verbal call to arms for anyone looking to step in. The “hey, hello” demonstrates a degree of self-responsibility that the other one obviously lacks.You know the other one. It popped up in the other viral video, as the nation watched in horror as a rat attempted a twitching move not seen in public since I gave up drinking cider.
In the video, the rat is seen lying on a tray in an Orchard Road food court, not the first visitor to be floored by food prices in Orchard Road.
Fleeing footsteps are held. People scream. And then, inevitably, those words are uttered.
