X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

Auntie Aims Toothpick At Sleepy Child On MRT, Netizens Defend Her

7 Jul, 2019
Auntie Aims Toothpick At Sleepy Child On MRT, Netizens Defend Her

How far would you go to protect your personal space?

An auntie in Singapore presented a moral dilemma that divided netizens when she was photographed extending a toothpick towards a child who was falling asleep on her.

Rude MRT commuter aims toothpick at sleeping child

The image in question was posted on r/trashy, a community on reddit with over 1.4 million members internationally, three days ago. The community describes itself as a place to share “trashy stories” and content that is “downright trashy, low-class, no-class”.

The original poster, maxdilbe, confirmed that the photo was taken in an MRT in Singapore.
rude MRT commuter

PHOTO: Reddit

Adding more context in a comment, maxdilbe explained that the child, who looked to be four or five years old, was falling asleep on the lady. She shot annoyed looks to the child’s guardian, who did nothing.

The lady’s husband offered to switch places with her but she opted to hold a toothpick at the spot where the child’s head was hitting her arm.

Seeing the toothpick, the child’s guardian moved him to another seat.

The photo, captioned “Trashy lady’s response to a little kid falling asleep on her arm a couple of times” was intended to shame the lady but r/trashy was on her side.

An overwhelming majority of commenters on r/trashy labelled the child’s guardian as the “trashy” one instead for not stopping him from sleeping on a stranger.

rude MRT commuter

PHOTO: Reddit

Many comments sided with the lady and said that she was within her rights to protect her own personal space.

rude MRT commuter

PHOTO: Reddit

Some commenters even placed the blame on the child, labelling him as “weird” and criticising his behaviour.

rude MRT commuter

PHOTO: Reddit

This was in stark contrast to the consensus on r/singapore, a community of about 176,000 people that discusses issues relating to Singapore. Most commenters felt that the lady was in the wrong and that there was no excuse for attempting to poke a child with a toothpick.

rude MRT commuter

PHOTO: Reddit

They pointed out that there were other options such as nudging the child or speaking to the parent or guardian directly.

Some felt that she should have been more understanding of a child.

rude MRT commuter

PHOTO: Reddit

On the r/singapore thread, the rare comments in defence of the lady were downvoted

Partner Stories
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
Singapore's Dengue Cases Surpass The 35,000 Mark, Highest Since 2013
Singapore's Dengue Cases Surpass The 35,000 Mark, Highest Since 2013
Typhoon Haiyan relief effort
Typhoon Haiyan relief effort

With keyboard warriors still arguing over who’s the trashiest person in this situation, the jury is still out.

Until then, let’s remember – don’t fall asleep on strangers in the MRT. But please, don’t point sharp objects like toothpicks at sleepy children either.

This article was republished with permission from AsiaOne.

Also READ: To the person in the train refusing to let a pregnant mum sit

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

asiaone

  • Home
  • /
  • News
  • /
  • Auntie Aims Toothpick At Sleepy Child On MRT, Netizens Defend Her
Share:
  • 11-year-old allegedly molested on MRT in Singapore

    11-year-old allegedly molested on MRT in Singapore

  • MRT Closure in December, Singapore: 19 MRT Stations Affected!

    MRT Closure in December, Singapore: 19 MRT Stations Affected!

  • 11-year-old allegedly molested on MRT in Singapore

    11-year-old allegedly molested on MRT in Singapore

  • MRT Closure in December, Singapore: 19 MRT Stations Affected!

    MRT Closure in December, Singapore: 19 MRT Stations Affected!

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and lifestyle updates.