Fight the virus, not each other
Do online vigilantes have altruistic intentions or are they merely venting their own frustrations at the tough movement-restricting measures
Vivien Ang
"We're all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing." - Charles Bukowski
AMID the new normal of deserted streets, long queues at supermarkets and empty shelves, no one is spared from the fervid accusations of online vigilantes. "Stall owner at a hawker centre is eating at the table. If all other stall owners follow suit... what is the lockdown for?" "I see people hanging out at my neighbour's place. What is the number to call to report?"
Of course, it's not wrong to report people who flagrantly flout the circuit breaker rules; we all need to do our part to flatten the curve. But when does the seemingly altruistic intention take a turn from one of civic-mindedness, to just plain kaypoh-ness, or worse, a snitch with a schadenfreude attitude?
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