Instead of confronting them, offer a mask to those who aren't wearing one, netizens urge

In a time when everyone’s already stressed out about their livelihoods during a global pandemic, the last thing you’d want to be is the subject being shamed widely on social media. 

Getting infamy online would be understandable if one was openly defying the circuit breaker measures despite being advised, but for many others, it could simply be a case of being human and forgetful. 

So in lieu of publicly shaming others and posting the confrontation on a place like the SG Covidiots Facebook page, some netizens are calling for an alternative to online humiliation. The strategy? Basic kindness and compassion.

More often than not, the Facebook group in subject attracts a certain kind of post — mostly community-submitted videos and pictures of people in Singapore caught in the midst of violating the rules put in place to keep everyone safe from further infections. It has become another digital platform for people to snitch on others, like when they’re spotted without wearing a mask in public, a rule that has been mandated since Apr 14. 

Local artist turned Grabfood rider Ke Weiliang believes that not everyone is doing so intentionally. In an anecdote he shared on Facebook last Thursday (April 16), he described an incident in which he saw an uncle “profusely circling the floor” of a shopping mall without a mask. 

Weiliang found out that the man was doing so because he accidentally dropped his only mask while making his way to the mall and didn’t want to be spotted and penalised for not wearing one while waiting for his order. 

“Thankfully I keep extra masks with me all the time while on delivery duty, so I offered him one,” said Weiliang.

“Now I'm wondering out loud if there is a more compassionate way of encouraging people spotted not wearing masks to do so — something that does not involve individuals being shamed on a certain Covidiots group, or playing snitch through the government's OneServiceApp,” he wrote. 

The man noted that offering an extra disposable mask on hand or salient advice would be preferable over playing a vigilante on social media. This has since been echoed by other netizens like Facebook user Bear Haw, who also suggested bringing an extra mask when heading outside in case they meet someone who isn’t wearing one. 

Do not snap pictures and videos to post it online, he said, encouraging people to show some humility and empathy.

Another Facebook user by the name of Larry Tan started a chain post that has since been copied and pasted across social media. 

“The next time you go out to get your groceries, bring an extra mask along in a clean, sealed plastic pack. Offer it to people whom you happen to see not wearing a mask,” he urged, adding that there’s no need to berate or confront them. 

“They may have problems affording masks or have limited supply of new masks which they rather their family have first, which you may never know.”

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ilyas@asiaone.com