SINGAPORE: After a recent photo of five schoolboys sitting one on top of the other on an MRT priority seat went viral and ignited a debate between netizens, one commenter implied that the photo is reflective of differing parenting styles between the East and the West.
The picture, shared on the @sgfollowsall Instagram account on Monday (April 27), showed five teenage boys from different nationalities, all dressed in the same football uniform, sharing one priority seat on the MRT as they were all stacked one on top of the other.
The person who shared the picture took a positive view, writing, “This scene somehow brightened and giggled up my MRT ride.”
Many agreed with this perspective, saying that the boys were just having a little harmless fun and urging others to “let kids be kids.”
As one put it, “Let them enjoy! They grow up too fast.”
Others, however, took a dimmer view, with some opining that the boys were an inconvenience to the woman beside them, who appeared to be frowning.
“You gotta feel sorry for the poor woman sitting beside them lol. Just look at her face,” an IG user pointed out.
“Is your idea of fun getting into people’s faces? In that kind of situation, forcing the lady to be confined to that space,” wrote another.
Several commenters said that if it had been local teens who were sitting on each other’s laps, the comments would likely have been different.
“Apparently, it’s only funny when foreigners do it. I bet if it was a sec sch student surely Kena letter to school already,” one wrote.
“So when many international school teenage boys sit on one reserved seat, suddenly everyone is ok with it because it’s ‘fun’? Got it,” added another.
One wrote, “If it were local minority kids, the comments would be a lot different. Then again says a lot about upbringing if you can’t act right in public spaces. So Asian parenting is still top tier.”
Significant differences
There are key differences between how parents in Asia bring their children up, especially when compared to Western parents.
In Asia, discipline, academic excellence, and high expectations are often taught and emphasised, whereas in Western countries, parents tend to encourage independence and self-discovery.
In comments to a video from the Malaysian comic Harith Iskander about how “Asian parents and ang moh parents are different,” a netizen wrote, “Asian parents just need to stare, or call their child’s name… trust me that’s enough.” /TISG
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