We all know by now it’s no longer safe to air your views on a platform as public as social media, especially if your opinions are unpopular, because you can go viral and suffer some kind of backlash that may or may not include netizens going on a witch-hunt for your personal details. But people still do it, because what’s the point of having a stance if you’re not going to share it with a bunch of strangers, right?
Anyway, in the latest case of Facebook Comments That Backfired on Said User, one woman recently remarked on a photo of parents with prams waiting by an elevator that looked to be full with people standing in it. Another netizen, clearly unhappy with what sounded like a lack of empathy from the first commenter, took a screenshot and re-posted it on their own Facebook page.
Voicing her thoughts without holding back, the lady said, “So we’re supposed to let parents [with] prams in first? Since when eh?”
“Whoever is earlier gets to take the elevator. Doesn’t matter if you have a pram or trolley or even wheelchair,” she added. “[Please] stop feeling so entitled.”
Another netizen, clearly indignant with what sounded like a lack of empathy from the first commenter, took a screenshot and re-posted it on their own Facebook page. The comment struck a chord with the handicapped and parents who know the struggle of going anywhere with a stroller, as well as supporters of both groups, although some acknowledged that giving way was an individual choice.
The original commenter eventually clarified her viewpoint on her own Facebook page and stuck by what she said.
“I believe that it is not an obligation for anyone to let parents with strollers take the elevator first. Yes, you can do it out of ‘courtesy’ but again, you are not obliged to,” she explained. “And yes, I mentioned wheelchairs too. Same thing. I have been in a wheelchair, I have pushed people who are wheelchair bound around and I still do not expect anyone to give me priority just because of it.”
“You’re here first and the elevator doesn’t have enough space for both of us? Sure, go ahead. I can take the next one,” she added.
In another follow-up post, she mentioned how “funny” it was that people were threatening her because her opinion differed from theirs and she “stood [her] ground.”
“It shouldn’t even have gone viral [because] it really is something minuscule but it got people discussing and exchanging their views, which I think is a BIG improvement compared to the initial response I got,” she said. “So maybe you should lock your paikia (hooligan) up and put on your reading glasses. Chop chop, time to be civilised adults.”
