Between Flashing Light and Real Talk

Disclaimer: This post was written back when the writer was 18 years old. There is no guarantee that all of the opinions written here are still true to this day.

Let’s say, I’m still in the middle of UAS –last term test? I don’t know what it is called in english though. That being said, I have no power to write anything with satisfying quality. But I am fond of the newest public service announcement (last time I checked, it’s basically translated as Iklan Layanan Masyarakat). I think it’s from Singapore. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

The thing that makes me want to nod in agreement is, I’d be totally verily okay if people take time to admonish me kindly if I ever forgot to pay attention around. Hello, I’m a mere human whose sensitivity should be questioned since I often lost in my world –not in my gadget (bruh, playing with your gadget in public place is dangerous). What is not okay is, if I make a mistake and instead of warn me, people go as far as snap my picture and then post in social media as I’m the insensitive ignorant human being ever live in Nangor (pardon me, my feminist lecture’s final test really tires me out, I ought to rant without concern).

Like, if you can ever do something about it, it would be better if you, the photographer, would offer the seat to the pregnant lady instead of humiliating a tired man. I’m writing this not because I defend this man. Bruh, I assure you, I also sit in the reserved seating on the way from nangor to bandung vice versa. But in doing so I always strengthen my senses, as in a kid/pregnant woman/elder/disabled/sick person gets onto the bus, so I can quickly offer them my seat. Well, what am I doing anyway on reversed seating in the first place? I don’t know about you guys. But usually, when we go by primjas (bus that connects jatinangor-bandung), the seats are full, including the reversed seats. Sure, I actually feel guilty for taking what’s obviously not my right. But, almost all people who go by bus are tired, especially if it takes two hours to arrive at your destination. So I jump in to the opportunity, with a self-note that if whoever needs my seat appears, I will make no more consideration and offer the person my seat. And this is not an empty promise or branding. Several times I do as I stated. That’s also the reason why I never sleep whenever I get reversed seats. Even when I get the regular ones, I still do the same –except when I get super tired.

So, the man in the advertisement is asleep. Does it mean he is ignorant? Maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not Rakib-Atid who knows what’s in a person’s mind. I won’t judge him either. You mean, you never get negative thoughts toward this kind of person? Oh, yes, I do. No, naive Tsatsa is not your all-in-all innocent young woman. I often think negative even though I end up either forgetting them or trying to forget them. But I usually put myself in these people’s shoes –and it’s somehow easy for me since I am up to any ‘what if’ scenarios. There for priding myself, what a silly girl #sorry

Okay, let’s play what if scenario now. What if... what if someone you deem as ignorant for not doing what’s appropriate in public places or the basic etiquette 101, is actually not aware of their surroundings with spesific tolerable cause like is sick or sleepy, doing so because they are never taught by their parents (well, not really tolerable...), too tired to even stand up, or has problem with their feet and leg –like me back then, cantengan and got infections on my toe (and it really hurts to stand on a long time period and no one will get it because it doesn’t seem like a serious injury. Duh, I really hope you won’t suffer this)? and then people will think, “What a selfish brother/sister!”? and then they start taking pictures of your face while you are wearing something that screams your identity such as almamater and upload the pictures on social media with caption like: UNPAD’S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS STUDENT IS BEING IGNORANT AND SELFISH FOR NOT GIVING A PREGNANT WOMAN SEAT EVEN THOUGH SHE LOOKS PRETTY MUCH OKAY (insert any psychological theory I have no knowledge of and moral of the story on the lengthen caption). And then the post is liked and shared by near a thousand accounts and becomes viral and enters all-fact instagram account. And you are bullied and made as meme online. And then your friends and maybe your professors will shake their heads, saying, “You are a disgrace for our major.” (No, alhamdulillah it never happen to me and hopefully never will).

But seriously, I’ve seen some of the cases, popular or not, that actually can be solved in better way. Only if the person who snaps the picture wants to spend some seconds less than a minute to addres me/the humiliation’s object kindly. Or else? Doing something on their own to help the pregnant lady. And if they want to warn other people, they can write the story –not sharing the picture of me/the ignorant person- while censoring the me/ignorant person’s identity and pray so I/ignorant person can be a better and more thoughtful human being in the future.

Unless. Unless I do something terrible like pushing someone who addresses me or scolding the lady instead. But, is it really worth it? Yes, this can warn other people out there so this won’t happen again and to remind the guilty one that what goes around eventually comes around. But it can result in two ways. It will make people think –especially the youth ones- that it’s okay to expose everything on social media and make it as a social court. I know, this one is an example of what lacks from citizen journalism. But is it really worth it? After exposing this kind of issues, you, the pregnant woman, and other commenters will certainly move on. But will, the ignorant person you chose to ‘be given online-social-sanctions’ move on smoothly? Will they? What is posted online will be there forever. A bad thing we see today will not be a bad thing forever. A bad side of a person we come across today, might be only appear when that person is on a certain condition, and cannot become our base assumption of that person. But social media is not for those who want to weigh options seriously, so why would you think that far right? Why would we think that far just to like and share a post? If we like it, then share. If we don’t like it, then don’t. Besides, it’s not a bullying. It’s a social-sanction, right? The answer is up to you.

I’m a simple yet complex girl. I certainly can see both good and bad sides. I will be honest and expose myself, because what is to lose anyway when I don’t know what you can take from a humble life which I borrow from the mercy of my God only. I can say that, I’m not that sincere when I offer my seat. Yes, there is a fear of doing wrong and judged universally by being exposed through social media. But even if there is no case like this spread around like a forestfire, I will still do the deeds of what I stated earlier. Because it’s also for my parents, for proving what I have learned from them and what I will teach my kids in the future (I was listening to Hall of Fame for this part, so you can see where the spirit comes from).

To close this post, let me remind you that no, social media will never be a solution for every problem. At times, it only works for us as a tool to satisfy our ego. And internet is a scary place, kiddos. I kid you not. The meta world is a world where we live together with our weapon, or in another way of thinking, we live inside a weapon. Take it as you want, but don’t forget to keep your identity safe.