In the well-renowned book 1984 written by George Orwell, citizens of Oceania - a totalitarian and oppressive regime - are constantly reminded that "Big Brother is Watching You". Leader of the The Party, Big Brother is portrayed as ever-present, wise and infallible. Best, or rather worst, of all, nobody's actions can escape the sight of Big Brother.

In today's technologically savvy society, it is commonplace for people to own gadgets with video recording capabilities such as small and easily concealable mobile phones. The emergence of new media such as blogs and video-sharing websites makes it almost fuss-free for anyone to upload photos or videos they have taken and share it with "netizens". One such incident which has sparked public outrage would be the "Bus sex videotaping".

Should the people involved be videoed?

Like many others, I do hold the view that if the couple had the guts to commit such an indecent, obscene and raunchy act in public, they should have no qualms with the scene being captured and then made known to web users.

This is mere speculation, but the person behind the camera could have captured the footage in hope that the public would heap criticism on the couple for their wrongdoing to discourage any members of the public who harbour similar intentions of committing such an act in public. Either that, or, it could be for entertainment's sake. Whatever it is, I feel that such a video raises awareness of this incident to the general public, and the condemnation of the couple by the public is both justifiable and desirable - there is simply no excuse for such an act to be carried out in public.

Who is at fault?

It should be of no question that the couple is in the wrong here. Public transport such as bus services are meant to allow commuters to travel from one place to another with ease and comfort. If the couple were indeed so deeply in love and caught up in that moment so much so that they were unable to restrict themselves, just get yourselves a hotel room.

What should not be done?

The couple should not have carried out sexual intercourse in broad daylight in public. Just imagine the horror if kids were present in the bus at that point of time. The couple should have exercised self-restraint and use their common sense to realise that a public bus is neither an appropriate nor the most hygienic of places to carry out sexual intercourse. I disagree with XH's view that the video should have been submitted to the authorities and not uploaded on a public site. It is only when the public unequivocally condemn and criticise the couple would they learn their lesson, especially when this is such a serious offence.

At the end of the day, just remember,

Big Brother is Watching You =).

Hua Peng
(Sorry that I'm late by 10mins!) Howled at 12:10 PM