With the nationwide promotion of having the public masses uploading videos they took on online portals such as Stomp, a Straits Times interactive website, it is no wonder why Singaporeans are increasingly recording unusual or queer footages to share with other netizens. Every average citizen is can be their own "public journalists/reporters", as long as they have an account on the online portal. This would spur the rapid spreading of information on the net knowing how permeable it is these days.

My take on whether or not this scene, that clearly captured an act of a lack of social graces, should have been taken would be that it was not the right thing to do. What he did with confronting her to stop her from peeling the prawns would have been enough, or he could just alert the bus driver who would have the authority to deal with her. However shocking her actions may be, there is no need for the recording and uploading online for the public condemn it.

I do not wholly agree with Xiaoheng that it could be for entertainment value and to share with others that led to the videotaker to record the scene. He obviously had the intent at that point in time to post it online for the public to mock the aunty's actions as seen from his comments on Youtube: "Taken in a TIBS bus, this auntie was peeling the skin of the prawns and throwing it onto the floor. And I haven't even mentioned the raw prawn smell that stinked and polluted the whole aircon bus. It was only until I told her not to do that then she claimed that she will pick it up later, which she eventually did. And she claimed all along that was her intention. You guys decide how true is that. " It was sarcastic and more of complaining about how inconsiderate her actions were than to just laugh it off.

It was indeed utterly inconsiderate of the aunty firstly to peel the skin of the prawns in a confined space on the bus. Worse still, instead of perhaps throwing the shells in another plastic bag, she flung them on the floor. Not only would the bus stink of the stench of seafood that would take awhile to dissipate, it would be littered with the prawn shells. No one would actually inconvenience themselves by throwing something on the floor on purpose only to pick it up later on. Thus I do not believe that her original intentions were to pick up the prawn shells from the ground after she was done peeling them and that she only did so as others were alerted about what she was doing and eyeing on her. Since she knew that it was wrong, she should not have done whatever she did. I agree with Xiaoheng on the point that it is unfair for the other passengers on the same ride as her to have to bear the stench of her peeled prawns, an act that was wrong to begin with. Such pungent smells would attract flies and other pests, that would indirectly cause nuisance to others around her. It would also be unfair for the bus driver who would have to clear up the mess she created and the consequences would be for him to bear and not her as he is the one maintaining the bus.

In my opinion, the videotaker is less at fault. One cannot blame others for recording them under the guise of invasion of privacy. If they dare to commit such acts in public, they should be responsible for their own actions and face up to the consequences. The aunty should also have been aware that she would attract negative attention by peeling the prawns on a public transport and not in her private car. If she was not doing anything out of the ordinary, why would people film her? However, still, the videotaker should not have recorded her actions with the intent of spreading it online even if his intent at that point of time was merely to entertain or even to mock since he would confront her later on.

The aunty should not have been peeling the prawns on the bus no matter how tied up for time she is or how bored she was on the bus. It was definitely something that no one around her would like to experience and she was also taking up the seat beside her that should have been meant for someone else to sit instead.

No matter how disgusted the videotaker was or how inconceivable her actions were, he should not have done so either. It was an inappropriate handling of matters in their own hands on the videotaker's part.

Debbie