Don't be Rich

"Those people are too lazy to walk on the road"

"I don't understand why this kind of flooding can take place in this prime residential area"

2 very different comments but 2 which caught my attention in the papers.

The former was a remark by a resident of Upp Thomson Road in response to an accident along the stretch of road where he stayed and the latter was a comment by a motorist who was caught in the flood along Bukit Timah Road.

First, the remarks by the resident. Some background. On 8 November 2009, a couple on their way to church was knocked down by a drunk driver. The lady died and the old man was seriously injured. Read the full story here. In follow up story in the other papers, what transpired was that the old couple was forced to walk on the road as the pavement was blocked by cars belonging to the residents living along the landed properties there. The guy who made the quote above was asked for his view on his car blocking the pavement and whether pedestrian should be allowed to walk unhindered on the pavement and that quote was his reply.

What &**^$ callousness. What arrogrance! Instead of being guilty that he could have inadvertedly caused the death of a person, his attitude just show how little disregard he has for other people's safety.

Now for the 2nd guy, I don't know what was he expecting. Flooding don't occur in prime residentail area? Why? The government has to take special care of people in prime residentail area and don't allow flooding to occur there? Is he implying that it is not okay to have flood in say Bedok or Toa Payoh but not in Bukit Timah or Orchard Rd.

So what's the connection between these 2?

Maybe I am reading too much into 2 seemingly innocuous remarks but it gall me whenever people who have a little bit of wealth flaunt it and think that the whole world should kow tow to them and everybody else beneath their status are 'nobody'. And the problem is, this snobbery and 'richer and higher than thou' attitude seems to be spreading. Just witness the number of cars that parked indiscriminately and illegally. Some how it is almost always one of those luxury cars not the ordinary saloon. And their attitude when told off? Just go to Stomp and see a sampling.

Or how about the Serangoon Garden's protest when it was announced that foreign workers will be housed in the neighbourhood. Do we hear the resident in Jurong complaining? No, of course not who are they to complain. They only stay in HDB flat what!

Ok I gotta a little bit lost here. So what's my point? Don't be rich. Ha ha ha