In Continuum.

In an effort to make our MRT stations more friendly to the masses, the authorities have went to great length to really increase the accessibility of these places around Singapore, and I think they have done a very good job. A very honest confession here, I think the whole MRT system is probably one of the best things in Singapore, and I do applaud the government in regards to that. I mean, I have an underground train station right outside my house, what else do I have to complain about? They really make the effort to make things as convenient as possible for everybody out there, and that includes the needy in our society. If you are old or have any forms of physical disabilities, the MRT station is going to be a very friendly place to you. In fact, I am not sure if there are friendlier places in Singapore, because they have demarkations everywhere in a single station. You have those little metal bumps on elevator buttons, those special tiles on the grounds to direct you to places, and not to mention those reserved seats on trains everywhere. It is easy to get around even if you are deaf or blind, or both at the very same time. The MRT is really the last thing you need to worry about outside your home, because I think they have done a great job.

Have you noticed, though, that the government has recently changed the name of the priorities seats to the reserved seats? If I am not wrong, those seats were previously called the "priority seats", until they recently changed it to the "reserved seats". Apparently, in the past, nobody really bothered about the priority seats, and they sat on them despite signs being pasted everywhere for all to see anyway. So they added cartoon pictures of the old and needy above these seats, but that did not deter the young and able-bodied people from taking over these priority seats either. They probably saw the word "priority" and assumed that they were prioritized, for some reason. The word "priority" really wasn't specific enough, and it's not like the stickmen in the pictures helped very much at all at identifying who is who. Let's admit it, the general population are incredibly stupid, and half of those people are stupid because they are ignorant. They ignored most of these signs, and would even remain in their seats when the really old and the really needy members of the public board the trains. There are various strategies involved in the cunning use of the priority seats, something which I shall elaborate later.

Anyway, so they have changed the name from "priority seats" to "reserved seats", an attempt to make more people feel uncomfortable in sitting there I suppose. I know, it really is just a play with words, but it goes a long way if you are studying political communication just like me. Words matter, and it goes a long way in persuading people to do what you want them to do. Anyway, calling it a "reserved" seat seems to give people an idea that that seat is meant for somebody else and not you. I mean, if you reserved something, you'd obviously know about it right. So if you were never actually informed that there are seats on a train reserved for you, even the dumbest human being would assume that it is reserved for somebody else. It is different from the word "priority", because you could be high on a priority list without you actually knowing it, so you naturally assume that it is you. It is clever, and even more clever that they have now pasted the words "reserved seats" on the chair itself. In the past, the words "priority seats" were pasted on top of the seats and on the wall, and people simply sat down and cared little. However, by pasting it on the chair itself, you are going to feel somewhat uncomfortable if you are not actually old or needy. It's kind like the feeling of hanging a wet towel right in front of your face. It's not really harming you, but you can't help but want to shift your face away.

The fact that the words are on a sticker behind your back when you are not supposed to be there, that is some of the cleverest things that I have observed in the public. I have no numbers to say whether or not this has worked, but at least the attempt has caught my attention, and I think it is a clever move. And, as much as you hate the sitcom characters being plastered all over our trains and buses, you have to applaud whoever that came up with the idea of pasting one of them right next to every reserved seat on the train. On the windows next to every reserved seat is the picture of a famous local sitcom character, with his hands pointing at the seat and telling people to give it up to the people who really need it more than you do. I think to have this more direct and personal touch, people may just give up their seats more often to the really old and the really needy. These are just some of the little things that I have observed over the past couple of weeks on the Circle Line that the authorities have done, and I dearly hope that it is going to work this time around. I mean, I have taken the train in Japan and Taiwan, and you really need to see it to believe it over there. Even on public trains, people there are well-mannered and polite. You have a handful of people giving up their seats simultaneously for one single old man, and I saw that with my own eyes!

Anyway, despite all these efforts, you still see people sitting on the reserved seats and not being able to care less for the most part. It just seems like an impossible habit to shake off, you know, to grab the first available seat when you see one. I, personally, feel uncomfortable when I sit there, and I'd certainly give my seat to someone in much more need than myself, unless I have a particularly bad headache or something like that. Anyway, people still sit in these reserved seats, and they sometimes pretend to not see the really old and the really needy. Like, there'd be a few old people standing with their hands on the railings, and you'd see a bunch of young people taking up the reserved seats and pretending not to see the old people. It's amazing how they could just sit there and not feel the words burning holes into their backs somehow. Like I said, maybe the new designs will really knock some sense into these inconsiderate bigots. At any rate, they have employed various methods to evade their responsibilities of giving up seats to the needy. You and I have seen these tactics in play under public scrutiny, tactics so bad that they are as good as trying to hide yourself under a brick in broad daylight while playing hide and seek.

The first thing that many of them do would be to fall asleep, even if they are not really asleep. You know, if a needy person is standing right in front of you, you should naturally give up your seat. For those who choose not to, they'd probably pretend to sleep with their heads bowed low right at the moment when somebody needy comes through the doors. It is automatic, and it requires little to no practice at all. The sight of the needy is like some kinda cue that snaps them out of consciousness, and their necks will suddenly go limp at that very moment. Most of the time, if you see some poor old lady standing in the train with a young man in the reserved seat, he is probably sleeping. The funny thing is always how he is able to control his swaying when he is sleeping, and how he promptly wakes up when he is about to get off the train. He'd also wake up periodically to check if the old person is still in front of him, and then he'd go right back to sleep when the old person is still there. And, of course, he will never ever go back to sleep once the old person gets off the train, because he can enjoy the seat all by himself from then on. That's the way it works around the train, and you see that happening all the time.

Then there are the people who'd be busy on their handheld gaming devices. Whether or not you are on a Ninetendo DS or a PSP, the lure of an empty seat is usually too great for you give up your seat to anyone. So they'd be focusing so hard on the game at hand that they'd zone everything around them out. I remember standing right next to a reserved seat once behind the glass and watching a guy play with his PSP when an old man came and stood right in front of him on the crowded bus. He kept on playing his game for the most part and didn't bother looking up throughout the game. Then, of course, his character died after failing a jump at a cavern, but his fingers continued to press the button furiously even throughout the loading screen. His eyes also continued to focus on the screen with a frown forming in between his eyebrows, as if the game has just suddenly gotten really intense and it requires all his focus and attention. He just didn't want to give up his seat to the old man, and he just pretended to be really distracted by the game when he clearly ignored the man altogether. Besides, the old man smelled funny, and I am sure the kid would have noticed that even if he was on the game itself.

Sometimes, though, you cannot actually blame people for sitting there. I mean, I totally think that it is OK to sit in a reserved seat when nobody is actually in need of it. It's about giving that seat up for someone who really needs it, and that's the most important part of it all. However, there are times when I am on the train, and I cannot figure out if somebody is in need or not. There was this woman on the train that I met with Neptina, and she was standing right in front of us on the way to Pasir Ris. She looked like she was in her early forties I'd say, or at least late thirties. She was wearing a cardigan, and a dress inside that went down to her knees. She looked like an ordinary middle-aged lady, save for the fact that she had a bulging stomach that stuck out not quite big enough to be a pregnant woman's belly, but big enough for us to all notice it. I wasn't exactly sure if she was pregnant or not, and I debated with Neptina for a long time over this. There were seats around her that were clearly available for a while, but for some reason she didn't seem like she noticed any of them until the one next to us presented itself. She looked way too old to be pregnant, and the way that she stood didn't look like she was pregnant either. However, she did have a belly, and it stuck out and sunk deep in her dress that I could not help but ask myself if I should give up my seat.

I didn't, in the end, because she found a seat for herself. I think it was the right decision to remain mum about it, because I really don't want to experience those awkward moments when I accuse someone of being pregnant when they are just fat around the waist. It happened to a friend of a friend before, and I wasn't ready to test my luck at all. I mean, some woman are obviously pregnant, and there are a lot of symptoms you can visually see to tell. But that particularly woman, and that curious looking stomach of hers, it really caused me to fall into an internal conflict over that matter. I tried to picture myself apologizing to her a million times, and that look on her face when she realizes that I was accusing her of being fat. That is also why I say that woman should have a different way of telling others that they are pregnant, something distinct so that everybody else knows. I am sure girls are frustrated by the fact that pregnancy symptoms are very much similar to menstrual symptoms, and it becomes very difficult to tell until the blood comes along. I think women should have their left ears turn blue when they are pregnant or something, just so that people like me will not be confused over a overly bulging stomach.

Anyway, and as for those inconsiderate bigots that I have mentioned, perhaps a stricter measure needs to be in place. We need to have even more arrows pointing at the reserved seats to indicate that they are actually reserved seats. On top of that, the seat needs to be of a different color, and completely plastered with the words "reserved seats". It is not very nice on the eyes, but I think that will be more effective than what we have right now. Also, on top of the seat, there could be a sign that reads "Is this person sitting in the reserved seat right now a person who actually needs it? If not, stare at him accusingly" or something like that. Or, something a little more rough around the edges: If you not someone who actually needs that seat, get the hell out of it. In fact, we should encourage the other passengers to pull inconsiderate people out of these seats. Every inconsiderate bigot pulled out of a reserved seat is going to grant you twenty cents off your travel expenses for that particular trip. And, since everything is being taped on our trains, it is not possible for people making it up. Or, equip fellow passengers with clubs, and you will be able to club inconsiderate idiots when they do not give up their seats. I am pretty sure people will start giving up seats happily. And yes, Gurmit Singh, this is how a happy journey starts - passengers with clubs, waiting for the next inconsiderate bigot to bash for the sake of the needy.