In many south-east Asian cultures it is taboo to touch a person’s head, as this is considered the most sacred part of the body. Similarly it is taboo to point at or move something with the feet, since the feet are considered dirty.
Singapore is a country that prides itself on its multiculturalism with a mixture of primarily Chinese, Malay and Indian populations. Cultural norms are probably different among these different populations, but in a country like Singapore I would expect an elderly man to be aware of the taboo regardless of his cultural background.
Reading the comments in this thread makes it clear the news is still doing an amazing job of making everyone angry at anything but the real issues
People are normalizing child abuse. It’s a huge problem.
Don’t touch random strangers in public, least of all their kids.
wait, you think this assault was justified?
Both can be wrong.
We’re talking consequences, not justice. Don’t touch random strangers or their kids.
What do we know?
A video of the incident shows the elderly man patting the child on the head as he walked past her table at a food court in a shopping centre.
A woman seated at the same table, believed to be the girl’s mother, immediately stopped him. Another man believed to be the father, walking back to the table, confronted the elderly man.
After what appeared to be a heated exchange, the younger man was seen grabbing the elderly man’s arm and throwing him to the ground.
Seemingly, a strange man violated a child’s personal space without her consent. What message does it send the child? “You are property for others to touch when they please?” Yes, that probably deserves retribution. People should know that this behavior is unacceptable. I wonder what words were exchanged.
Absolutely. Standing up for your child is not encouraging violence, it’s teaching them that their boundaries are important. Those are parents who care about their child’s developing self-worth and there need to be more like them.
An old man patted a child’s head. I don’t think the head pat is a message that the child is his property. What type of “retribution” do you think is deserved here? It’s crazy that you would even use that word. Retribution is defined as punishment inflicted as vengeance.
Of course it’s weird to touch people’s heads but your take on this is crazy.
I don’t think the head pat is a message that the child is his property.
What does the child think?
What type of “retribution” do you think is deserved here?
Hard to say. It’s partly why I wonder what they said to each other.
It’s crazy that you would even use that word.
It’s crazy that you’re trying to normalize child abuse.
Retribution is defined as punishment inflicted as vengeance.
Correct. Do you know why? Because the damage was already done. He did not ask before touching, he touched someone else’s child. No one can undo that. We could ask him politely not to do it again, but would that deter him and others like him? No. Show them what happens when they choose to casually violate the boundaries of others.
Why are you more interested in defending the aggressor than the victims?
I really have to know what you think being patted on the head means because you’re speaking as if the child was punched in the face.
Child abuse 😂
The father apologized and bought the old man a drink afterwards. It’s obvious that you feel very strongly about this, I understand it could be upsetting
The father should not apologize, the old man should. He got off lucky.
I was abused, so it is a bit of a sore subject. It has been normalized. We need to reverse that. Children are human beings. Old men do not have the right to touch them. It’s alarming that so many people are getting this backwards. Think a bit more, please.
It is wrong to escalate quickly to violence against an ambiguous transgression, especially with someone older for whom a fall can easily be life threatening. The goal of a culture where a stranger doesn’t do that is a correct goal, and one we share - it is achieved by firmly but peacefully correcting the old man but using the incident as a teachable moment for the child. Explain to them what should have happened and why. It’s not too late for them to create a kinder, more respectful culture in time. I think going straight to violence is a misstep on that path, and making amends in the end was the right call.
Try to tell that to my 70+ yr old mom.
No, YOU tell her, instead of making excuses for her.
And especially their heads.
No, at all.
Really? You can’t think of anywhere else that would be worse?
The head is relatively tame, but the point is that he violated her personal space, her boundaries, without asking. He treated her like an object for his appreciation. Do you think young children should be okay with strange old men touching them? Do you think their parents should be okay with that? I don’t. I can’t say whether their choice was the best one, but I am absolutely glad they did something about it.
You seem to read a lot of things in my comment that only show your own disturbed mind. There might be reasons for that, but it does not justify your reaction.
Can you explain what you meant by “especially thier heads”? Where is it acceptable for a child to be touched without their consent, according to you?
Where exactly did you read from my comment that I find it acceptable to touch a child (or anyone for that matter) without consent? I don’t. I referred to the fact that in certain cultures, a persons head is a seen as especially sacred. In those cultures, touching the head is not “relative tame”. I hope you learned something, but try to listen to understand, not only to react. Good luck, and all the best.
Bunch of creepy motherfuckers showing up in this thread to tell us we should be okay with strangers touching our kids.
Yeah. I realize I can be intense sometimes, but I think it’s very important to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves. My autonomy was violently disregarded by my parents. I want to protect others because no one protected me. I don’t know the best way to do that, so I try to use what I’ve got. What I’ve got is a broken foundation and a lot of anger, fear, and pain. It’s easy to lash out, though probably not the most effective way of getting through to people.
Thanks for caring.
I’m an abuse survivor myself. If people are going to sit around and do nothing while pedos run the world, they have no right whatsoever to tell their victims how to behave.
