Walao, you ask this one ah? This one is classic keyboard warrior syndrome. Let me give you one story about a fella named Winston.
The Saga of “Winston The Wira”
Winston, he is the king of the internet. Every morning, before he even brush teeth, he open Facebook, open Reddit, open Mothership comments section. His fingers always itchy one.
One day, he see one post about a new cafe in Tiong Bahru. The cafe sell one cup of Kopi C for $8. Wah, Winston’s blood boil immediately. He never go the cafe before, never even see the menu, but he start typing like his house on fire.
“Siao ah! $8 for coffee? This one is daylight robbery! Last time my grandfather time only 5 cents! This generation all strawberry, no wonder cannot buy HDB! Boycott this place! The owner confirm is want to cut throat only!”
He press ‘Enter’ with so much power, he nearly break his spacebar. He feel like a hero, a champion for the poor man. 100 likes come in. He shiok, he feel like a king.
The Reality Check
Then, one person reply him: “Eh bro, this coffee is special beans from South America, and the $8 includes a free croissant and unlimited WiFi for students. Actually quite worth it leh. You got try before or not?”
Winston look at the screen. His face become like tau huay. He don’t know what to say. He never go there mah. He don’t even like coffee, he drink Milo Peng only.
He got no substance, no facts, only got “vibes” and “anger.” But he cannot lose face, right? So he just reply: “You don’t know anything lah, you also strawberry!” and then he quickly close the app.
Why People Like This?
Actually, it’s very simple one:
• Keyboard Courage: Behind the screen, everyone is a lion. In person, they see the cafe owner, they just “Excuse me, thank you” and walk away.
• The “Like” High: When people agree with your complaint, your brain feel like it just won 4D. Very addictive.
• Low Barrier to Entry: To actually fix a problem, you need to study, work hard, and take action. To complain, you only need 4G and a bad attitude.
So in the end, Winston just spend his whole day angry at things he don’t understand, while the cafe owner is busy making money and the students are busy enjoying their $8 coffee.
Empty vessels make the most noise, but at the end of the day, still empty loh.
Would you like me to write another “Singaporean character” profile for a different type of internet personality?