If something happened and it was not your fault, but you still got scolded, would you be pissed? I sure would. This also happened to a netter Jan Rick Camara Mascarina. He was called fat by a lady after he helped the lady pick up some stuff which she has knocked over with her bag. She blamed Jan for being fat. Of course, Jan was not too happy with that and started calling her a bitch.
It soon became a big case when the husband of the lady came over to ask what happened. The husband threatened to sue Jan and call the police. The police soon came and Jan and his friend were asked to avoid the couple.
How would you react if it were you? You can read his full post here:
“You’re fat.”
Those words were the trigger to an interesting Saturday, that ended in police officers instructing me to avoid a couple in their 40's at White Sands. I thought I’d be spending the afternoon doing fat-person things like drinking bubble tea, and buying $1 on-sale Tiptop Curry Puffs - not get called fat and verbally threatened with a civil suit.
Here’s what happened.
Jing Jie told me that he wanted to start drawing again, so we went to Popular Bookstore Singapore, to look for supplies in the pen aisle. While we were engrossed and contemplating which ones he needed, we did not notice a woman browsing the the same aisle too (she was probably browsing the opposite shelf).
The only time we noticed her, was when she walked past us to continue browsing down the shelf, and some boxed items fell to the floor as she walked by.
On instinct, I proceeded to pick-up the boxes to help put them back on the shelf, no biggie (in all honesty, I’ve lived life as a fat person long enough to realise I sometimes knock on things, and just pick them up). That’s when she shook her head, let out a loud sigh, and with a visible black-face, proceeded to pick up the other boxes from the floor.
I was confused for a split second, still thinking that it might be me, until JJ motioned at her huge shoulder bag, the culprit to the fallen boxes. He verbally asked me “what is her problem.” Realising it wasn’t me, and then getting annoyed that my (unintended) extension of help was met with annoyance, I then lamented something along the lines of “she knock things and I help her, still give me black face.”
This was when she dropped words I haven’t heard since I was a 10 year old kid, being taunted for my weight, in primary school.
“It’s because you’re fat.”
I was flabbergasted (I hate this word, but it’s really the exact emotion I had). I didn’t know what to say, so and JJ took the first salvo with a “wow.” I followed up with an “are you serious right now?”
“You were blocking the way.”
Essentially, this woman walks past us without so much as saying ‘excuse me’, knocks things to the floor, which I help pick up, proceed to display annoyance directed at me, for something she did, then call me fat?
I was not having it. I shot back with a “you’re a bitch.”
She then went on the defensive, saying we were attacking her with vulgar language, and threatens to call the police. She then questions how old both of us were, and how our parents brought us up, and says she wishes her child were there to see what kind of person they shouldn’t be.
Second trigger. Don’t bring my parents into it.
JJ, the calmer of us both at the time then says “you started it with a personal unnecessary insult.” Not holding back, I continued with “you’re an old fucking bitch with serious problems, don’t bring my parents into it.”
Not the classiest or most restrained of retorts, but anger tends to drain tasteful vernacular out of most.
She then threatens to call the police, again, while questioning my upbringing.
Since we're at the topic, let me explain how my parents have brought me up. 1 - to stand up when there’s injustice, and defend yourself and 2 - to know that respect is earned, not demanded.
What happened over the next few minutes was an escalating back-and-forth slingshot of insults, with her taking huge offence that I called her out for being a bitch (let’s call a spade a spade, you were), with her insisting we do not walk away because she will take us to task, while calling her husband.
Knowing I did no wrong and this woman was starting to involve Popular Bookstore staff, threatening to call the police (just do it already if you're so sure you're in the right), whilst proclaiming she won’t let me get away with my vulgar words, I then said “look, you don’t have to threaten with calling the police, I will.”
I then hit 999, and for the first time in my life, called the police.
We were then escorted out of the Bookstore by Popular staff, while her husband had come down. The entire time she was speaking to some staff, and her husband in and out of Mandarin, naturally focusing only on the fact that I had used vulgarities on her (woman, if you ever read this, no sane person would call you a fucking bitch out of the blue).
Thankfully, I’m fluent in the language and interjected in Mandarin “don’t have to present only your side of the story only, let’s wait for the police.”
This was when the husband first spoke to us asking what happened. I thought that this man, an older man in his 40's, would be a voice of reason and mediate, as he could be less emotionally charged having been detached from the situation - and might want a grasp of what actually happened.
So I tried to tell him what happened. Tried, because midway through explaining what actually happened, he then said: “I will sue you. I will bring you to civil court.”
He then, in an attempt to threaten us (since they saw us as kids), asked the Popular staff if there was CCTV footage in the outlet, to serve as proof of my aggression and vulgarity, then proceeded to also call the police.
That’s when I knew all avenues of dialogue closed. There was no use talking to the woman, her husband, or Popular bookstore staff, and we just stood by while waiting for the police to arrive.
Even there, while awaiting police intervention, the woman continued rambling outside of the store, apologising to staff and focusing solely on the fact that I used profanities and how there were kids around, and she didn’t want to disrupt their business and pollute young minds.
How magnanimous of her! *rolling my eyes*
All this time, poor JJ is just looking at me going “what the fuck” and saying “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”
Oh, and somewhere in there she manages to sneak in a “anyway it’s true what. He is fat!”
This was when I was just over it. I said out loud, “look, bring me to court if you want, bring the police if you want. If I were a bitch like you, I’d be taking a video of you and posting this online, to see what people have to say. Let’s just wait for the police to come and leave it to them. Please stop talking to me.”
A second threat from the husband then came "we won't leave it to them. You're going to court!"
All this while, the husband had a look of utter satisfaction, like both of them were sure they were right (again, the husband was not there at all when this transpired, and didn’t even bother to hear me out when I tried to objectively explain what happened. Heck, I’d even have apologised for my choice of words after explaining why I used them, if she did as well).
That’s when the exchange stopped, and the police came. They took mine and JJ's statements, and advised us to be on our way and avoid them.
So the reason I’m posting this even when I said I was above it, when I didn’t take a video of her to allow the court of public opinion to pass judgment, was because the police mentioned that if they wanted to pursue the case, they could. I have to defend myself (as my parents have rightfully taught me). The police after all, were only there to keep the peace, not serve judgment. I’m here to tell my side, as objectively and as openly as I can.
With that, I admit to the fact that yes, I am fat, just as you proclaimed the second time “it’s true what. He is fat!”
You should too, admit that you, ma’am, are a bonafide bitch.
- - -
PS. Sorry Singapore Police Force for wasting your time on such a trivial matter. Apologised to the officer, apologising here as well.
