Privacy and Personal Space

Singapore is a densely packed island (let's not go there about how many million people there are & is projected to rise to & what proportion is comprised of 'foreigners' blah blah blah...) but I've noticed that, people here have no concept/respect for privacy & personal space!

It seems to be the common thing for people on buses & trains to spend their entire time engrossed on their phone (I do it too, it helps distract me from the discomfort of the travelling experience, but I'm not sooo engrossed that I have no idea what's going on around me, like most people are!)
But nevertheless, does that warrant the person/people beside you to nosy into what you are doing?

(NB: I have concealed the persons' faces for respect for privacy & anonymity...its a shame that dude never respected the guy in blue's privacy)

I think I have been on enough train and bus rides to observe that it is mainly the Chinese (as in black-hair-yellow-skin, so Singaporean, whatever!) who don't respect people's privacy.
I once saw a kid doing some homework/textbook exercise and the adult passenger beside him was staring so much I wondered if/when he would fall into the kid's textbook! *frown*

So it is rather interesting how Singaporeans complain about the number of foreigners here etc etc, but yet even on a simple social level, you can see the 'foreigners' are keeping to themselves whereas its the Chinese dude who is being intrusive...

PERSONAL SPACE
=> is the region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their personal space and feel discomfort, anger, or anxiety when their personal space is encroached. Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else's personal space are indicators of perception of the relationship between the people. There is an intimate zone reserved for lovers, children and close family members. There is another zone used for conversations with friends, to chat with associates, and in group discussions; a further zone is reserved for strangers, newly formed groups, and new acquaintances...(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_space)

I used to work in a rehab for women offenders with drugs/alcohol addictions, & one of things we taught was personal space and the respect for another's, particularly because different people may have differing proximity which they deem to be comfortable/not.

I've noticed people here in Singapore have no concept or respect for personal space.
(I'm not talking about the times when buses/trains are crowded) because I have found that even on the odd occasions when the train is busy, in the sense that there are no vacant seats, but not so busy that you are sardined....people still willingly choose to stack themselves right in front of me? (why??)

 

| That's my feet

| that's my feet and bag!

There's plenty of space elsewhere! Why do you have to stand so close to me?

It appears to be "normal" for people to behave like that....and have no regard for other passengers around (???)  

Also, in the gym exercise classes, people stand far too close...on two occasions of Combat class I've been kicked full force because people don't care that they are way too close to me! ARGH!!

"It's a really busy lifestyle" is not an excuse/reason...

I guess that justification would mean parents here have one less thing to teach their kids: respecting other people's privacy and personal space.