Judges/prosecutors willingly served by ex-convicts??

blueheeler SG

As reported in http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,129917,00.html, 15 of the 20 cafe employees at Singapores Breakthru Cafeteria are ex-offenders and former drug addicts, who work there as part of their re-integration into society.

The fun thing is that the cafe is on the ground floor of Peoples Park Centre, which faces the Subordinate Courts across a small park. And, many of the customers of this cafe are actually judges and prosecutors, some of whom had put the waiters behind bars.

Do you still need me to say the obvious? These judges and prosecutors are IDIOTS who willingly get served by people whom they jailed. Ive worked in 3 restaurants before as lowly kitchen-help, and let me tell you that disgruntled, lowly-paid waiters REGULARLY spit into the food of customers they dont like.

Waiters who have been to jail would probably not think twice to exact some kind of revenge on these prosecutors/judges. But the problem is not about these waiters; what the hell are these prosecutors/judges doing in cafe full of vindictive waiters? Hahahaha

the Bear SG

so... are they as vindictive as you say or are you just part of the lot of people who will never ever give a man a second chance?

by showing that you trust them, is the first step in letting the ex-con regain his self-esteem and confidence that he can be a good member of society... and that he can be trusted...

then he meets people like you??

our judges and prosecutors are walking their talk and you are condemning and making fun of them for it?

i'd pity you but i save my pity for retards..

blueheeler SG

Hmmm, you were chidding me like the good old soul you are, but then it degenerated into name-calling?

Anyway, if YOU are a prosecutor/judge and one of the waiters was jailed by you, would YOU patronise the cafe? Or would you hire them to childsit your infants? Or give you kids tuition? If you can't practise what you preach, please save your lecture for people who are actually intimidated by your 2-faced hypocrisy.

matleep SG

First you assume that these ex-convict would have the same mindset as you do, that they will spit into the food of customers that they don't like. That may not be true for those ex-convict. They may had truly change for a better and work towards their future rather than jeopardise it.

Second, you assume that the ex-convict bear a grudge with the judges and prosecutors. If they were to bear a grudge, I think they wouldn't want to work near the subordinate courts. Imagine that they had to see people which they hate everyday and had to even serve them. Why would anyone want to be in that shoe? Also, you are assuming that the ex-convict will always hate the judges and prosecutors. Well, they may had already forgetten about the past and even become friends with them.

Conclusion, you may be wrong that the ex-convict will spit on the food. All you had are baseless assumption that they may do it and had the reasons to do it. You did not show any concrete evidences showing that they actually did it. Also, I feel we should give these ex-convicts a second chance. And not to condemn them thinking that they will be so low as to spit onto the food of others.

blueheeler SG

In my original post, you'll see that I've got nothing bad to say about the ex-convicts. Even the part about them 'spitting' into the food is not related to their past; instead, I can offer concrete evidence of non-convicted people who as waiters routinely spit into the food of pushy, rude customers. Therefore, my point is not that convicts are 'bad' because there are unconvicted people who would do bad things also. I just want to say that most humans are 'vindictive' by nature, and that it will only be natural that some of these ex-convict waiters may choose to excercise their relative power over the judges/prosecutors in the context of the cafe (by spitting in their food).

Trust me; i've got kitchen experience, so I know how filthy and petty some kitchen staff are.

And Sir, about 'assumptions'. We won't get through the day IF we don't use our many assumptions about others, would we?

lotus999 SG

of course the judges and prosecutors don’t know about waiters spitting into food. if they know they would definitely not patronise the cafe!

spinsugar SG

Hahaha.. ooh..

Waiter (thinking) : "-GASP- isn't that the judge who put me behind bars even tho the evidence clearly indicated otherwise?!! THE NERVE!!! This is for SPARRTAAA ----

*Waiter throws burger patty on floor, rubs with foot into still-wet chlorine bleached floor enthusiastically, puts patty back into place, tops with a wad of green spit before topping burger with a deceptively white bun*

Waiter : (smiling daggers) "Here you go, Sir! Enjoy your meal! Oh careful it's hot."

Unsuspecting Judge : "Ah yes thank you!"

Unsuspecting Judge (thinking to himself) : "What a nice, energetic, cheerful young man.. must be a sign of Singapore's success.." *happily digs into burger* "MMM, spicy.. how nice.. must be a new sauce."

Laughing

allentyb SG

why not? afraid, those convicts will beat them up, ah?

Slipshade SG

If they have truly reformed, and have suffered no injustice, they probably wouldn't take revenge. Besides, what more can they do aside from all the spitting? So what if they spit? It's all good and beautiful as long as the people eating the food and drinking the beverages doesn't know about the extra ingredients. Wink

iveco SG

People got behind the scenes experience. Don't play play. Exclamation

Moral of the story is: don't be overly rude to restaurant staff.

fudgester SG

What you state to be 'the obvious' is nothing more than your own personal S$0.02 on this whole issue. Just because you have had personal experiences with petty, disgruntled waiters who stoop down to such low levels does NOT give you the right to tar ALL of those ex-convicts with the same brush.

It is precisely your kind of mentality that has given rise to the 'second prison' that truly-reformed ex-convicts face upon their release. It is precisely thanks to people like you that people who have truly reformed may never get the chance to move on with their lives.

You give me undeniable photographic proof/eyewitness testimony that all those ex-convicts engage in such petty acts as spitting in the sandwiches that the judges eat, and I'll shut my trap.

Otherwise, so long as there's just one ex-convict who has shown a willingness to reform, you are completely out of line. You're in no position to be judging them when you don't even know what they're doing.

There... that's my dua sen on this supposed issue that you're harping on. I can't believe I actually tossed it at you; I'm all the poorer now that I did that.

walesa SG

The whole hyped-up propaganda campaign admonishing mortals to give ex-convicts a second chance is nothing more than fascist hypocrisy, is it?

For all the niceties about helping ex-convicts reintegrate into society, here's a regime that still subscribes to the notion of perpetuating "deterrent sentences" to criminals in a bid to deter others from committing crimes.

At the end of the day, I suppose there's hardly anyone out there whose opinion on ex-convicts will be changed - and rightly so - just because of a futile campaign run through the fascist media.

In all honesty, those who are receptive towards ex-convicts will remain so without the need to be encouraged to do so; while those who are suspicious of the ex-convicts would very much remain so as well. For all the members of the judiciary willing to patronise eateries employing ex-convicts, they pretty much know - and accept - what they're in for...

iveco SG

Meaning they will accept enything "extra" those cafe staff throw into their meals? Laughing

walesa SG

Well, if they knew the background of the staff serving at the cafe and still choose to patronise it, what does that say? Laughing

blueheeler SG

Wow, what a spectacular bleeding-heart plea for us to forgive those already punished. I feel 'ashamed' pointing out that it's human nature to be vindictive, ex-convicts and unconvicted humans both considered.

Please lah! We are ALL 2-faced, and I'll be the first to admit this, even if you are in denial. Here's a simple test to make me eat my words: Would you hire ex-convicts to childsit your infants? Or give you kids tuition? Or be a personal driver to your wife/kids? Or as a live-in maid? Prove my sceptic ass wrong, and post a 'yes' to these questions...