SMRT, please allow non-sitting rate for train fares?

From time to time when I am bored, I will check out the STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) website. Let it be known that I subscribe to the Straits Times and Lianhe Wanbao. I read 2 papers daily, am hooked on to dozens of RSS feeds and search online occasionally for interesting news I have not yet come across. STOMP, in my humble opinion, is like the English version of Wanbao. Waobao compared with the Straits Times/Zaobao is like the busybody nosey parker compared with the well-read intellectual. Of course, this pair of analogies is not 100% correct but you get the point that Wanbao contains relatively frivolous news. Pretty much like STOMP. Almost every time I look at "Singapore Seen", I will see news related to transport. Not transport as in whether the stock of ComfortDelGro is bullish or bearish, but transport as in people eating or making a nuisance on trains/buses, or people not considerate enough to give up seats. Just a while back, I even chance upon a ridiculous incident where a girl wearing shoes with 3-inch heels was upset over not being given a seat. Just because she was "extraordinarily adorned", she felt snubbed when the guy in front of her did not act gentlemanly by giving up his seat to her. I know I am starting to get carried away here but let me just say that we are already in the age where there is equality between the sexes. Whether you are male, female or amoeba, I believe you pay the same fare on trains and buses, ceteris paribus and assuming age = adult. If you are sick, pregnant, elderly or inconvenienced somewhat, those who are considerate may offer you their seats *if* they notice you. Though it is true that some people will start to look or act busy when such opportunities for volunteering seats appear, there are also others who genuinely do *not* use Eveready batteries and keep looking out for new friends on board. If you are *not* sick, pregnant, elderly or inconvenienced somewhat, belonging to the fairer sex does not automatically entitle you to any consideration from others. It does not matter even if you are a drop-dead gorgeous babe. At least for me, the maximum respect I would accord you is what I would give to a fellow human being. In case you start getting defensive and want to brand me as being ungentlemanly, please do not. That is either unlady-like or piggishly chauvinistic. There is one exception I can think of though - if you are on a date with me, it is arguably proper for me to be traditionally gentlemanly. There is a time for everything and the circumstance must be reviewed on a case by case basis. ;-) Hmm.. looks like I got carried away nevertheless. :P Allow me to address the subject topic proper. SMRT, please allow a non-sitting rate for train fares. You see, I no longer feel safe in Singapore. It used to be that I believed I was sheltered and protected by the Singapore government. However, ever since the STOMP website was set up, I began to see pictures of fellow human beings (not to mention dogs, cats, monkeys, snakes, roaches, etc) being put up. Most, if not all, were taken and broadcast via STOMP without the express permission of those featured. I feel NAKED and EXPOSED. Everywhere I go, I suspect someone is snapping a picture of me with her mobile phone camera. If I walk fast enough, at least the picture will be blur and I might not be recognized. The worst part though is when I travel on trains. It is a huge area in the carriage, yet an enclosed one. Everyone can see one another in the same compartment and I need to look left, right, center at all times to ensure I am not captured on disk. What happened to privacy laws in Singapore? Were those people featured even asked whether their photos can be placed online? It doesn't even matter whether they were truly in the wrong or that they just happened to be next to someone being highlighted. The point is what happened to our privacy rights? Given a choice, I wouldn't want to find myself on STOMP! Thank goodness I have been wearing my invisibility cloak each time I ventured out. But I digress again. So why should SMRT allow a non-sitting rate for train fares? Because I no longer dare to sit on any seat. I know I used to offer my seats to the elderly and needy. I know I do not eat on trains. I know I do not blast music like a disc jockey. But still? What happens if I happen to fall asleep on my seat? Will someone accuse me of closing my eyes just when a pregnant lady materializes? What happens if I get too engrossed reading my book? Will someone accuse me of not giving up my seat to the 90 year-old man looking down at me? What happens if I happen to open my legs a little wider for just a fraction of a second when someone decides to go trigger-happy? Will I be accused of taking up 2 seats when I am paying only as much as the next guy? So you see, to make certain that I will not get free publicity at STOMP, I have been STANDING just to play safe. And so, since standing will be less comfortable than sitting, SMRT, may I request that I pay half price when I travel on your trains? If you want to, you can always observe me through your surveillance cameras and confirm that I am a good boy. With the GST increase and how various companies and businesses are cashing in on this, I think the cents saved each journey will definitely come in handy. Thank you SMRT for considering this! Cheers. :D